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The roots of the German automotive industry date to 1890, when Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) was founded, and 1898, when Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach pivoted from manufacturing bicycles to building motorized vehicles. In 1901, DMG released its...
The roots of the German automotive industry date to 1890, when Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) was founded, and 1898, when Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach pivoted from manufacturing bicycles to building motorized vehicles. In 1901, DMG released its first Mercedes model, and in 1928, Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) acquired Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, which allowed BMW to pivot from aircraft and motorcycle engines to automobiles.
The origin stories of companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are relatively well known, as are the circumstances that led to BMW as we think of it today. Unlike Mercedes and Porsche, BMW cut its industrial teeth on aircraft engines, which it produced in large numbers during World War I (similarly, BMW would make engines for the Luftwaffe during World War II). By 1923, though, BMW had manufactured its first motorcycle, while the 1928 purchase of Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach would allow it to get into the car business.
In fact, by the time BMW bought Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, the latter was producing a car whose design was licensed from a British automotive company called Austin. Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach called its version of the Austin Seven the DA-1 or Dixi. When BMW took over production, the company rebranded the Austin once again, this time as the 3/15PS, although many people continued to call it the Dixi.
In the 1950s and '60s, BMW became known for another licensed vehicle, an Italian car, the Isetta, which made its international debut in 1953. By 1955, BMW was manufacturing its own version of the Isetta, powered by a BMW motorcycle engine. Production of various BMW Isetta models continued until 1962. In 1966, the first car in BMW's iconic 02 Series, the 1600, was released. Its comparatively squared-off design, especially the 2002 of 1969, was a deliberate departure from the bubble-like look of the Isetta.
Audi history as a car manufacturer could be said to date to 1903, when a company called Wanderer joined forces with Audi as a part of Auto Union in 1932. Audi itself made automobiles under its own marque from 1910 until 1928, and then again in 1965 after Auto Union was purchased by Volkswagen and the Audi brand was revived. The first Audi to be sold in the United States was the 100, which had been on German since 1968 but did not make it to the New World until 1970.
Less well known is the story of Opel, whose manufacturing history goes all the way back to 1862, when an aspiring locksmith named Adam Opel built sewing machines in his uncle's barn. Before long, bicycles were added to the products offered by Opel, and the first Opel cars appeared in 1899 after their namesake had passed away. By the 1920s, Opels were rolling off a modern assembly line, but by the end of the decade, General Motors owned most of Opel and in 1931, in the gloom of the Great Depression, it would purchase the rest.
Continue readingThe roots of the German automotive industry date to 1890, when Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) was founded, and 1898, when Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach pivoted from manufacturing bicycles to building motorized vehicles. In 1901, DMG released its first Mercedes model, and in 1928, Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) acquired Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, which allowed BMW to pivot from aircraft and motorcycle engines to automobiles.
The origin stories of companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are relatively well known, as are the circumstances that led to BMW as we think of it today. Unlike Mercedes and Porsche, BMW cut its industrial teeth on aircraft engines, which it produced in large numbers during World War I (similarly, BMW would make engines for the Luftwaffe during World War II). By 1923, though, BMW had manufactured its first motorcycle, while the 1928 purchase of Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach would allow it to get into the car business.
In fact, by the time BMW bought Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, the latter was producing a car whose design was licensed from a British automotive company called Austin. Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach called its version of the Austin Seven the DA-1 or Dixi. When BMW took over production, the company rebranded the Austin once again, this time as the 3/15PS, although many people continued to call it the Dixi.
In the 1950s and '60s, BMW became known for another licensed vehicle, an Italian car, the Isetta, which made its international debut in 1953. By 1955, BMW was manufacturing its own version of the Isetta, powered by a BMW motorcycle engine. Production of various BMW Isetta models continued until 1962. In 1966, the first car in BMW's iconic 02 Series, the 1600, was released. Its comparatively squared-off design, especially the 2002 of 1969, was a deliberate departure from the bubble-like look of the Isetta.
Audi history as a car manufacturer could be said to date to 1903, when a company called Wanderer joined forces with Audi as a...
The roots of the German automotive industry date to 1890, when Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) was founded, and 1898, when Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach pivoted from manufacturing bicycles to building motorized vehicles. In 1901, DMG released its first Mercedes model, and in 1928, Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) acquired Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, which allowed BMW to pivot from aircraft and motorcycle engines to automobiles.
The origin stories of companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are relatively well known, as are the circumstances that led to BMW as we think of it today. Unlike Mercedes and Porsche, BMW cut its industrial teeth on aircraft engines, which it produced in large numbers during World War I (similarly, BMW would make engines for the Luftwaffe during World War II). By 1923, though, BMW had manufactured its first motorcycle, while the 1928 purchase of Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach would allow it to get into the car business.
In fact, by the time BMW bought Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, the latter was producing a car whose design was licensed from a British automotive company called Austin. Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach called its version of the Austin Seven the DA-1 or Dixi. When BMW took over production, the company rebranded the Austin once again, this time as the 3/15PS, although many people continued to call it the Dixi.
In the 1950s and '60s, BMW became known for another licensed vehicle, an Italian car, the Isetta, which made its international debut in 1953. By 1955, BMW was manufacturing its own version of the Isetta, powered by a BMW motorcycle engine. Production of various BMW Isetta models continued until 1962. In 1966, the first car in BMW's iconic 02 Series, the 1600, was released. Its comparatively squared-off design, especially the 2002 of 1969, was a deliberate departure from the bubble-like look of the Isetta.
Audi history as a car manufacturer could be said to date to 1903, when a company called Wanderer joined forces with Audi as a part of Auto Union in 1932. Audi itself made automobiles under its own marque from 1910 until 1928, and then again in 1965 after Auto Union was purchased by Volkswagen and the Audi brand was revived. The first Audi to be sold in the United States was the 100, which had been on German since 1968 but did not make it to the New World until 1970.
Less well known is the story of Opel, whose manufacturing history goes all the way back to 1862, when an aspiring locksmith named Adam Opel built sewing machines in his uncle's barn. Before long, bicycles were added to the products offered by Opel, and the first Opel cars appeared in 1899 after their namesake had passed away. By the 1920s, Opels were rolling off a modern assembly line, but by the end of the decade, General Motors owned most of Opel and in 1931, in the gloom of the Great Depression, it would purchase the rest.
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