BMW is one of the most iconic automotive brands in the world, renowned for its luxury, engineering excellence and performance.
Founded in 1916 in Munich, Germany, Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works) is a leading manufacturer of luxury cars and motorcycles, with more than 30 production centres and a global sales network.
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The marque has moved with the times and its commitment to sustainability and efficient resource management has ensured its market leading position today. Having reduced its impact on the environment by introducing plant based alternatives to leather for the vehicles’ interiors, it also sources aluminium with reduced CO2 emissions.
Boasting a net worth of £37.8 billion, as of 20th December 2024, the business survived the global economic downturn of 2008 and came back even stronger. With its headquarters still based in Munich, it is the sixth largest vehicle manufacturer in the world in terms of revenue.
Always moving with the times, it’s possible to bring older models up-to-date to ensure the cars maintain their classic luxury, but with the added benefits of modern safety equipment. For example, a BMW reverse camera retrofit enables safer parking, with other additions, such as parking sensors, also aiding drivers when negotiating tight spots.
These retrofits can help even the older vintage car models to remain relevant to today’s motorists.
BMW logo origin
Over the years, the iconic logo has remained the topic of much debate, as there have been different theories as to how it was invented.
A recent survey by Vanarama showed it was the most recognisable car logo on the planet, with more than 50% of the general public knowing what it represented. However, its origins have been disputed over the decades, with plenty of fans asking, “What does the BMW logo mean?”
History of BMW logo
Is it an aircraft propeller or not? This has been the burning question that has divided petrol heads when it comes to the iconic blue and white design with the luxurious gold trim. In order to answer the question, we need to go back to the early 20th century and examine BMW’s links with Munich-based aircraft engine manufacturer Rapp Motorenwerke.
Back in October 1913, Rapp Motor Works was founded by Karl Rapp and Julius Auspitzer in Munich, capital of the State of Bavaria in Germany, to manufacture aircraft engines. Three years later, in March 1916, the company changed its name to Bayerische Motoren Werke, but the technical equipment, workforce and assets remained the same.
Rapp Motorenwerke had its own logo - a circular emblem with a black horse’s head in the centre and the company name around the perimeter. At the time of the company’s name change, there wasn’t a new Bayerische Motoren Werke logo.
When the manufacturer’s first advert under its new name appeared in late July 1917, it didn’t contain any emblem. Alongside the aircraft engines, the company revealed plans to start producing engines for automobiles, boats and agricultural equipment too.
Initially, its main business was producing and maintaining BMW aircraft engines for the German Air Force: it didn’t supply the general public.
First BMW logo
The first logo with the new company name was revealed in October 1917. It continued the Rapp tradition of having a circular black logo which bore the company’s name, but with added new colours of white, blue and gold.
Registered with the German Imperial Register of Trademarks, the new logo featured gold lines around the outer ring. It was also decided that the emblem should represent the manufacturer’s home of Bavaria, so the state colours of white and blue were added.
At the time, the law wouldn’t permit the use of state coats of arms on commercial logos, hence just the colours could be used, so the finished design contained the key elements of a circular shape, blue and white quadrants and a black border with gold trim and BMW lettering.
BMW logo propeller myth
The propeller myth about the logo began 12 years after the design was first aired in 1917.
In 1929, an advert appeared promoting a new aircraft engine that the company was building under licence from American aircraft manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. The marketing team showed the circular logo positioned in the rotating propeller of an airplane in a bid to emphasise the company’s roots as a manufacturer of aircraft engines.
At the time, the nation was gripped by an economic crisis and showing the logo as a propeller was simply intended to grab the attention, as this was a young company that needed to highlight its expertise. While BMW did produce aircraft engines, the logo wasn’t originally designed as a propeller. Its appearance was connected to the company’s Bavarian heritage and, significantly, wanted to incorporate state pride into the design.
The whole myth that the company logo was a propeller blew up from a clever marketing ploy and nothing more.
BMW logo evolution
Regardless of its origins, the logo is one of the most famous in the world today. For years, the manufacturer made little effort to correct the myth that its emblem was a propeller. This led industry experts to suggest that this attitude had turned the story into a “self-propagating urban myth”.
The company hadn’t denied the story and on one occasion, in 1942, it even implied it was true in its own publication, therefore this belief had a “certain justification”, according to Fred Jakobs, of BMW Group Classic. For around 90 years, the urban myth has continued to do the rounds, so it wasn’t “entirely wrong”, Jakobs said in an interview.
In 1997, the marque created a new updated logo, but little had changed, other than it was given a 3D effect. The sans serif font of the lettering remained the same, while the white lines were slightly toned down to enhance the 3D appearance.
Then, in 2021, the company designed a new look emblem especially to represent BMW Motorsport, adding three new semicircles in violet, blue and red around the traditional logo.
The most recent update, in April 2024, saw marketers make a slight amendment to the company logo used online. Described as a “tweak”, it reverted back to the original design from 1917 and was given a darker look in general. This was done to make the three famous letters more legible and visible, according to a report on BMW Blog. The 2024 update applied only to the logo used online, such as on the corporate Facebook page, and not to the emblem on the actual cars.
