Automotive industry I always suffered from the fact that it was very difficult to understand the relationship between manufacturers. After the global financial crisis thoroughly crippled it in almost all countries, European and American auto giants began to frantically resell their brands. In this confusion, it became unclear who is now responsible for the famous brands. Online812 has traced the complex history of relationships between major automotive brands.Few manage to maintain their independence in a competitive market. Basically, these are the largest brands that are still in the hands of the families of their founders. For example, the automaker Peugeot Citroen still 30.3% (45.1% of voting shares) belongs to the Peugeot family. The shares are also owned by employees of the concern (2.76%), there are also treasury shares (3.07%). The remaining shares are in free float.
By the way, Peugeot SA acquired a 38.2% stake in Citroën back in 1974, and two years later brought this share to 89.95%. So today, Peugeot almost completely controls the formerly independent Citroen.
Bavarian concern BMW, which Herbert Quandt actually single-handedly saved from the sale in 1959, still depends on his family. At the end of the 1950s, the rival company Daimler-Benz became interested in the unprofitable German brand, but Quandt did not sell it, and invested himself. Today, his widow Joanna Quandt and children Stefan and Susanna control 46.6% of BMW shares and live quite well. Stefan Quandt even served as vice chairman of the company's board for some time. Despite the fact that in different Ford time, General Motors, Volkswagen, Honda and Fiat offered very lucrative deals, Quandt's heirs refuse to sell, because they consider keeping the brand a matter of honor for the family.
Ford Motor is run by William Ford Jr., great-grandson the famous Henry Ford. Henry Ford himself always dreamed of being the sole owner of the company. In 1919, Henry and his son Edsel bought out the company's shares from other shareholders and became the sole owners of their offspring. There is no doubt that the shares were sold to them without any problems, because the first shareholders were: a coal merchant, his accountant, a banker who trusted the coal merchant, two brothers who had an engine workshop, a carpenter, two lawyers, one clerk , owner of a haberdashery and a man who produced wind turbines and air rifles.
Later, the business was always inherited. So the father of the current director, leaving the board of directors, handed over the reins of government to his son, while remaining the largest shareholder. In January 1956, the Ford Motor Company again became a public company. In the 21st century, the company has about 700,000 shareholders. At the same time, the Ford family owns 40% of the voting shares, which determines the main policy of the company, and the remaining shares are in free float.
A little earlier than others, in 2007, Ford experienced a serious crisis. He lost $12.7 billion in a year. The Ford family tried to overcome the situation, and was even forced to sell the family estate and move to a smaller estate. Nevertheless, in order to somehow get out of the debt hole, the concern had to sell Aston Martin(which was 100% owned by Ford) to a consortium of investors for $925 million. Until 2008, under pressure Japanese competitors the situation only worsened. Shareholders began to get rid of Ford shares. So did one of the largest investors, billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, who reduced his stake in the company to 4.89% (107 million shares).
Until recently, Ford boasted two more British brands - Jaguar (Ford bought Jaguar for $2.5 billion in 1989) and Land Rover (in 2000 it was bought by Ford for $2.75 billion). dollars from BMW). In 2008, both brands were put up for sale due to huge debts. In June 2008 they were bought by the Indian Tata Motors.
In March 2010, the Swedish auto giant Volvo reached an agreement with the Chinese company Zhejiang Geely to sell Volvo Cars for $1.8 billion. In August this year Ford, How former owner Volvo received $1.3 billion in cash and $200 million in credit notes from Geely. By the end of the year, the Chinese will also transfer another $300 million to Ford's accounts.
Today, in addition to cars with its own name, Ford Motor owns the Lincoln and Mercury brands. Ford also owns a 33.4% stake in Mazda and a 9.4% stake in Kia Motors Corporation.
German Porsche is owned by the Porsche and Piech families, the heirs of company founder Ferdinand Porsche and his sister Louise Piech. The family clan owns shares of the company, giving the right to make key decisions, and a small part of the preferred shares listed on the German stock exchanges. By the way, the cunning family has a very significant impact on the German car market. So, for example, Ferdinand Piech (grandson of Ferdinand Porsche), from 1993 to 2002 headed Volkswagen.
In 2009, the family concern acquired its first major foreign shareholder. It was the Qatari emirate, which bought out 10% of the holding's shares.
By the way, Volkswagen itself is actually owned by Porsche, and vice versa - since 2009, Volkswagen has owned 49.9% of the shares of Porsche AG.
Initially, Volkswagen was a state-owned automaker. It was reorganized into a joint-stock company only in 1960, and the federal government of Germany and the government of Lower Saxony each received 20% of the shares in its capital. For 2009, the main shareholders of the concern were: 22.5% - Porsche Automobil Holding SE, 14.8% - Lower Saxony, 30.9% - private shareholders, 25.6% - Foreign investment institutions, 6.2% - German investment institutions. In August 2009, Porsche SE and Volkswagen Group reached an agreement under which Volkswagen and Porsche AG would be definitively merged by 2011.
In addition to its own production, the divisions of the Volkswagen Group are currently: Audi (acquired from Daimler-Benz in 1964), Seat (since 1990, the Volkswagen Group owns 99.99% of the shares), Škoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini (the company was acquired by subsidiary by Audi in 1998).
Hyundai Motor "raised from its knees" a single person - Chung Mong Koo, the eldest son of the founder of the Hyundai industrial group. In the late 90s, he seriously took up the quality of cars. For some 6 years, the Korean was able to increase sales in the US market by 360% and take fourth place among imported brands.
Today, 4.56% of Hyundai's shares are owned by the National Pension Service of South Korea, which hates Chung, and every time in every possible way prevents him from being re-elected. In principle, their doubts are understandable - in 2007, 72-year-old Chung was sentenced to three years in prison for embezzling 90 billion won ($77 million) through fraudulent schemes. An appeals court later suspended this sentence and transferred Chung to community service, but his reputation was irretrievably lost. In 2010, the Seoul District Court still ordered the ex-chairman of the board of directors to pay compensation in the amount of 70 billion won (about $60 million) for business decisions he made that were unfavorable for Hyundai.
Company Kia Motors today is the second largest South Korean manufacturer, and the seventh in the world. It is part of the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, and is mostly owned by Hyundai Motor Co. (38.67% of shares), Ford Motor (9.4%), Credit Suisse Financial (8.23%), employees (7.14%), Hyundai Capital (1.26%).
Another major Asian manufacturer, Suzuki Motor Corporation, has only 16.9% of shares on its own balance sheet. The rest are owned by: Millea Holdings - 3.86%, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group - 3.28%, General Motors - 3%, another 16.24% of the shares are in free float. In January of this year, Volkswagen AG joined the largest shareholder of Suzuki Motor, which bought out 19.9% of the shares for 222.5 billion yen ($2.5 billion). In the deal, Suzuki was entitled to half of that amount to acquire shares in the German corporation.
Concern "Reno" over the past 60 years is gradually getting out of state control. Until 1945, Renault was 100% privately owned. However, during the war, the company's factories were destroyed, and Louis Renault himself was accused of collaborating with the Nazis and convicted. A major businessman died in prison, and his company was successfully nationalized. However, over the years, the state share began to decline. And if in 1996 Renault was state-owned by more than half, then in 2005 it already owned only 15.7% of the shares. In 1999, Renault and Nissan entered into perhaps the most enduring automotive alliance. Nissan is 44.4% owned by the French manufacturer, and Renault, in turn, gave 15% of the shares to the Japanese.
The fifth largest automobile concern, DaimlerChrysler, was very fond of the Arabs. The owner of the top brands Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and Smart, has the Arab investment fund Aabar Investments (9.1%) as the main shareholder, the government of Kuwait owns 7.2% of the shares, and about 2% belongs to the emirate of Dubai. Next to such brands, it is surprising to see our KAMAZ, a 10% stake in which Daimler acquired in 2008. The German automaker paid $250 million immediately for KAMAZ shares and left $50 million until 2012. As a result of the deal, Daimler received one seat on the board of directors of KAMAZ. In February of this year, the concern bought another 1% stake in the truck manufacturer.
By the way, DaimlerChrysler owns a large block of shares in other companies: 85.0% of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus, 50.1% - Automotive fuel cell Cooperation, 19.9% Chrysler Holding LLC (in 2007, 80.1% of the division's shares were sold for $7.4 billion to private investment fund Cerberus Capital Management, L.P.), 10.0% Tesla Motors, 7.0% Tata Motors Ltd .
Japanese Toyota Motor Corp., whose president is the grandson of founder Akio Toyoda, is 6.29% owned by The Master Trust Bank of Japan, 6.29% by Japan Trustee Services Bank, 5.81% by Toyota Industries Corporation, and 9% by treasury shares.
General Motors, which has long occupied a leading position in the automotive market, today is controlled by the state (61% of the shares). Its main shareholders are: the Government of Canada (12%), the United Auto Workers Union of the USA (17.5%). The remaining 10.5% of the shares were divided among the largest creditors.
The famous automaker still owns Chevrolet brands, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac and Opel. More recently, he also owned a controlling stake in the Swedish company Saab (50%), but after the crisis, in January 2010, he sold the company to the Dutch sports car manufacturer Spyker Cars.
Summer 2008 Company General Motors decided to sell the Hummer brand, and for almost a year tried to sell it to the Chinese, then the Russians, then the Indians. As a result, the only promising deal with the Chinese Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co fell through, and on May 26, 2010, the last SUV of the brand rolled off the assembly line of the General Motors plant in the US city of Shreveport.
In addition, General Motors was major shareholders several companies. For example, until recently he had 20% of the shares of Japanese Fuji companies Heavy Industries ( Subaru cars) and Suzuki Motor Corporation, as well as 12% of Isuzu Motors.
On December 3, 1896, in the city of Eisenach, Heinrich Ehrhardt founded a factory for the production of cars for the needs of the army and, oddly enough, bicycles. Already the fifth in the district. And, probably, Erhardt would have produced dark green mountain bikes, ambulances and mobile soldiers' kitchens if he had not seen the success that accompanied Daimler and Benz with their motorized sidecars.
And it was decided to make something light, not military, and, of course, different from what competitors have already done. But to save time and money, Ehrhardt bought a license from the French. The Parisian car was called Ducaville.
So there was what today is called BMW. And then this monster was called the "Wartburg motorized carriage", and it was not its own development. A couple of years later, in September 1898, the Wartburg arrived on its own at an automobile exhibition in Düsseldorf and took its place on a par with Daimler, Benz, Opel and Durkopp.
And a year later, Erhardt's motorized carriage won the main car races of that time - Dresden - Berlin and Aachen - Bonn. The golden double helped Wartburg win twenty-two medals throughout his career, including one for elegant design.
Wartburg's life was cut short in 1903: exorbitant debts, a decline in production. Ehrhardt gathers his shareholders and makes a speech, which he ends with the Latin word dixi ("I've said it all!"). This is how the ancient Roman orators ended their speeches, though not so tragic.
However, help came unexpectedly - from one of Erhardt's shareholders. Exchange speculator Yakov Shapiro really did not want to part with the motorized carriage he loved so much. Shapiro, at that time, had enough control over the British factory in Birmingham, which produced Austin-7 (Austin Seven). This miracle british car proma enjoyed great popularity in London and its environs. And Shapiro, without thinking twice, but having managed to calculate all the possible benefits, buys a license for Austin from the British.
Now what started to roll off the assembly line in Eisenach was named Dixi. According to the last word of Herr Erhardt. True, the first batch of cars went to the people with a right-hand drive. This was the first and last time that a passenger was seated on the left side in continental Europe. Speculator Shapiro, it should be noted, did not lose.
From 1904 to 1929, the revived Ehrhardt factory produced and sold 15,822 Dixi. However, it's time to make your own car. Still, the realization that Birmingham was looming behind him was haunting. And in 1927, the factory of Heinrich Ehrhardt, already a component BMW part, launched its own Dixi - Dixi 3/15 PS.
More than nine thousand cars were sold during the year. The most sophisticated, by the standards of that time, Dixi cost three thousand two hundred Reichsmarks. But he accelerated to seventy-five kilometers per hour.
And then Karl Friedrich Rapp broke into the history of BMW, who dreamed of the sky and aircraft engines. Rapp founded a small company and went to work somewhere on the northern outskirts of Munich. His goal is not cars. His goal is airplanes. He had both desire and enthusiasm, but, unfortunately, not backed up by luck.
In 1912, at the first imperial exhibition of aviation achievements, Karl Rapp presented his biplane with a ninety-horsepower engine. However, his plane never took off.
Considering the failure as temporary, Rapp planned for the next (two years later) exhibition another biplane with an engine with a capacity of one hundred and twenty-five "horses". But in 1914, instead of the imperial show, the First World War began.
In general, there was a plus in this for Rapp - the war brought orders for aircraft engines. But Rapp's motors were incredibly noisy and suffered strong vibration, and therefore, due to complaints from local residents, the authorities of Prussia and Bavaria banned the flights of aircraft with Rapp's engines over their territory. Things were getting worse. Even despite the fact that Rapp's enterprise had a very loud name.
On March 7, 1916, his company was registered under the name Bavarian Aircraft Works (BFW). And here a new character enters the scene - the Viennese banker Camillo Castiglioni. He buys out Rapp's share in the company and, thereby, brings the capitalization of the then still BFW to almost one and a half million marks.
But this did not save Rapp from the reputation of a loser and bankrupt. But it saved his company. Of the last strength, she was able to hold out until the arrival of another Austrian - Franz Josef Popp (Franz Josef Popp).
Popp, retired lieutenant of the Austro-Hungarian marines with a higher engineering education, was an expert at the Imperial Ministry of Defense and was engaged in keeping track of all the latest technical achievements. But at that time, he was most interested in the 224V12 power plants produced in Munich. He came here in 1916 to start his life's work from scratch.
The first thing Popp did was to hire Max Fritz. Brilliant, as it turned out later, the engineer was fired from Daimler for demanding an increase in his salary to fifty marks a month. Old Daimler would not have been greedy then, and, perhaps, BMW could have had a completely different fate.
With regard to Fritz, Rapp took a tough stance. And when the former Daimler engineer finally came to work, Rapp resigned. But even after his departure, the company retained a reputation as a half-ruined company that failed to achieve anything. And Popp decides to rename the brainchild of Rapp.
On July 21, 1917, a historical entry is made in the Munich registration chamber: "The Bavarian aircraft factories Rapp" are now called the "Bavarian Motor Works" (Bayerische Motoren Werke). BMW took place. Moreover, the main products of the Bavarian Motor Plants are still aircraft engines.
There was still a year before the end of the First World War, and the Kaiser still had hopes of at least a draw. It didn't work out. Moreover, according to the Treaty of Versailles, the victorious powers banned the production aircraft engines in Germany. However, the stubborn Franz-Josef Popp, despite any prohibitions, continues to invent and implement new engines.
On June 9, 1919, pilot Franz Zeno Diemer (Franz Zeno Diemer), after eighty-seven minutes of flight, climbed to an unprecedented height - 9760 meters. His DFW C4 was powered by a BMW Series 4 engine. But no one has recorded a world altitude record. Germany, according to the same Versailles Treaty, was not among the member countries of the International Federation of Aeronautics
The banker Castiglioni, who once almost saved Rapp, does not lag behind Popp. In the spring of 1922, he buys the last surviving aircraft engine factory for BMW. From now on, the "Bavarian Motor Works" has another direction.
In addition to engines for aircraft, Munich is setting up the production of very small engines - two-cylinders, with a volume of just nothing - 494 cubic meters. see And a year later, small engines justified themselves - in 1923, first at the Berlin and then at the Paris car exhibitions, the first BMW motorcycle - R-32 - becomes the main sensation.
Six years later, BMW finally decides on its future destiny: motorcycles, cars and aircraft engines. Two years since the company releases its own Dixi. This is a completely restyled model, brought by Popp himself to the full satisfaction of German taste.
In the same twenty-ninth BMW Dixi wins the International Alpine Race. Max Buchner, Albert Kandt and Wilhelm Wagner raced to victory at an average speed of 42 km/h. So fast and so long at such a speed then no car could go.
In 1930, BMW produces another hit of the season. Popp and his comrades suddenly decide to go back as much as thirty-four years ago and call the new car Wartburg.
The shadow of the motorized sidecar of the last century has regained real shape, embodied in the DA-3. When lowered windshield Wartburg accelerated to almost 100 km / h. It became the first BMW car to grab a compliment from Motor und Sport magazine. Quote: “Only a very good driver can own a Wartburg. A bad driver is not worthy of this car.” The name of the author is still unknown, but what he said discourages all the desire for self-criticism.
In 1932 Dixi became history. Austin's production license has expired. About five years ago, Popp, probably, well, if he hadn't been upset, he would have started looking for ways to escape ... or a way out.
But at that time, BMW only thought about the future. And the future is the Berlin Motor Show. Here, the BMW 303 won applause - the very first "three-ruble note". It had the smallest 1173 cc six-cylinder engine ever made under the hood. see Manufacturers guaranteed a speed of 100 km/h. But only if the client can find the right street.
Whether the first test drive of the 303 took place, alas, is unknown. And one more thing, no less important than speed. "Three hundred and third" for a long sixty-nine years determined the appearance of BMW - a bewitching smoothness of lines, not yet predatory, but already with a hint of appearance and nostrils with a white and blue propeller.
Then there was the 326 Cabriolet. She became a hit in the thirty-sixth year and adequately completed the parade of the first threes. Between 1936 and 1941, the BMW 326 won almost sixteen thousand hearts. And this is the best indicator of the company in its entire history.
In the mid-thirties, BMW finally explains to both competitors and its customers: if the name of the company contains the word “motor”, then this is the best engine to date. The final doubts, and they certainly were, are dispelled by Ernst Henne (Ernst Henne) in 1936.
In the Nürburgring race among 2-litre cars, the small white BMW 328 roadster comes first, leaving behind the big cars with compressor engines. The average lap speed is 101.5 km/h. Well, they don't like turbocharged engines in Munich. Rather, they love, but not very actively.
A year and a half later, the same Ernst Henne, only now on a five hundred cc motorcycle, sets a new world record. He accelerates the two-wheeled monster to 279.5 km / h. All questions are removed for at least fourteen years.
Prior to World War II, BMW tried to participate in the limousine race. Finally, it was simply impossible to refuse to compete with the Opel Admiral or Ford V-8, Maybach SV 38. Moreover, in a small, but such an attractive niche, there were still empty seats.
And on December 17, 1939, BMW presented the new 335 in Berlin in two versions - a convertible and a coupe. Both experts and the public, having appreciated what was created, blessed the limousine for a long life.
Alas, 335 held out less than a year. The war forced BMW to switch mainly to the production of aircraft engines. Moreover, the German authorities have banned the sale of cars to private individuals. However, at the very beginning of World War II, the Munich people still managed to put an end to the dispute for the best engine and the car equipped with it.
In April 1940, the BMW-328 roadster, driven in turn by Baron Fritz Huschke von Hanstein and Walter B?umer, won the thousand-mile Mille Miglia. Their 166.7 km / h still allowed the competitors to finish the race. And very comfortable. That's just a little later than the official finish.
In any case, it was on the eve of the Second World War that it was formed, and operates to this day, BMW principle: always fresh, aggressively sporty and forever young. Cars for people who, at first glance, may look relaxed, but, in fact, have achieved a lot in this life. That's why they are relaxed.
"One people, one Reich, one Fuhrer... one chassis!" - this powerful propaganda campaign of the Third Reich was addressed to the automobile factories of Germany. We do not want, and we have no right to condemn those who worked for the war from the other side. Accusations are good and timely if they are made on the eve of events.
Be that as it may, the rear service of the German General Staff demanded from the automotive industry an ordinary military car three types. The development of the lightest version was entrusted to Stuever, Hanomag and BMW. Moreover, all three plants were strictly forbidden to somehow indicate that the car belonged to a particular company.
BMW began to create its participant in the movement on military roads later than everyone else, in April 1937. And by the summer of the fortieth, the Bavarian Motor Plants provided the army with more than three thousand light vehicles. All of it went under the name BMW 325 Lichter Einheits-Pkw, but without its already famous nostrils and blue and white propeller.
No matter how cynical it sounds, the products of the Munich factories were the most popular in the army. Even despite the fact that the "beamers" produced for the war did not have the necessary combat qualities. Under the crazy idea of \u200b\u200b"blitzkrieg" the 325s were absolutely not suitable. They had enough fuel for only two hundred and forty kilometers.
Yet for the current BMW fans the following must be said: all BMWs sharpened for the war were decommissioned long before the winter of 1942.
The defeat of Germany in the war almost equally meant the destruction of BMW. The enterprises in Milbertshofen were turned into ruins by the allies of the USSR, and the factories in Eisenach came under control Soviet army. And then according to the plan: the equipment - what survived - was taken to Russia. Repatriation. The winners decided how to dispose of the catch. But they tried to restore the remaining equipment in order to establish the production of cars. In general, it succeeded. However, assembled BMWs were sent straight from the assembly line to Moscow. Therefore, the surviving shareholders of the Bavarian Motor Works concentrated all their efforts, financial and human, around two relatively suitable enterprises in Munich.
Yet the first official post-war BMW product was a motorcycle. In March 1948, the 250 cc R-24 was presented to the public at the Geneva Exhibition. By the end of the following year, almost ten thousand of these motorcycles had been sold.
Then it was time for the R-51, a little later - the R-67, and then the hour of the six hundred cc sports R-68 with a maximum speed of 160 km / h struck. "68th" became the fastest car of its time. By 1954, almost thirty thousand people could boast of a BMW motorcycle.
However, such an insane popularity of two-wheeled monsters played a cruel joke with their creators. A motorcycle, no matter how fast it was, even with a proprietary propeller on the tank, remained the most affordable means of transportation for the poor. And by the mid-fifties, people with money were already dreaming aloud of a sedan worthy of their position.
The first attempt by BMW to meet those who wished turned into a financial collapse. Although at the premiere in Frankfurt, the BMW 501 was greeted with enthusiasm. Even Pinin Farina, rejected with his body project for the 501st, appreciated the work done by the Bavarians design bureau. It would seem that this is what you need. However, the production of the BMW 501 turned out to be the most expensive.
Only one front wing required three or even four technical operations. And all this, oddly enough, was done in order to compete with the "220th" Mercedes.
The fifties were generally not the most successful for BMW. Debts skyrocketed, and sales plummeted as well. Neither 507 nor 503 justified themselves. These cars, in principle, were intended for the American market. However, they waited for an answer from across the ocean in Munich.
Neither new developments nor seemingly competent advertising campaigns helped. As, for example, with the BMW 502 Cabriolet. In order to push this car to the market, marketers decided on outright flattery against women.
severe the male world 502 was not intended. The brochures began with the words: “Good afternoon, madam! Only twenty-two thousand marks, and not a single man can pass by you without turning around. You will catch their loving glances, casually putting your hand on steering wheel ivory".
In 502, everything was made for delicate female hands. Even the soft folding top. It was easy to fold or unfold. This fact was especially emphasized in BMW. And, of course, the woman who bought the 502 did not care that she had a 2.6-liter engine with a hundred horsepower under the hood. Most importantly, the Becker Grand-Prix cassette player quietly plays the beloved Glenn Miller from his In the Mood. For two years, BMW tried to torture its chic brainchild. But no new orders have been received.
In 1954, the Munichers went to the other extreme - to the smallest. The BMW Isetta 250 appeared on the roads of Germany, or, as the manufacturers called it, a motorcycle coupe. In the people this something has received the name "egg on wheels". Under the so-called hood was an engine from an R-25 motorcycle. All this pulled exactly twelve "horses". Most likely "pony".
Two years later, BMW, impressed by the unexpected popularity of the three-wheeled little car, laid another "egg" - Isetta 300. Well, this was almost a car. And the 298 cc engine. cm - this is not two hundred and forty-five for you. Another one came to the twelve "horses". New.
Whatever it was, but Izett sold almost one hundred and thirty-seven thousand. They were especially loved in England. The local laws allowed the owners of the "egg" to drive it, having only the rights to a motorcycle. After all, there is only one wheel in the back.
In the winter of 1959, a financial crisis broke out in Germany. Those fifteen million marks that the Bremen king of the timber industry Herman Krags poured into the company two years ago have become just pleasant memories.
The Board of Directors of BMW, I want to believe, with a sharp pain in the heart decides to merge with Mercedes. However, small shareholders opposed this rather harshly and, oddly enough, official dealers companies. They were able to get BMW's main shareholder Herbert Quandt to buy out most of it. The rest received compensation, but the company was still saved.
The new board of directors makes a decision that the company followed for the next few decades - "We produce medium-class cars and aircraft engines."
Three years later, also in winter, but now it was more pleasant than ever, the BMW 1500 rolled off the assembly line. This car became a new class among four-wheelers and, most importantly, turned the Germans away from American middle-class cars.
1500 with a "herd" of eighty "horses" accelerated to 150 km / h. The newcomer scored a hundred in 16.8 seconds. And that automatically made it a sports car. The demand for it was phenomenal. The factory assembled fifty cars a day. Just a year later, almost 24,000 BMW 1500s were rushing along the autobahns.
The younger, but more powerful "brother", was born in 1968. By Christmas, the BMW 2500 found its first owners. There were more than two and a half thousand of them. After nine years of production, 95,000 cars have dispersed to all corners of Germany. One hundred and fifty "horses", if there were only two passengers in the car, accelerated the BMW 2500 to 190 km / h. In the same year, a slightly redesigned 2500 won the Spa 24 Hours.
In 1972, after much deliberation, BMW returned to the "five". And from now on, all cars produced by the Bavarians had serial number depending on the class. BMW 520 1972 release was the first post-war "five".
But here's what was weird. The new Bavarian middleweight was powered not by a six, but by a four-cylinder engine. It took five years for all the other "fives" to receive a six-cylinder implant. Naturally, 115 horses were not enough for a weight of 1275 kg. However, she took the 520 to others: both a manual and an automatic were offered to customers. The dashboard was illuminated with a dim orange light. Moreover, the car was equipped with seat belts. So a year later, 45,000 people honestly buckled up every morning before living thirteen fast seconds to a hundred.
All in the same 1972, BMW creates a paradise for engineers and mechanics who are in love with motorsport. BMW Motorsport begins its triumphal procession. And again we repeat the banal: "If only..." So, if at that moment Lamborghini had not caved in under the financial crisis, BMW would have used the services of Italians. But the Bavarians reacted instantly.
And in 1978, at the Paris Motor Show, the “M1 project” or E26 was presented to the world for internal use. Designed the first "emku" Giorgio Giugiaro (Giorgio Guigiaro). Therefore, there is a bad feeling that it is kind of like a Ferrari, but something is missing. Let it be. But 277 “horses” were removed from three and a half liters (455 is a racing version), and the car accelerated to a hundred in six seconds.
And then Bernie Ecclstone (Berni Ecclstone) and BMW Motosport chief Jochen Neerpach (Jochen Neerpach) agreed to hold on the M1, on Saturdays, before the start of the European Grand Prix, Procar test runs. They were attended by those who took the first five places on the starting grid.
While the athletes enjoyed the M1, BMW did not forget about ordinary buyers. Launched in 1975, the first new "three-ruble note" with engines of 1.6 and 2 liters came to the Germans to taste. And now, three years later, Munich releases the BMW 323i, which has become the leader of its class and its time.
The injection six-cylinder engine allowed the car to reach a maximum speed of 196 km / h. The first hundred 323 caught up in nine seconds. However, among the competitors-classmates, the “three” turned out to be the most “gluttonous”: 14 liters per hundred kilometers. And after 420 kilometers, 323 sadly stopped, but Mercedes and Alfa Romeo ... And still, from 1975 to 1983, the BMW 316, 320 and 323 gave pleasure to almost 1.5 million people with their behavior.
In 1977, it was time for the seventh BMW series. They were equipped with four types of engines with a capacity of 170 to 218 "horses". For two years, the "seven" regularly found their customers. And then in 1979, Mercedes-Benz introduced its new S-Class.
From Munich they answered immediately. The volume is 2.8 liters. And the "herd" of 184 thoroughbred "horses", tightened under the blue and white propeller, predatory flared nostrils. The new 728 instantly drew buyers from the Stuttgart region of Germany. In principle, there was something to peck at. A one and a half ton car was traveling at a speed of 200 km/h. And all this pleasure cost a little cheaper than a Mercedes.
"You don't have to look for some extraordinary car. Just decide what you need in this life. The advertising appeal was addressed to those who saw the BMW 635 CSi for the first time. The E24 body quickly broke into the automotive world in 1982. After the fans of the "sixth" series have already managed to enjoy 628 and 630.
BMW realized that people who buy a sports coupe do it in order to engage in automotive discrimination on the roads. 635 stuffed with the latest technical advances. For example, electronics that allowed using a manual box to lower the engine speed to 1000 rpm. And a year later, the wizards from BMW Motosport worked on the 635, bringing the engine power to 286 “horses”. The “gas to the floor” mode drove the M6 into a frenzy, and after thirty seconds the “emka” went to the point of 200 km / h. Ten seconds faster than the "500th" Mercedes. But that was not all.
In 1983, the first F1 championship for turbocharged cars was held. And who would doubt that the first champion will be Renault, the first to master this technology for the first Formula.
In South Africa, in the town of Kyalami, Alain Prost (Alain Prost) has already seen himself doused with champagne. However, the Branham BMW car, driven by the Brazilian Nelson Piquet, covered the Renault diamond with a white and blue propeller and nine letters: BMW M Power.
At peak power, the M 12/13 engine produced 1280 "horses" at 11,000 rpm. BMW, for the first time in the history of the competition of engines, became the very first F1 world champions among turbocharged cars. And what is most offensive for the French, no one was surprised by this victory.
And this race in 1990 Mercedes started. The Stuttgarters launched their 190 with a sixteen-valve 2.5-liter engine into the series. Munich did not hesitate to respond. Therefore, in defiance of 190, BMW Motorsport rolled out the M3 Sport Evolution. The same famous M3 in the back of the E30.
The emka, who sat behind the wheel, could choose the type of suspension himself, depending on road conditions. You choose sport, and the car bites into the track. Plus normal and comfort.
The Munich Evo catapulted to a hundred in 6.3 seconds, and after another twenty the “emka” rushed at a speed of 200. But what most of all bribed the true fans of speed, deprived of racing cars, so this three-point harness security red. They say that a nasty buzzer annoyed a little when the emka picked up its maximum speed - 248 km / h.
Three years before the release of the M3 Evo, BMW returned to the idea of its own roadster. It was called Z1 and presented to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show. This toy cost 80,000 marks. But long before the start of official sales, dealers had already placed five thousand orders for Z. And the last letter of the Latin alphabet, which the car was called, means in Germany a neatly curved wheel axle. The biggest disadvantage of the BMW roadster was the small trunk. The biggest plus is 170 "horses" and 225 km / h in addition.
In 1989, BMW finally entered the territory of luxury cars occupied by Mercedes. The 8th series rolled off the assembly line. Under the hood of the 850i was a twelve-cylinder engine with a capacity of 300 “horses” borrowed from the 750 (in 1992, its return was increased to 380).
However, the six-speed manual proved to be less popular than the automatic. "850th", unlike other high-speed models, did not begin to supply an electronic speed limiter at 250 km / h. This was the maximum speed.
By this time, almost a year had passed since the most famous “five”, which still in spite of everything inspires respect for the E34, traveled across various continents, including Russia. But, knowing the insidiousness of BMW, they expected something from the “Wow!” series. And they waited.
First, in April 1989, the three hundred and fifteen strong M5 appeared. But in 1992 they finally waited. The M5 E34 appeared, "charged" with 380 horsepower. Up to a hundred "emochka" fired in six and a half seconds. How much she squeezed the maximum, so no one ever knew. Almost immediately, another "emka" came out, performed by touring.
And American journalists called this car the "Car of the Century." And in order not to disappoint his fans, he has undergone the most "insignificant" changes. His 286 horsepower engine, which he received in 1992, was overclocked to 321 in 1995.
All this consumed only 12 liters of gasoline per hundred kilometers, while accelerating to hundreds in five and a half seconds. But the M3 in the back of the E36 for some reason was not considered a sports car.
In 1996, it was time to update the "sevens". The technically perfect BMW 740i in the back of the E38 replaced the “brother” from the E32. Everything has changed. Appearance. attitude towards the owner. No, you can’t call the new “seven” a friendly face. But it's for strangers.
Elastic, with a volume of 4.4 liters, eight-cylinder engine spun to the maximum already at 3900 rpm and allowed to go to the point in six and a half seconds. That's just the trick "sat down, but went" with the "740th" did not work. The instruction manual for the "seven" differed from the instructions for behavior in the space shuttle quite a bit. The BMW book was thinner.
There were two boxes to choose from. Moreover, a sixth, lowering, was added to the manual version. It choked the engine, reducing its thrust by seventeen percent. As a result, the consumption is only 12.5 liters per hundred kilometers. Experts in the assessment of 740 were unanimous: the dots on the "i" are dotted.
In the same year, they waited for their update and the "five". E39 burst into the automotive world. Seven engine options for every taste. And for the unhurried, and for those who are faster, but for the most unstoppable, BMW rolled out the 540th. Eight-cylinder, with a volume of 4.4 liters, the engine made it possible to accelerate the “thirty-ninth” to only 250 km / h. Bosch intervened again with its electronic limiter. Everything in this car was done to ensure that the pilot at any speed feels safe and comfortable at the same time.
In general, the end of the nineties was incredibly productive for BMW. New "fives", "sevens", the undeniable success of the Z3, all this did not make it possible even for a short break.
The new brainchild of BMW Motorsport - M Roadster - was released in 1997. There was simply a need to improve everything that was invested in the Z3. Here's an M, besides a roadster. Try to tame 321 "horses"! And keep in mind, the “emka” is lighter than the Z by one hundred and twenty kilograms and, therefore, it accelerates to a hundred in 5.4 seconds.
“Mistakes are rungs on the ladder to success,” summed up Chris Bangle after the new generation of threes was released. BMW spent more than two and a half million man-hours on their development. 2400 different parts have been completely redone. The new “three-ruble note” endured all this and in 1998 appeared before the public in all its glory.
The most powerful modification - 328 - gained one hundred kilometers in less than seven seconds. “Phenomenal power and incredible traction” is all about her.
In 1997, at the Frankfurt Motor Show, people stomped around the BMW stand in obvious bewilderment. Z3 Coupe causes an unpredictable reaction.
“You either accept it or forgive it,” Bangle replied. And really, how do you feel about a car that looks like a roadster from the front? And in the back like a new "three-ruble-touring"?
Z3 Coupe was equipped with only two types of engines: 2.8 liters, 192 horsepower and 321-horsepower M-engine. They say that from the second glance at the "Munich runner" they fell in love with him forever.
"A wolf in sheep's clothing" - this is how the first M5 in the 39th body was described. In general, they are right. Moreover, the first photographs of the "emka" were taken in a blue haze. You look at it: well, yes, four pipes. Well, the mirrors are different. But the foglights are very oval. But this is when you don’t know what the letter M with a five on the right is.
M5 is 400 “horses” that accelerate a four-door sedan to hundreds in just five point and three tenths of a second. Only a plane or a sportbike is faster, at worst. One problem - M5 have their regular customers since 1985, and only a thousand people a year can afford to "tame the Munich wolf."
Inspired by the success of the Z3, in 1999 the BMW plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA fired again. And although the X5 is made in America, it is a completely German car. The second attempt to conquer the New World market was a success. Moreover, Munich's breakthrough into the niche of the so-called parquet SUVs was so swift that only a few months after the premiere, competitors realized that the X5 was presented in the heart of the American car industry - in Detroit. Confusion and whispers passed through the rows: “BMW made a jeep!”
The then market leader, Mercedes ML, braced for the worst. And it was from what. "Bavarian" was a success. Anti-slip system, dynamic stability control sensors and other BAM high-tech developments recent years did not disappoint fans of speed and comfort. In addition, the X5 showed its best side and off-road. Plus ten airbags. In general, there is nothing to worry about.
The X5 was equipped not only with the well-known eight-cylinder engine. Both six-cylinder and diesel engines were offered to choose from. direct injection fuel.
Finally, a quote from the German magazine AutoMotor und Sport: "This car flies one lap around the Nürburgring in less than nine minutes." Faster only Z7. In 2000, the Z7 made one revolution around the eminent track a minute faster.
In 2002, the BMW Group achieved a record number of sales - 1,057,000 vehicles, and also became the winner of the "Car of the Year in Russia" contest. In 2003, the most luxury model BMW 7 Series - BMW 760i and 760Li, the new BMW 5 Series Sedan has arrived.
BMW is one of the few automotive firms that doesn't use robots in its factories. All assembly on the conveyor goes only manually. Output - only computer diagnostics basic parameters of the car.
The concern is the founder of the international award in the field of avant-garde music Musica Viva, supports the holding of theater festivals and innovative exhibitions. The desire for a creative combination of art and technology is most vividly embodied in the unique collection of BMW art cars.
The BMW empire, which has been on the verge of collapse three times in its history, has risen and succeeded each time. For everyone in the world, the BMW concern is synonymous with high standards in the field of automotive comfort, safety, technology and quality.
Many manufacturers offer compact hatchbacks as their most inexpensive models. BMW, of course, knew about the passion of the inhabitants of small European cities for compact hatchbacks. Of those more or less suitable in terms of these parameters, the company could only offer a third-series coupe, which with a creak fit into the middle class, not to mention some kind of accessibility of the car. The basic version of the projected first series was supposed to be half the price of the third series coupe, but at the same time remain a fast luxury car.
And so it happened: in 2004, the BMW 116i with a 1.6-liter engine and 115 horsepower, respectively, started in Germany with a mark of 20 thousand euros. Modest, but not cheap. The cost of the three-liter 130i, blazing with heat of 265 “horses”, was closer to the price of the 5 series, not to mention the extreme tuning options with super powerful engines. Some studios even offer versions with 8-cylinder engines. Success in the release of the first compact hatchback was definitely on the side of BMW.
The increased demand for luxury sports cars has pushed the Bavarian concern to revive the legendary sixth series. The uproar over what exactly BMW's next historic model would be was quickly silenced as 3.0 and 4.5-liter engines roared inside the coupé's impressive size. For those who did not understand, they showed a five-liter V10, fraught with 507 horsepower. It was already M6.
About thirty years ago, the famous American manager Lee Iacocca said that by the beginning of the 21st century, only a few players would remain in the global automotive market. Ex-president of Chrysler and Ford saw through the trends further development auto industry, so it is not at all surprising that his predictions are confirmed.
The world's largest automakers and alliances
At first glance, it may seem that there are many independent automakers in the world, but in fact, most auto companies are part of various groups and alliances.
Thus, Lee Iacocca looked into the water, and today there are actually only a few automakers left in the world who have divided the entire global car market among themselves.
What brands are owned by Ford
Interestingly, the companies he headed - Chrysler and Ford - the leaders of the American auto industry, suffered the most serious losses during the economic crisis. And they had never been in such serious troubles before. Chrysler and General Motors went bankrupt, and only a miracle saved Ford. But for this miracle, the company had to pay too dear a price, because as a result, Ford lost its premium division Premiere Automotive Group, which included Land Rover, Volvo and Jaguar. Moreover, Ford lost Aston Martin, the British supercar manufacturer, a controlling stake in Mazda, and liquidated the Mercury brand. And today, only two brands remain from the huge empire - Lincoln and Ford itself.
What brands belong to the auto concern General Motors
General Motors suffered no less serious losses. The American company lost Saturn, Hummer, SAAB, but its bankruptcy did not prevent it from defending the Opel and Daewoo brands. Today General Motors includes such brands as Vauxhall, Holden, GMC, Chevrolet, Cadillac and Buick. In addition, the Americans own the Russian joint venture GM-AvtoVAZ, which produces the Chevrolet Niva.
Automaker Fiat and Chrysler
And the American concern Chrysler now acts as a strategic partner of Fiat, which has brought together such brands as Ram, Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Lancia, Maserati, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo under its wing.
In Europe, things are somewhat different than in the US. Here the crisis has also made its own adjustments, but the position of the monsters of the European automobile industry has not been shaken by this.
What brands belong to the Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen is still accumulating brands. After buying Porsche in 2009, the Volkswagen Group has nine brands - Seat, Skoda, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Bentley, Porsche, Audi, truck manufacturer Scania and VW itself. There is evidence that soon this list will include Suzuki, 20 percent of whose shares are already owned by the Volkswagen Group.
Brands owned by Daimler AG and BMW Group
As for the other two "Germans" - BMW and Daimler AG, they cannot boast of such an abundance of brands. Under the wing of Daimler AG are the brands Smart, Maybach and Mercedes, and the history of BMW includes Mini and Rolls-Royce.
Renault and Nissan Automobile Alliance
Among the world's largest automakers, one cannot fail to mention the Renault-Nissan alliance, which owns such brands as Samsung, Infiniti, Nissan, Dacia and Renault. In addition, Renault owns 25 percent of AvtoVAZ shares, so Lada is also not an independent brand from the French-Japanese alliance.
Another major French automaker, PSA, owns Peugeot and Citroen.
Japanese automaker Toyota
And among Japanese automakers, only Toyota, which owns Subaru, Daihatsu, Scion and Lexus, can boast of a “collection” of brands. Also part of Toyota Motor is the truck manufacturer Hino.
Who owns Honda
Honda's achievements are more modest. In addition to the motorcycle department and the premium Acura brand, the Japanese have nothing else.
Successful Auto Alliance Hyundai-Kia
In recent years, the Hyundai-Kia alliance has been successfully breaking into the list of leaders in the global automotive industry. Today he produces cars only under by Kia brands and Hyundai, but the Koreans are already getting serious about creating a premium brand that could be called Genesis.
Among the acquisitions and mergers of recent years, we should mention the transition under the wing Chinese Geely Volvo brand, as well as the acquisition of the English premium brands Land Rover and Jaguar by the Indian company Tata. And even the most curious case is the purchase of the famous Swedish brand SAAB by the tiny Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker.
The once powerful British auto industry is dead. All the famous British car manufacturers have long since lost their independence. Their example was followed by small English firms that passed to foreign owners. In particular, the legendary Lotus today belongs to Proton (Malaysia), and the Chinese SAIC bought MG. By the way, the same SAIC before that sold korean ssangyong Motor Indian Mahindra&Mahindra.
All these strategic partnerships, alliances, mergers and acquisitions once again proved the rightness of Lee Iacocca. Single firms in modern world no longer able to survive. Yes, there are exceptions, like the Japanese Mitsuoka, the English Morgan or the Malaysian Proton. But these companies are independent only in the sense that absolutely nothing depends on them.
And in order to have annual sales amounting to hundreds of thousands of cars, not to mention millions, one cannot do without a strong “rear”. IN Renault-Nissan Alliance partners provide each other with support, and in the Volkswagen Group, mutual assistance is ensured by the number of brands.
As for such companies as Mitsubishi and Mazda, in the future they will face more and more difficulties. While Mitsubishi can get the help of partners from PSA, Mazda will have to survive alone, which in the modern world is becoming more and more difficult every day ...
BMW AG is a manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, engines and bicycles headquartered in Munich, Germany. The company owns the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands. She is in the top three German manufacturers premium cars that are leading in terms of sales worldwide.
In 1913, two small aircraft engine companies were founded in Munich by Karl Rapp and Gustav Otto. After the outbreak of the First World War, the need for their products increased dramatically, and the owners of the two companies decided to merge. So in 1917, a company called Bayerische MotorenWerke (“Bavarian Motor Works”) appeared.
After the end of the war, the production of aircraft engines in Germany was banned under the Treaty of Versailles. Then the owners of the company changed their profile to the production of motorcycle engines, and later motorcycles. However, despite high quality products, the business of the company was not going well.
In the early 1920s, businessmen Gothaer and Shapiro bought BMW. In 1928 they acquire the car factory in Eisenach and with it the right to produce Dixi cars, which were converted British Austin 7s.
The subcompact Dixi was quite progressive for its time: it was equipped with a four-cylinder engine, an electric starter and brakes on all four wheels. The machine immediately became popular in Europe, with 15,000 Dixi produced in 1928 alone. In 1929, the model was renamed the BMW 3/15 DA-2.
BMW Dixi (1928-1931)
During the years of the Great Depression, the Bavarian automaker survived by producing a licensed small car. However, it soon became clear that a world-famous aircraft engine manufacturer could not be satisfied with the release of a British car. Then BMW engineers started working on their own car.
BMW's first model of its own design was the 303. It immediately received strong start on the market thanks to a 1.2-liter six-cylinder engine with 30 hp. Weighing only 820 kg, the car had excellent dynamic characteristics. At the same time, the first outlines of the design of the characteristic radiator grille of the brand in the form of elongated ovals appeared.
The platform of this car was then used to produce models 309, 315, 319 and 329.
BMW 303 (1933-1934)
In 1936, the impressive sports car BMW 328 appears. Among the innovative engineering developments in this model were an aluminum chassis, a tubular frame and a hemispherical engine combustion chamber, which ensured more durable and productive pistons and valves.
This car is considered the first in today's popular CSL line. In 1999, he entered the top 25 finalists of the international competition "Car of the Century". 132 automotive journalists from all over the world voted.
The BMW 328 has won many sporting competitions, including the Mille Miglia (1928), RAC Rally (1939), Le Mans 24 (1939).
BMW 328 (1936-1940)
In 1937, the BMW 327 appears, notable for the fact that it was produced intermittently until 1955, including in the zone of Soviet occupation. It was presented in coupe and convertible bodies. Initially, a 55-horsepower engine was installed on cars, later it was optionally offered power unit 80 hp
The model received a shortened frame from the BMW 326. The brakes were equipped with a hydraulic drive to all wheels. metal surfaces bodies were mounted on a wooden frame. Convertible doors opened forward, coupe - back. To achieve the required angle of inclination, the front and rear glass was made from two parts.
Behind the front axle was a six-cylinder in-line engine from a 328 model with two Solex carburetors and a double chain drive from a BMW 326. The car accelerated to 125 km / h. Its price ranged from 7,450 to 8,100 marks.
BMW 327 (1937-1955)
During the Second World War, the company did not produce cars, but focused on the production of aircraft engines. In the post-war years, most of the enterprises were destroyed, some fell into the zone of occupation of the USSR, where cars continued to be produced from existing components.
The remaining factories, according to the plan of the Americans, were subject to demolition. However, the company began producing bicycles, household goods and light motorcycles, which helped maintain production capacity.
The first post-war car begins to be produced in autumn 1952. Work on its design began before the war. It was a model 501 with a 2-liter in-line six-cylinder engine with 65 hp. Max speed auto was 135 km / h. According to this indicator, the car was inferior to its rivals from Mercedes-Benz.
Yet he gave automotive world some innovations, including curved glass, as well as lightweight parts made of light alloys. The model did not bring the company a good profit at home and was sold poorly abroad. The company was slowly approaching the financial abyss.
BMW 501 (1952-1958)
The Bavarian automaker decided to focus on the production of mass cars. The first of these was the Isetta model with an interesting appearance. It was an especially small class car with a door that opened in front of the body. It was a very cheap car, ideal for fast travel over short distances. In some countries, it could only be driven with a motorcycle license.
The car was equipped with a single-cylinder engine with a volume of 0.3 liters and a power of 13 hp. Power point allowed her to accelerate to 80 km / h. For those who like to travel, a small trailer for one and a half berths was offered. In addition, there was a cargo version of the model with a small trunk, which was used by the police. Until the early 1960s, about 160,000 units of the car were produced. It was he who helped the company survive during a period of financial difficulties.
BMW Isetta (1955-1962)
In 1955, the BMW 503 debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The rejection of the central pillar made the car body especially stylish, a 140-horsepower V8 was located under the hood, and a top speed of 190 km / h finally made you fall in love with it. True, the price of DM 29,500 made the model inaccessible to the mass buyer: only 412 units of the BMW 503 were produced in total.
A year later, the stunning 507 Roadster appears, designed by Count Albrecht Hertz. The car was equipped with a 3.2-liter V8 engine, which developed 150 hp. The model accelerated to 220 km / h. She is also known for the fact that out of 252 copies produced, one was bought by Elvis Presley, who served in Germany.
BMW 507 (1956-1959)
By 1959, BMW was again on the verge of bankruptcy. luxury sedans did not bring sufficient cash injections, like motorcycles. Buyers recovering from the war no longer wanted to hear about Isetta, and the financial situation was so deplorable that on December 9, at a shareholders' meeting, the question arose of selling the company to competitor Daimler-Benz. The last hope was the release of the BMW 700 with a body Italian company Michelotti. It was equipped with a small two-cylinder engine of 700 cc. cm and a power of 30 hp. Such a motor accelerated a small car up to 125 km / h. BMW 700 was accepted by the public with a bang. For the entire time of manufacture, 188,221 copies of the model were sold.
Already in 1961, the company was able to use the proceeds from the sale of "700" to develop a new model - BMW New Class 1500. However, the most important thing was that the car made it possible to avoid an unfriendly merger with a competitor and helped BMW to stay afloat.
BMW 700 (1959-1965)
On Frankfurt Motor Show in 1961, a novelty was shown, which finally secured its future high status in the auto world for the brand. It was the Model 1500. In design, it was characterized by the recognizable "Hofmeister kink" on rear rack roof, aggressive front and characteristic "nostrils" of the grille.
The BMW 1500 was equipped with a 1.5-liter engine with a capacity of 75 to 80 hp. From the start to 100 km / h, the car accelerated in 16.8 seconds, and its maximum speed was 150 km / h. The demand for the model was so overwhelming that the Bavarian automaker opened new factories to meet it.
BMW 1500 (1962-1964)
In the same 1962, the BMW 3200 CS was released, the body of which was developed by Bertone. Since then, almost all BMW two-doors have had the letter C in their name.
Three years later, a coupe with automatic transmission appears for the first time. It was a BMW 2000 CS, and in 1968 the 2800 CS breaks the 200 km/h mark. Equipped with a 170-horsepower in-line “six”, the car managed to accelerate to 206 km / h.
In the 70s, 3-series, 5-series, 6-series, 7-series cars appear. With the release of the 5-series, the brand stopped focusing only on the niche of sports cars and began to develop the direction of comfortable sedans.
In 1972, the legendary BMW 3.0 CSL appears, which can be considered the first project of the M division. Initially, the car was produced with a six-cylinder in-line engine with two carburetors with a capacity of 180 hp. and a volume of 3 liters. With a car weighing 1,165 kg, it accelerated to “hundreds” in 7.4 seconds. The weight of the model was reduced through the use of aluminum in the manufacture of doors, hood, hood and trunk lid.
In August 1972, a version of the model with the Bosch D-Jetronic electronic injection system appears. Power increased to 200 hp, the acceleration time to 100 km/h was reduced to 6.9 seconds, and the top speed was 220 km/h.
In August 1973, the engine volume was increased to 3,153 cubic meters. cm, power was 206 hp. Special racing models equipped with engines of 3.2 and 3.5 liters and a power of 340 and 430 hp, respectively. In addition, they received special aerodynamic packages.
The Batmobile, as it was called, won six European Touring Championships. He also distinguished himself by the fact that he was the first among the models of the brand to receive a 24-valve engine, which was later installed on the M1 and M5. With its help, ABS was tested, which then went into the 7-series.
BMW 3.0 CSL (1971-1975)
In 1974, the world's first stock car turbocharged - 2002 Turbo. Its 2-liter engine developed 170 hp. This allowed the car to accelerate to 100 km / h in 7 seconds and reach a “maximum speed” of 210 km / h.
In 1978, a mid-engined road sports car, unique in history, appears. It was developed for homologation: in order to participate in the races of groups 4 and 5, it was necessary to make 400 production cars of the model. Of the 455 M1s produced from 1978 to 1981, only 56 were racing, and the rest were road copies.
The car was designed by Giugiaro of ItalDesign, while the chassis work was outsourced to Lamborghini.
3.5-liter inline-six engine with 277 hp placed behind driver's seat and transmitted torque to the rear wheels through a five-speed transmission. The car accelerated to “hundreds” in 5.6 seconds, and the maximum speed was 261 km / h.
BMW M1 (1978-1981)
In 1986, the BMW 750i comes out, which for the first time received a V12 engine. With a volume of 5 liters, he developed 296 hp. This car was the first, the speed of which was artificially limited at around 250 km / h. Later, other major automakers began to implement this practice.
In the same year, the fantastic Z1 roadster appears, which was originally developed as an experimental model as part of a brainstorming session. Unlimited engineers "painted" a car with excellent aerodynamics, thanks to the special design of the bottom, a plastic body on a tubular frame and a futuristic appearance. Doors did not open in any of the usual ways, but were drawn into thresholds.
In its manufacture, the automaker has worked out the technology of using xenon lamps, as well as an integrated frame, door mechanism and pallet. In total, 8,000 cars of the model were assembled, with 5,000 on pre-order.
BMW Z1 (1986-1991)
In 1999, the first BMW SUV appeared - the X5 model. Its sporty nature caused quite a buzz at the Detroit Auto Show. The car was characterized by impressive ground clearance, traction control and off-road all-wheel drive, as well as enough power to compete on equal terms with car models asphalt stamps.
BMW X5 (1999)
In 2000-2003, the BMW Z8 is produced, a two-seater sports car, which many collectors of the brand call one of the most beautiful cars in history.
When creating the design, the designers sought to show the 507 model, which would be produced at the beginning of the 21st century. She got an aluminum body on spatial frame, 5-liter engine with 400 hp and a six-speed Getrag manual transmission.
The model was used as a Bond car in the film The World Is Not Enough.
BMW Z8 (2000-2003)
In 2011, BMW AG founded the new division BMW i, which specializes in hybrid and electric vehicles.
The division's first models were the i3 hatchback and the i8 coupe. They debuted in 2011 at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The BMW i3 was launched in 2013. It is equipped with an electric motor with a capacity of 168 hp. and system rear wheel drive. The maximum speed of the car is 150 km/h. The average fuel consumption of the i3 RangeExtender is 0.6 l/100 km. The hybrid version of the car received a 650 cc internal combustion engine that recharges the electric motor.
BMW i3 (2013)
Official sales of brand cars in Russia began in 1993, when the first BMW dealer appeared in Moscow. Now the company boasts the most developed network of dealers among luxury automakers in our country. Since 1997, the assembly of cars of the brand has been established at the Kaliningrad enterprise Avtotor.
BMW AG is today one of the leading manufacturers of premium cars. Its factories are located in Germany, Malaysia, Thailand, South Africa, India, Egypt, the USA and Russia. In China, BMW cooperates with Huacheng Auto Holding and produces cars under the Brilliance brand.
BMW company(Bayerischе Motor Werke AG) appeared in 1913 on the outskirts of Munich, as a result of the merger of two mini-companies founded by Karl Rapp and Gustav Otto. The second is the son of the famous inventor of the ICE (internal combustion engine), Nikolaus August Otto.
At the beginning of World War I, BMW received many orders for the production of aircraft engines, after which the founders decide to reunite into one aircraft engine company. After that, an aircraft engine plant appeared in Munich, registered in 1917 under the name - Bayerische Motoren Werke ("Bavarian Motor Works"), that is, in the abbreviation - BMW. A little later, this date was called the date of birth of the BMW company, and Carla and Gustava were called its founders.
Today there is quite a lot of controversy regarding the date of the founding of BMW, automotive historians are constantly arguing about this and cannot come to a consensus. All due to the fact that the official registration of the company is dated July 20, 1917, but long before this date, organizations successfully existed in the same city that also produced engines for aircraft engines. So, in order to find out the true origin of the "roots" of the Bavarian BMW brand, you need to teleport to the last century. The involvement of the current BMW in production was first noticed on December 3, 1886, in the city of Eisenach, where from 1928 to 1939. was the headquarters of the company.
Wartburg
The name for the first car called "Wartburg" was one of the local attractions, the car saw the world in 1898. The appearance was driven by a range of 3 as well as 4 wheel concepts. The first Wartburgs were a car with a 3.5-horsepower 0.5-liter engine, the body was primitive without the slightest hint of front or rear suspension. This primitive car served as an impetus for the creation of a more advanced model, which appeared a year after the first Wartburg. The successor could accelerate to an incredible 60 km / h at that time, and already in 1902 the Wartburg was born, equipped with a 3.1-liter engine and a 5-speed transmission, which turned out to be enough to win the car competitions in Frankfurt.
Max Fritz, who previously worked at the Daimler plant, became the chief designer of the Bayerische Motoren Werke. Under Fritz, the BMW IIIa aircraft engine was born, which successfully passed bench tests in 1917. After the test, the aircraft aggregated with this engine set a world record by climbing to a height of 9760 m.
It was this event that became the impetus for the appearance of the BMW emblem - a circle divided by two blue and two white sectors, personifying a spinning propeller that spins uncontrollably against the sky.
After World War I, BMW company on the verge of collapse, according to the Treaty of Versailles, the production of aircraft engines for the Germans is prohibited, and the engines, as you understand, were the only type of product that BMW produced. However, the enterprising Karl Rapp and Gustav Otto were smart enough to get out of this situation, and they decide to convert the plant to the production of motorcycle engines first, and after a while the motorcycles themselves. So in 1923 the first BMW R32 motorcycle rolled off the assembly line, which in the same year won public recognition and a reputation as a reliable and fast motorcycle at the Paris Motor Show. Over time, this sympathy was confirmed absolute records speed at motorcycle races held in the 20s and 30s.
The beginning of the 20s was marked for BMW new era, two influential businessmen appeared in its history - Shapiro and Gotaera, who later became its owners, pulling it out of the crisis and getting rid of debts. The main reason why the company was going through difficult times was the lack of its own automotive production. A way out was found by Shapiro, who had connections with influential English car manufacturers in essence - Herbert Austin. Shapiiro agreed on joint cooperation and mass production of "Austin" at the plant in Eisenach. Serial production in those days was a rather rare phenomenon, only Daimler-Benz could afford it.
The first "hundred" thoroughbred "Austins", which enjoyed incredible popularity in Britain, were "right-hand drive", which was a rather outlandish phenomenon for the Germans. A little later, the car was tailored to "local" preferences and produced under the name "Dixie", which by 1928 rolled off the assembly line about 15,000. In 1925, Shapiro became seriously interested in the production own cars, which will be built on an individual design, after which he began to negotiate with the designer-designer - Wunibald Kamm. The negotiations were successful and the designer accepted the invitation to participate in the development of a new car, thus inscribing his name in the history of a world-famous company. For several years in a row, Kamm has been developing units and new powertrains for BMW.
The premiere of the first thoroughbred "BMW" took place on April 1, 1932, which, after several years of existence, won public recognition. The model itself has become - the result of experience gained while working with "Dixie", as well as the embodiment of their own ideas and developments. Under the hood of the new car is a 20-horsepower engine capable of accelerating the car up to 80 km/h. The role of the transmission was performed by a mechanical "four-step", which was not equipped with any model until 1934.
Ernst Henne
Before the outbreak of World War II, BMW became one of the fastest growing companies in the world specializing in the production of sports equipment. Among the records of the company: the record of Wolfgang von Gronau, who, on an open Dornier Wal seaplane equipped with BMW engine makes a journey crossing the North Atlantic from east to west, as well as the record of Ernst Henne, who, on a motorcycle R12, with a cardan drive, set a world speed record for motorcycles equal to 279.5 km / h. The last record was broken only 14 years later, before that no one had been able to achieve such results.
In 1933, the production of the 303 model starts - which became the first BMW car with 6 cylinders, its debut took place at the auto show in Berlin, and became a real sensation. An in-line six-cylinder engine with a volume of 1.2 liters allowed the car to reach a speed of 90 km / h. Subsequently, it formed the basis of many BMW sports projects. In addition, the unit was installed for the first time on the new "303" model, which for the first time was equipped with a branded radiator grille in the form of two oblong ovals. bmw-303- was designed at the factory in Eisenach and was distinguished by: a tubular frame, excellent handling, independent front suspension, and remarkable dynamics.
The result of the two-year production of the BMW 303 was 2300 cars, after which new cars appeared, which already featured more powerful engines with different designations - "309" and "315". From these models, the logical system for designating BMW models actually went. For example, the number "3" is the series, and 09 is the engine size (0.9). By the way, the system is still in use today.
The most striking and remarkable models of that time were "BMW-319" and "BMW-329", which were more sporty than just everyday, their "maximum speed" was about - 130 km / h.
In 1936, the BMW 326 is shown to the public, it looks simply gorgeous, and the public immediately falls in love with this novelty. The premiere of the model took place at the Berlin Motor Show, the design could hardly be called sporty, it was rather made in the style of that time and taking into account all the trends in the auto world. A chic interior, an open top, a lot of innovations and improvements made this car an object of desire, after which it could already boldly compete with Mercedes-Benz models.
The BMW-326 model had a weight of 1125 kg, while it had a maximum speed of 115 km / h. and consumed a hundred km. path of 12.5 liters of fuel, thanks to these characteristics and its attractive appearance The car became one of the company's bestsellers. The BMW 326 was taken out of production in 1941, with a production volume of almost 16,000 at that time, which made the BMW 326 the best pre-war model.
1936 was for BMW the year of the appearance of the famous "BMW-328" - which became one of the most successful sports cars of the company. After the appearance of the "326" BMW's ideology was defined, the concept: "Auto for the driver" is still relevant today. As for the main competitor, Mercedes-Benz, it pursues a goal called: "Auto for passengers." Each of the companies is true to its ideologies and has been rigorously following them for several hundred years.
Over the years of its existence, the BMW 328 has become a multiple winner of various rallies and circuit races, surpassing its competitors in all respects. Under the hood of the car was a six-cylinder engine capable of accelerating to 150 km / h.
With the outbreak of the war, the production of cars was suspended, and aircraft engines again became priorities. The Second World War was a turning point for most German automakers, and BMW was no exception. The Milbertshofen plant was completely bombed by the liberators, and the enterprise, which was located in Eisenach, now belonged to the Russians. Part of the equipment was confiscated by Russia as repatriations, the rest of the equipment was used for the production of BMW-321 and bmw-340, followed by shipment to the USSR.
The factories in Munich remained almost untouched, around which BMW shareholders concentrated their main forces, with the support of the German National Bank, which helped the company bring the sports BMW-328 back to life. From 1948 to 1953, BMW produced new sports cars based on it.
In 1951, the First Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Konrad Adenauer, was shown the newly minted BMW "State Sedan", which was based on the 501 platform.
BMW was going through hard times, but despite this, in 1951 it demonstrates a prototype of a new car - the BMW-501. The main differences of the model were: drum brakes, a large four-door body (sedan) and a new power unit with a capacity of 65 "horses" with a volume of 1.97 liters. The car was perceived in two ways, the surprise was caused by the financial inability of the company to ensure the serial production of the BMW-501 model, but despite this, in 1952, 49 copies left the assembly line. Two years later, the number reached 3410 units, the buyers were mostly true fans of the BMW brand.
After some time, BMW began to think more and more about the lack of engines, weak, low-torque engines contributed to a decrease in interest in cars. The designers begin the development of a new eight-cylinder engine, the first samples of which appeared in 1954. The engine had a volume of 2.6 liters, its power was 95 hp, after which in the 60s it was increased to 100 hp.
With the advent of the new eight-cylinder engine, the appearance of the BMW-501 changed: chrome moldings appeared on the body, which added some chic and elegance to it. Besides, new motor allowed "501" to accelerate to 160 km / h, of course, fuel consumption increased significantly, which could not but worry the designers, as well as the BMW management.
