Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, better known as BMW, is unlike most car companies. It did not originate from one talented person who drove, pun intended, the company to vast success. There is no “Gunter BMW” out there. Instead, the company is a conglomeration of different businesses that arose between 1910 and 1915. The first actual BMW name was used in 1916. At that time, the company was owned by MAN AG and a number of banks.
As with most companies in German, the two great wars resulted in wild fluctuations of success and failure. Although BMW is generally considered to have first been created in 1916, it didn’t make cars. It made planes and motorcycles. It wasn’t until 1929 that it made its first cars. The company nearly failed after the Second World War, and liquidation was investigated in 1959.
|
It was during this period of liquidation debate that something interesting happened. BMW was on the cusp of failure, but was arguably saved by the Quandt family. The family bought into a majority position of the company and infused significant capital into the flailing company. That money was eventually used to turn around the company and launch it to the huge success we need today.
Who owns BMW? The Quandt family is believed to own 45 of the company these days. The rest of the shares of the company are publicly traded. That being said, there is not one BMW company. The BMW you and I think of is really a parent company. There are also variations in many countries for which all the shares are owned by the parent BMW company. Why is this? Mostly for tax reasons. Sometimes it is simply advantageous to set up an independent company to avoid being taxed into oblivion. This is true for many companies that have a world wide customer base.
<< Back to BMW Articles |
