14/06/2026
Founded: 1916
Founder: Karl Rapp, Gustav Otto
BMW is a famous German automaker, whose main specialization is the production of cars, sports cars, SUVs, and motorcycles. In 1913, two small aircraft engine companies appeared in the northern part of Munich, the founders of which were Karl Rapp and Gustav Otto, son of Nikolaus August Otto, who is credited with creating the internal combustion engine. With the outbreak of World War I the number of orders for aircraft engines increased dramatically. Rapp and Otto decided to merge their companies into one aircraft engine plant. Thus a plant of aircraft engines appeared in Munich, which in 1916 was registered under the name Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Engine Plants). This date is considered the year of the foundation of the BMW Group.