BMW VIN Check Decode

BMW - car manufacturer

BMW - Automobile manufacturer The name BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH. BMW emerged in 1917 from the Munich company Rapp-Motorenwerke. The company was incorporated into Knorr-Bremse AG in 1920 before being re-established as BMW AG in 1922. It was the successor to Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG, which had been founded in 1916. The year 1916 is therefore considered the founding year of BMW.

Today's BMW AG has its origins in Rapp-Motorenwerke GmbH, which began producing aircraft engines in 1913. During the First World War, Rapp supplied the German Reich's air force. At that time, the automobile had not yet caught on. Those who wanted to travel long distances by land took the train.

Rapp Motorenwerke was based in Munich, the capital of Bavaria - as was Gustav Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik, where the engines for the aircraft were installed. When the Otto company went bankrupt in 1916, it became Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG (BFW). Shortly thereafter, Rapp also changed its company name: in 1917, the company was renamed Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH. BMW's origin from the Rapp company can also be seen in the logo.

In August 1918, Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH was transformed into a stock corporation. However, with the end of World War I, the construction of aircraft engines came to a halt, as the Treaty of Versailles prohibited Germany from building aircraft engines. BMW then concentrated on railroad brakes and built-in engines. This was so successful that the Berlin brake company Knorr-Bremse AG acquired a majority stake in BMW in 1920, integrated the company and moved it to Munich. Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH as an independent company temporarily disappeared from the scene - but not for long.

In 1922, major investor and aircraft construction pioneer Camillo Castiglioni was the main shareholder in Knorr-Bremse AG. He bought the BMW company name and took over the engine manufacturing operations, including employees, production facilities and company logo, and transferred everything to BFW, the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG.

In the same year, the company moved to the BFW factory buildings in Lerchenauer Strasse and changed its name to Bayerische Motoren Werke AG. Thus the name BMW found its way into the commercial register for the second time.

This makes BMW AG the legal successor to BFW. The BMW Group's headquarters and main plant are still located on the former BFW site in Milbertshofen near Munich. And there is something else the aircraft builders have bequeathed to BMW AG: BFW's founding date, March 7, 1916, is considered BMW's official birthday.

Today, BMW is the owner of Mini. Bmw Mini.

Decoding BMW VIN

Digit one: this tells you where the car was assembled. If the VIN starts with a W, it means it was assembled in Germany. If it starts with a 5, the car was assembled in the USA.

Digit two: This character indicates the manufacturer. The letter B means the car was made in Germany; the letters U or Y mean it was made in the USA.

Digit three: This is the vehicle type. As a rule, this is an X or A.

Digits four through eight: This section of VIN describes the vehicle in question, e.g. model, body style, engine type and transmission.

Digit nine: This digit is used to check whether the VIN is valid. If you enter it incorrectly, an error is displayed in VIN.

Digits 10-11: The year and the factory where it was assembled.

Digits 12-17: These last characters form the factory's production number, which identifies the vehicle itself as a unique product.

I hope this helps you understand how to read the VIN of a BMW!

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