WEY is GWM’s luxury brand that builds premium SUVs based on Haval models. Its moniker stems from GWM’s chairman Wei Jianjun’s name, which is pronounced the same way. In Australia, GWM sells models from each of the brands listed here, with the GWM badge appearing before each. Roewe is another SAIC entity that stems from MG Rover, with its vehicles initially built using technology acquired from the UK carmaker. But while SAIC was able to secure the rights to the MG name it had less luck with Rover – BMW which held the rights sold them to Ford, which returned them to Jaguar Land Rover. LDV is no longer a vehicle manufacturer but, as mentioned above, the brand entered Chinese hands in 2010 when SAIC acquired the intellectual property for the LDV Maxus van.
Company
Despite this, Volkswagen remained determined to continue Bentley’s legacy as a leading brand in the luxury segment. Today, Bentley has a total of five vehicles available, two of which are different versions of the iconic Continental grand tourer alongside the Bentayga SUV. The brand’s historic coachbuilding services are also available through the Mulliner model, allowing customers to choose every aspect of the car’s design to their taste. Bentley is among most iconic and established luxury car brands in history. However, even though it was founded in 1919, Bentley can’t quite be included with the oldest car brands in history — or even be named the oldest brand under Volkswagen’s ownership.
- BMW produces a smaller range of vehicles, but they are all luxury vehicles.
- Volkswagen’s corporate governance allows it to operate as a conglomerate of autonomous brands under a parent company that manages overall strategy and resources.
- The 21st century has seen Volkswagen grow into a global empire, with major stakeholders maintaining influence through complex ownership structures.
- It held the title of largest carmaker in the world in 2016 and continued to hold it in 2017, 2018 and 2019, selling 10.9 million vehicles.
And yes, I did use two cellphone companies as an example, since this practice applies almost everywhere. Indeed, some of us car enthusiasts will look at automobiles as works of art and their brands as institutions. To us, the very name sells the car, since it’s that same name that has manufactured some of our is bmw owned by volkswagen favorite “rides”. In other words, it’s not the specifics or the mechanical makeup of a BMW that make it appealing to us. No, it’s the very idea of BMW that we find attractive and worth our money.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
What is now Japan’s second largest automaker rose to post-World War II prominence as a builder of motorcycles, with Honda two-wheelers continuing to be popular choices among riders. Having already deep-sixed Oldsmobile, GM discontinued its Hummer, Pontiac, and Saturn brands as part of its recession reorganization and sold off Saab’s assets. With the burgeoning popularity of SUVs these days, there’s been talk of bringing back Hummer, but in the meantime, today GM sells only Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles in the U.S. The purveyor of the prancing horse logo was owned for a time by Fiat, and later Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, but was spun off in 2016 as its own entity, Ferrari N.V. The company that’s officially known as Bayerische Motoren Werke AG has long been a brand of choice among automotive enthusiasts, with sedans, wagons, coupes and SUVs that outperform the competition. It also owns Mini on one side of the ledger sheet and the exotic luxury brand Rolls-Royce at the other end.
The vehicle line-up is exactly the same, but just from UK manufacturers. It is also one of the oldest vehicles manufacturers in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1810 as a family-owned steel foundry the brand soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and then bicycles. If you’ve been to Italy, you will know that the humble Fiat is an extremely popular car among the Italians.
MINI vehicles are marketed as urban cars with a unique blend of heritage and contemporary engineering. BMW revitalized the MINI brand, making it a key player in the premium compact car segment. But many people still ask, who owns BMW, and what companies fall under its umbrella? This article explores the ownership, structure, and influence behind the German automaker. Yes, Volkswagen and BMW compete with each other in the automotive market.
- Maxus now builds a range of commercial vehicles and people movers including the V80 and V90 vans, G80 MPV, T60 ute and D Series SUV, which are sold in Australia under the LDV brand.
- Volkswagen currently holds a majority share in Audi, Scania, and Porsche, and also wholly owns Skoda Auto, Lamborghini, and Ducati.
- Ultimately, ownership doesn’t just determine who makes the decisions; it influences the vibe of every vehicle on the road, shaping what consumers see, feel, and experience when they choose these brands.
- Despite a $9 million price tag, the Centodieci, a re-bodied Chiron, was presented in August 2019 and all ten were sold.
- Looking deeper into their corporate structures reveals some notable differences.
Geely is a Chinese car brand that has grown exponentially since it first started producing cars in 2002.
Of course, both are growing, and as noted previously have been growing faster than their owners as a whole, at high single digit CAGR for revenues and even higher profit growth. Just over 25 years ago, an intricate set of corporate activities led to the former Rolls Royce car business, which included Bentley, to be owned by German acquirers. When all shook out, Volkswagen acquired the operations at Crewe and the Bentley brand, while BMW got the rights to create a new concept using the name “Rolls Royce”. There is no definitive answer to this question, as both BMW and Volkswagen are well-respected automakers with a long history of producing high-quality vehicles.
Despite being sold only in Italy in modern times, Lancia is still a well-known brand thanks to its highly successful motorsport endeavours, including famous rally cars like the Stratos, Delta and 037. The Italian brand known for its sports cars and racing exploits was founded more than a century ago. Alfa Romeo became a part of FCA in 2007, currently only producing two cars for sale in Australia, the Giulia and Stelvio. Jeep is perhaps best known for its small durable 4×4 vehicles built specifically for the US military. Under the Chrysler umbrella, Dodge became a subsidiary of the Fiat group in 2009, having also previously been involved with Daimler.
Who controls Volkswagen’s board?
The purpose of the company was to manufacture the Volkswagen car, originally referred to as the Porsche Type 60, then the Volkswagen Type 1, and commonly called the Volkswagen Beetle. This vehicle was designed by Ferdinand Porsche’s consulting firm, and the company was backed by the support of Adolf Hitler. On 16 September 1938, Gezuvor was renamed Volkswagenwerk GmbH (‘Volkswagen Factory GmbH’). In 2015, Volkswagen was discovered to have used defeat devices to deceive environmental regulators about how much NOx its cars were emitting.
It shares technology with Audi and Porsche, especially in platforms and drivetrain technologies. For example, the Bentley Bentayga shares its underpinnings with the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne. Bentley’s transition to full electric by 2030 aligns with Volkswagen Group’s decarbonization strategy. As of 2025, the Volkswagen Group encompasses a diverse portfolio of brands and subsidiaries, each catering to specific market segments and contributing to the company’s global presence. The acquisition of a sport motorcycle company dating back to 1926 may seem an off-beat purchase for motorcar manufacture. However, Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piëch was a keen motorcycle enthusiast and had proven a positive track record for turning ailing exotic brands into successful sales.
However, some factors to consider when making a decision include price, performance, luxury, and brand reputation. Volkswagen is a German car manufacturer, while BMW is a German luxury car manufacturer. The two companies are separate entities and have no ownership stake in each other. Volkswagen and BMW are both very successful companies, but they have very different philosophies. Volkswagen is a mass-market automaker, while BMW is a luxury automaker. Volkswagen focuses on affordability and practicality, while BMW focuses on performance and luxury.
None of these cars going to german citizens and with the plant turned over to war production the future for the Volkswagen Beetle could have ended here. BMW and Volkswagen both make high-quality vehicles, so it really comes down to which one you prefer. Volkswagen is the larger company, with annual sales of over 10 million vehicles. BMW and Volkswagen are two of the world’s most successful automakers, but they are not affiliated with each other. Are BMW and Volkswagen the same company Many people are often confused about whether BMW and Volkswagen are the same company.
BMW acquired Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in 1998, and since then, the iconic British luxury automobile brand has been a key part of BMW’s portfolio. Rolls-Royce is synonymous with luxury, craftsmanship, and performance. The acquisition of Rolls-Royce allowed BMW to further cement its position in the luxury car market, focusing on ultra-high-end vehicles. The brand is known for its compact and stylish cars that combine modern design with efficient performance.
The service is available in most BMW models and provides features such as real-time navigation, remote vehicle management, and advanced safety technologies. MINI’s most notable models include the MINI Hardtop, MINI Clubman, and MINI Countryman. The brand also expanded into electric mobility with the launch of the MINI Electric.
This is the general information that we can give about BMW ownership. It’s a very big conglomerate company in the automotive industry, and it has a very big history in automotive. Because of it, there is no specific owner of BMW like the other very big incorporated companies in the world. There are lots of people that are curious about the question of who owns BMW because they think that even the biggest conglomerates like BMW have a simple owner.
Who owns Porsche?
It also provides external design services to companies that wish to tap into BMW’s expertise in innovation and high-end design. The M division was founded in 1972, and since then, it has become synonymous with the brand’s motorsport heritage and engineering excellence. The M models are targeted at driving enthusiasts and those looking for an elevated driving experience with improved performance and speed. The BMW M4 and BMW M8 continue this legacy, making M the go-to performance sub-brand for BMW. BMW ConnectedDrive is the company’s suite of digital services and technologies that integrate connectivity, infotainment, and driver assistance features.
In 2019, Scania’s R 450 truck won the “Green Truck 2019” award as the most fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly commercial vehicle in its class. The Transporter 6.1 – a technically redesigned version of the bestselling van – was launched on the market in 2019. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will be the Group’s leading brand for autonomous driving.