BMW was established in 1917 following the restructuring of an aircraft manufacturing firm. It began by producing motorcycle and later expanded to automobile production. BMW is known for its successful aircraft engines during World War II and its luxury cars. In the 1960s, BMW acquired other brands to expand its portfolio and launched new models like the Mini to boost sales. It continues to focus on innovative electric vehicles, acquiring design firms and using lightweight materials like carbon fiber to produce high-performance hybrid models such as the BMW i8 concept.

2.  BMW was established as a
business entity following a
restructuring of the Rapp
Motorenwerke aircraft ma
nufacturing firm in 1917.
After the end of World
War I in 1918, BMW was
forced to cease aircraft-
engine production by the
terms of the Versailles
Armistice Treaty The
company consequently
shifted to motorcycle
production in 1923, once
the restrictions of the treaty
started to be
lifted, followed by
automobiles in 1928–29
 The first car which BMW
successfully produced and
the car which launched
BMW on the road to
automobile production
was the Dixi, it was based
on the Austin 7 and
licensed from the Austin
Motor Company in
Birmingham, England.

3.  BMW's first significant aircraft engine was the BMW IIIa
inline-six liquid-cooled engine of 1918, much preferred
for its high-altitude performance. With German
rearmament in the 1930s, the company again began
producing aircraft engines for the Luftwaffe. Among its
successful World War II engine designs were the BMW
132 and BMW 801 air-cooled radial engines, and the
pioneering BMW 003 axial-flow turbojet, which powered
the tiny, 1944–1945–era jet-powered "emergency fighter",
the Heinkel He 162 Spatz. The BMW 003 jet engine was
tested in the A-1b version of the world's first jet fighter,
the Messerschmitt Me 262, but BMW engines failed on
takeoff, a major setback for the Emergency Fighter
Program until successful testing with Junkers
engines.[11][12] Towards the end of the Third Reich BMW
developed some military aircraft projects for
the Luftwaffe, the BMW Strahlbomber, the BMW
Schnellbomber and the BMW Strahljäger, but none of
them were built.

4. By the year 1959, the automotive division of BMW was in financial difficulties and a
shareholders meeting was held to decide whether to go into liquidation or find a
way of carrying on. It was decided to carry on and to try to cash in on the current
economy car boom enjoyed so successfully by some of Germany's ex-aircraft
manufacturers such as Messerschmitt and Heinkel. The rights to manufacture the
Italian Iso Isetta were bought; the tiny cars themselves were to be powered by a
modified form of BMW's own motorcycle engine. This was moderately successful
and helped the company get back on its feet. The controlling majority shareholder of
the BMW Aktiengesellschaft since 1959 is the Quandt family, which owns about 46%
of the stock. The rest is in public float.
BMW acquired the Hans Glas company based in Dingolfing, Germany, in 1966. Glas
vehicles were briefly badged as BMW until the company was fully absorbed. It was
reputed that the acquisition was mainly to gain access to Glas' development of the
timing belt with an overhead camshaft in automotive applications, although some saw
Glas' Dingolfing plant as another incentive. However, this factory was outmoded and
BMW's biggest immediate gain was, according to themselves, a stock of highly qualified
engineers and other personnel. The Glas factories continued to build a limited number
of their existing models, while adding the manufacture of BMW front and rear axles
until they could be closer incorporated into BMW.

5. In 1992, BMW acquired a large stake in California based industrial
design studio DesignworksUSA, which they fully acquired in 1995. In 1994, BMW
bought the British Rover Group (which at the time consisted of the Rover, Land
Rover and MG brands as well as the rights to defunct brands
including Austin and Morris), and owned it for six years. By 2000, Rover was
incurring huge losses and BMW decided to sell the combine. The MG and Rover
brands were sold to the Phoenix Consortium to form MG Rover, while Land Rover
was taken over byFord. BMW, meanwhile, retained the rights to build the new Mini,
which was launched in 2001.
Chief designer Chris Bangle announced his departure from BMW in February 2009,
after serving on the design team for nearly seventeen years.He was replaced
by Adrian van Hooydonk, Bangle's former right hand man. Bangle was known for his
radical designs such as the 2002 7-Series and the 2002 Z4. In July 2007, the production
rights for Husqvarna Motorcycles was purchased by BMW for a reported 93 million
euros. BMW Motored plans to continue operating Husqvarna Motorcycles as a
separate enterprise. All development, sales and production activities, as well as the
current workforce, have remained in place at its present location at Varese.

6. In June 2012, BMW was listed as the #1 most reputable company in the world by
Forbes.com. Rankings are based upon aspects such as "people's willingness to buy,
recommend, work for, and invest in a company is driven 60% by their perceptions of the
company and only 40% by their perceptions of their products.“

8. The BMW i8 Concept is an innovative plug-in hybrid concept that combines the
modified electric drive system from the BMW i3 Concept — fitted over its front axle
— with a high-performance three-cylinder combustion engine producing 220 hp and
torque of 221 lb-ft at the rear.
The BMW i8 Concept has an acceleration of 0 to 62 mph in 4.6 seconds.* The hybrid
concept means that the BMW i8 Concept can also run purely on electric power. The
battery can be fully recharged in less than 2 hours using an installed wallbox. The
eDrive technology containing a lithium-ion battery can travel to approximately 20
miles on electric power alone.
The drive systems powering the BMW i8 Concept are integrated into the front and
rear axle modules. As a plug-in hybrid, the BMW i8 Concept is designed for all-
electric and combustion engine propulsion, and therefore carries fewer battery cells
than the BMW i3 Concept. This gives the car a low center of gravity — and the
dynamic benefits that come with it. The positioning of the electric motor and engine
over their respective axles and the space-saving and well-balanced packaging of all
components result in a 50/50 weight distribution.

9. As in the BMW i3 Concept, the Life module is made from Carbon Fiber
Reinforced Plastic. The CFRP is as strong as steel but 50% lighter. The material
is made of carbon fibers that are tear-resistant along their length. The fibers are
woven into lattice structures and embedded in a plastic matrix to create the
carbon fiber/plastic composite material.
The 2+2-seater offers enough space for four people enhancing the vehicle’s
sports car character. For the first time, BMW introduces the newly developed
Laser Light. These headlights are more efficient than LED lights, highly flexible,
ten times smaller, pleasant to the eye and absolutely safe. Laser lighting is
monochromatic and produces a near-parallel beam with intensity a thousand
times greater than that of conventional LEDs. Also, the high inherent efficiency
of laser lighting means that laser headlights have less than half the energy
consumption of LED headlights.
The Following presentation about BMW I8 is presented by Abdulrahman Bello
Yabo Refrence NO BG937