In terms of branding, BMW is known in the automotive world for three things. One of which is the more recent facelift and redesign of its models that divided the motoring critics into love-it-or-hate-it camps. The two longer-standing brand identities associated with BMW are its logo and the numerical nomenclature used in the naming of their vehicles.
Despite numerous comical and not-so comical suggestions as to what it stands for, BMW is an acronym for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG or Bavarian Motor Works in English, not Break My Window after all.
The BMW roundel that sits upon all the automobiles and motorcycles it produces is a development from the circular Rapp Motorenwerke - the company from which
BMW grew - logo. Like the Rapp Motorenwerke logo, the BMW features the companies letters against a black circle with an image in the centre. While the Rapp logo featured a black horse's head in the centre, the BMW features blue and white panels.
The common interpretation of the interior of the
BMW logo is that it represents the movement of an airplane propeller. Given that the company was a prime manufacturer of aircraft engines for many years (including the Second World War) it was little wonder that this was considered as the logos origin, or that BMW themselves adopted the explanation. The actual origin of the colours is much simpler: the blue and white panels are from the flag of Bavaria. Let's not forget that BMW stands for Bavarian Motor Works.
The first use of BMW's numerical nomenclature for their cars arrived in 1933 with the 303. While this mid-size saloon was the first use of a number-for-a-name in the BMW automobile history it doesn't follow all the rules for the naming that would arrive with the 315 in 1936.
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The number at the start of the model denotes the class, or series; 1-Series, 3-Series, 5-Series etc. The two numbers which follow denote the engine displacement divided by one hundred. For example: 518 would dictate that the car belongs to the 5-Series and has an 1800 cc engine.
The letters that follow the letters on BMW automobiles also have some manufacturer-specific meaning. While on most vehicles an 'l' after a model name would dictate litres or a base-model, with BMW the letter stands for long wheelbase. If the 'L' precedes the numerical identity, it indicates that the car is a luxury variant.
As motoring trends have changed so too have BMW and their use of lettering though not straying too far from their recognised formula. Expanding out of their tradition of luxury saloons has seen the company add X and Z to their alphabet for sports activity vehicles and roadster identification respectively. Though, usually, a glance is able to identify that the Z4 is a roadster rather than a saloon.
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