Do YOU know what BMW stands for?
Do YOU know what BMW stands for? The brand name goes back more than 100 years, but was not always called the same
For car enthusiasts, the name BMW is synonymous with quality, but even enthusiasts may not have stopped to think about what the brand name actually means.
The famous BMW logo that we see today is the result of the evolution of the German brand that began more than 100 years ago.
The car company – and one of the largest car manufacturers in the world – produces both vehicles and motorcycles and was founded in 1916.
BMW stands for ‘Bayerische Motoren Werke’, meaning ‘Bavarian Motor Works’ or ‘Bavarian Engine Works Company’ – named after its place of origin in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
BMW is one of the largest car manufacturers in the world, producing both vehicles and motorcycles (stock image)
However, the company was initially named Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG in 1916 and was later renamed Bayerische Motoren Werke, now known as BMW, in 1922.
One of the company’s original founders, Karl Rapp, had preferred to model the brand after himself and call it Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH.
At the time, BMW was known as a manufacturer of aircraft engines and other machines, producing them from 1917 to 1918 and again from 1933 to 1945.
In fact, BMW’s first product was a straight-six aircraft engine called the BMW IIIa designed in the spring of 1917 by engineer Max Friz.
BMW did not become a car manufacturer until 1928, when it bought the now-defunct car manufacturer Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach.
The first car ever to be sold as a BMW was a rebadged Dixi called the BMW 3/15 and throughout the 1930s, BMW expanded its range to include sports cars and other luxury vehicles.
The BMW logo itself was first introduced in 1917, with the circular shape of the logo remaining the same to this day.
The circular blue and white logo evolved from the company logo of Rapp Motorenwerke, with a black ring with the company name.
BMW kept Rapp’s black ring, but added a trim plate referencing the blue and white flag of the Free State of Bavaria.
However, because local trademark law prohibited the use of sovereignty symbols on commercial logos, the design was immediately modified to comply, but kept the colors blue and white.
BMW explained that there was no real need for a symbol in the early days, as their main activity focused on the production and maintenance of aircraft engines for the German Air Force.
It added that their very first ad lacked any BMW symbol or decal.