BMW: 100 years of innovation in 1 minute

BMW has just celebrated 100 years of innovation and has now published its history in a one-minute video.

A new advertising campaign by BMW in the United States takes a tour of its entire history in one minute. The video showcases some of the most iconic models from the Bavarian brand. Dare to take a look back?

BMW became a car manufacturer in 1929 when it acquired Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, which at the time was building Austin Sevens under licence under the Dixi brand. The engineering team at BMW progressively developed its cars from small Seven-based automobiles to six-cylinder luxury vehicles and, in 1936, began production of the sports car: the BMW 328. Aircraft engines, motorcycles and automobiles would be BMW’s main products until the Second World War.

During the war, against the wishes of its director Franz Josef Popp, BMW concentrated on producing aircraft engines, with motorcycles as a secondary activity, and car manufacturing came to a complete halt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWmt7LNNnRs&feature=youtu.be

This is the history of BMW in just one minute

After the war, BMW survived by making pots, pans and bicycles until 1948, when it restarted motorcycle production. Meanwhile, the BMW factory in Eisenach fell within the Soviet occupation zone, and the Soviets restarted the production of motorcycles and cars BMW from before the war. This continued until 1955, after which they concentrated on cars based on pre-war DKW designs. BMW began building cars in Bavaria in 1952 with the luxury saloon: the BMW 501.

Sales of its luxury saloons were too small to be profitable, so BMW supplemented this by building the Isetta under licence. Slow sales of luxury cars and the small profit margins of microcars led the BMW board to consider selling the operation to Daimler-Benz. However, Herbert Quandt was convinced to buy a majority stake in BMW and invest in its future.

Quandt’s investment, together with the earnings from the BMW 700, brought the BMW New Class and the BMW New Six. These new products, along with the absorption of Hans Glas GmbH, gave BMW a secure base on which to expand. BMW grew in strength, eventually acquiring the Rover Group (most of which it later divested) and the licence to build cars under the Rolls-Royce brand.

Today, the Bavarian brand continues to innovate and invest in technology and autonomous driving. Follow the evolution of the famous Ultimate Driving Machine through 10 decades of iconic design.