Two engineers Karl Rapp and Gustav Otto founded on 7^th March 1916, when an aircraft produced called Bayerische Flugzeugwerke formerly Otto Flugmascjomemfabrik) was established. They were not building cars, but were aircraft engines for Germany during World War I, so Germany their powerful engines can fly higher than ever. In 1918 everything changed Germany lost the war and the Treaty of Versallies banned them from making aircraft engines. This company was renamed to Bayerische Motoren Werke in 1922. On the edge of collapse in 1923 they started making motorcycles BMW R32, a motorcycle that set speed records farm equipment, household items and railway brakes. Real breakthrough came in 1928 when BMW bought a struggling car company entered the automobile industry. They built small efficient cars. The first car sold as a BMW was a rebadged Dixi called the BMW 3/15. But in 1930s they turned to luxury performance then World War II hit and after the war BMW was banned again this time making cars. The company was nearly bankrupt Ford even tried to get them out.  BMW stopped making automobiles altogether in 1941, under government prohibition. BMW’s factories were heavily bombed during the war, its automobile factory in the Russian controlled East Germany and its remaining West German facilities were banned from producing motor vehicles or aircraft after the war. The company survived by making pots, pans and bicycles. In 1948, BMW restarted motorcycle production, resuming car production in Bavaria in 1952 with the BMW 501 luxury saloon.  They also made cheaper Isetta microcar after acquiring the rights from Italian company ISO. A 600, 4 seat version of the Isettam with the fridge front door and one side door and a 600 cc air cooled horizontal twin motorcycle engine, was a sales flop. The BMW 700 was successful and assisted the company’s recovery.  BMW refused, then a game changer the BMW 1500 launched in 1961 which was fast and stylish and high performance. It saved the company and defined what BMW would become a brand build on driving pleasure all because it kept adapting and kept innovating and never sold out. If you’re willing to Pivot. The BMW 5 Series mid-size sedan range introduce in 1972, followed by the BMW 3 Series compact Sedans in 1975, the BMW 6 Series luxury coupes in 1976, and the BMW 7 series large luxury sedans in 1978. The BMW M division its first road car, a mid-engine supercar, in 1978. This was followed by the BMW M5 in 1984 and the BMW M3 in 1986. Also in 1986, BMW introduced its first V12 engine in the 750i luxury sedan. BMW is owned by the Quandt family, 29 per cent  owned by Stefan Quandt, a German industrialist and engineer and 21 per cent  owned by Susanne Klatten, sister of Stefan Quandt, and the other half is owned by the public. Now BMW group is the world’s leading provider of premium luxury cars and motorcycles offering 23 car models including 9 cars in SUV category like BMW X5, 9 cars in Sean, 4 cars in coupe, 1 convertible. BMW also owns Mini after buying the Rover Group in 1994, Rolls-Royce (acquired in 1998), BMW Motorrad brands. In 1995 BMW Z3 expanded the line-up to include a mass-production two-seat roadster, and the 1999 BMW X5 was the company’s entry into the SUV market. The first mass produced turbocharged petrol engine was introduced in 1980 ( M102)_ with most engines switching over to turbocharging over the following decade. The first hybrid BMW was the 2010 BMW Active-Hybrid 7, and BMW’s first electric car was the BMW i3 city car released in 2013.  BMW’s first front-wheel drive car was the 2014 BMW 2 Series Active Tourer multi-purpose vehicle (MPV).