BMW Logo

Brand History

The BMW Story

BMW's official founding date is March 7, 1916, when Gustav Otto's aircraft company was reorganized as Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Rapp Motorenwerke became Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH in 1917 and BMW AG in 1918; in 1922 the BMW name, engine operations, assets and workforce were transferred to BFW, making the earlier BFW date BMW's official foundation date. BMW introduced its first motorcycle, the R 32, in 1923, acquired Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach in 1928 and began car production there in 1929 with an Austin-licensed small car before launching its own designs in 1932. After its wartime armaments production and use of forced labor, BMW rebuilt after 1945, remained independent following the 1959 crisis and returned to growth with the BMW 1500 Neue Klasse, presented in 1961.

Logo History

Evolution Of The BMW Logo

1. 1913–1917 (predecessor)

   Rapp Motorenwerke used a circular black-ring emblem with its name and a horse head. BMW's first mark retained the basic ring layout, but the Rapp emblem was never a BMW logo.

2. 1917–1997

   BMW's first roundel appeared in 1917, combining the BMW initials with blue-and-white quarters representing Bavaria. The familiar propeller explanation arose only after a 1929 advertisement placed the roundel over a rotating aircraft propeller; it was not the logo's original design meaning.

3. 1997–2020

   A shaded, three-dimensional interpretation of the established roundel became the principal communications mark.

4. 2020–present

   BMW introduced a flat communications logo with a transparent outer ring on March 3, 2020. BMW explicitly described it as a media and communications identity used alongside the existing vehicle and dealership badge.

Model Evolution

BMW Through The Years

7 milestone models from 1929 to 2021.

1929

1936

1952

1962

1975

1999

2021