In 1922, BMW merged with the aircraft company Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke. Throughout the history of the auto industry, mergers and alliances have played pivotal roles in shaping the market landscape. Despite rumors, Volkswagen and BMW have never merged or acquired each other. For instance, both companies have engaged with tech firms or joint ventures to accelerate innovation, but these alliances are often designed to benefit both parties without any transfer of ownership. So, while their industry paths sometimes cross in strategic initiatives, they remain unconnected in terms of corporate control or ownership. The idea of one owning the other remains a myth, which is good news for enthusiasts hoping for a mega-merger, but unfortunately, it’s not rooted in reality.
- RAM is a brand owned by Stellantis, which was formed through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and PSA Group.
- 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.
- Hyundai Motor Company Hyundai Motor Company started as a construction firm in 1947 and entered the auto business in 1967.
Understanding the Ownership Status of BMW and Volkswagen: Who Owns Whom in the Auto Industry
As the old saying goes, you can’t tell the players without a scorecard, and nowhere is that more true than in the auto industry. In recent decades we’ve seen brands come and go and change hands, sometimes several times over. Jaguar, for example, went from British ownership to being a division of the Ford Motor Company in 1990, and was, in turn, sold to India’s Tata Motors (along with Land Rover) in 2013. The parent firm BMW Group, which also owns the luxury brands Mini and Rolls-Royce, owns BMW, which is based in Munich, Germany.
Yes, Volkswagen is bmw owned by volkswagen is one of the biggest, maybe the biggest, car manufacturing company in the world, and most people can think of Volkswagen as BMW. BMW is a group that owns different kinds of car brands such as Mini and so on. Once again, we have a car brand that looks, sounds, runs, and feels British, mainly because it was.
Retail shareholders are generally more interested in the financial performance of the company, often benefiting from dividends or stock appreciation. However, a large portion of its shares is held by the Quandt family. The Quandts have been closely tied to BMW since the 1950s and are its most influential shareholders. The rest of the company is owned by institutional investors and the general public through stock markets. Volkswagen Passenger Cars is the Group’s original marque, and the other major subsidiaries include passenger car marques such as Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT, and Škoda.
Citroën (PSA) – Founded 1919
Latest setback for Volkswagen came on 21 November 2024, when Swedish battery producer Northvolt filed for bankruptcy, Volkswagen previously invested 1.4 billion euros in their failed business. On 27 November 2024, Volkswagen announced sale of its Xinijang factory in China partly because «demand for combustion engine vehicles is going down». On 21 April 2017, a U.S. federal judge ordered Volkswagen «to pay a $2.8 billion criminal fine for rigging diesel-powered vehicles to cheat on government emissions tests». The «unprecedented» plea deal formalized a punishment that Volkswagen AG agreed to earlier in 2017. In addition, the plea deal includes a $1.5 billion settlement for various environmental, customs and financial violations.
The code was intended to detect when an emissions test was being conducted, and altered emissions controls for better compliance. Off the test stand, the controls were relaxed, and emissions jumped 35 to 40 times regulatory levels according to investigators at West Virginia University and the California Air Resources Board. About 482,000 vehicles are under the recall order, a potential $18 billion ($37,500 per violation) in fines are pending, and news accounts speculate a criminal indictment for the deception is certain. The VW Group CEO, Martin Winterkorn, said he was «deeply sorry» and ordered an external investigation. The software code was only revealed when the EPA refused to certify VW’s 2016 models for sale in the US unless the corporation provided full disclosure. On Sunday, 20 September 2015, VW Group announced it was halting the sale of its four-cylinder diesel models in the US.
German and European Retail Investors
- Volkswagen’s largest stakeholder is the State of Lower Saxony, which holds a significant minority share—around 20%—and has voting rights that influence major corporate decisions.
- The BMW Group comprises of seven brands, including Rolls-Royce and MINI, with more than 120,000 employees worldwide.
- BMW is partially family owned, with billionaires Stefan Quandt and his sister Susanne Klatten jointly owning half the shares in the company.
- None of the ten brands’ names could be accurately pronounced by a single person.
- By this point, it’s become commonplace for brands under Volkswagen to reassess their electrified future, and Cupra is no exception.
Other factors fueling confusion include their global presence, brand prestige, and occasional joint ventures. The truth is, the confusion is purely based on assumptions rather than facts. Neither company has disclosed any plans for mergers or acquisitions involving the other, and both operate entirely independently. Clear understanding of corporate structures helps dispel these myths, reinforcing that they are rival brands, each standing on its own feet. The automotive industry is a complex web of mergers, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships. At first glance, one might assume that since both BMW and Volkswagen are multinational giants, they could be part of the same conglomerate.
Apple’s New Knitted ‘iPhone Pocket’ Sold Out Immediately
The brand has a claim to the longest-running and most manufactured car of all time- the Beetle! With Stefan and Susanne at the helm, BMW continues to go from strength to strength, and will no doubt continue its successful domination of the luxury car market for a long time to come. BMW’s fortunes started to turn in the 1960s with its new direction set out by the Quandts. 1961 saw the introduction of the 1500, a sporty sedan, and orders soon started pouring in.
Does the same firm own both BMW and Audi?
BMW’s business model is centered around producing luxury vehicles with a heavy emphasis on innovation, technology, and driving dynamics. Unlike Volkswagen, which tends to own multiple brands across different market segments, BMW focuses primarily on its core brand along with Mini and Rolls-Royce. Its corporate approach is geared toward premium quality and technological leadership, especially in electric mobility and autonomous driving. Importantly, BMW operates entirely independently and is not part of any larger automotive conglomerate like Volkswagen. This independence reinforces the idea that BMW and Volkswagen, despite similarities, are competitors—each forging its own path in the automotive realm. Ownership structures directly impact how each automaker approaches innovation, design, and market expansion.
Both companies produce a variety of cars, trucks, and SUVs, and they target similar customer demographics. However, there are some key differences between the two companies’ products and marketing strategies. For example, Volkswagen tends to focus on affordability and fuel efficiency, while BMW emphasizes performance and luxury. BMW and Volkswagen are two different companies with different histories, cultures, and philosophies. BMW is known for its luxury vehicles, while Volkswagen is known for its more affordable cars. BMW also has a stronger focus on performance, while Volkswagen is more focused on fuel efficiency.
BMW—short for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG—is an independent company with its own distinct ownership structure. Similarly, Volkswagen, based in Germany’s Lower Saxony, operates as a separate corporate entity with a diverse group of shareholders. Their paths have largely run parallel—each carving out its own niche—without crossing into a parent-subsidiary relationship. While they occasionally compete in markets around the world, their corporate independence remains firm.
Summer is Coming: Keep Cool and Carry On with Shark
Volkswagen cars are manufactured by the Volkswagen Group, which is a major automotive conglomerate. This group also produces vehicles under various other brand names, including Audi, Porsche, and SEAT. Lamborghini is managed under Audi’s supervision within the Progressive Brand Group. It leverages Audi’s engineering resources while maintaining its Italian exotic brand identity. Its supercars, such as the Aventador and Huracán, share elements like AWD systems and V10/V12 engines developed with Audi.
Volkswagen was founded in Berlin in 1937 and incorporated in Wolfsburg to manufacture the car that would become known as the Beetle. In 1965, it acquired Auto Union, which subsequently produced the first postwar Audi models. Volkswagen launched a new generation of front-wheel drive vehicles in the 1970s, including the Passat, Polo and Golf; the latter became its bestseller. The company’s operations in China have grown rapidly in the 2010s, with the country becoming its largest market, though sales have declined significantly in the 2020s. Volkswagen AG,a or Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Since the late 2000s, it has been a publicly traded family business owned by Porsche SE, which in turn is half-owned but fully controlled by the Austrian-German Porsche and Piëch family.
ARC Design reimagines the Lamborghini Countach for its 50th birthday
Haval has come leaps and bounds since it was founded less than 10 years ago to become one of China’s biggest manufacturers of SUVs and electrified vehicles. Like MG, Maxus has UK roots, with the brand originating from the LDV Maxus van as a result of SAIC acquiring the intellectual property to the vehicle from the now-defunct LDV in 2010. After a stint under Daewoo and SAIC ownership from 1997 to 2010, Mahindra acquired the brand at a cost of US$463.6 million (AU$628m). Despite filing for bankruptcy in the back end of 2020, SsangYong continues to operate in Australia, selling the Rexton and Korando SUVs as well as the Musso ute.
He is considered a strategic, forward-thinking leader who balances tradition with transformation. State Street, another major U.S.-based institutional investor, owns about 0.9% of the company. It manages portfolios on behalf of pension funds, governments, and other large clients.
Regardless of German or USA manufacture, the BMW drivetrain components are all BMW of Germany sourced and are as robust as one expects regardless of where the car was assembled. In 2019, Volkswagen group brands combined the Chinese research and development capacity of the Volkswagen and Audi brands and of the Group in a new structure. This will generate synergy effects, intensify cooperation between the brands and strengthen the local development of technologies. More than 4,500 employees in China are working in research and development on mobility solutions for the future. In South America, MAN Commercial Vehicles was recognized in 2019 as one of Brazil’s best employers with its Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus brand. Since the new Delivery range launched in 2017, over 25,000 vehicle have already been produced.
