BMW cars are well known for being stylish and sophisticated luxury vehicles. And while there connection to Bavaria is well known, there are some overlooked but interesting facts to be had about BMW and their cars. Here’s our top five fun facts about BMW, that most people don’t know!
- BMW hoists the flag of Bavaria in America - BMWs have a number of features that reference their point of origin, Bavaria. The checkerboards of the BMW logo are the same lozenge-style accents on the flag of Bavaria. Among the trademarks of a BMW design is the kidney-shaped front grill and their 4-cylinder engine. In fact, this seems implausible, but it’s true: the headquarters for BMW are shaped like a 4-cylinder engine that is their internal trademark.
- The Treaty of Versailles is why they make cars - BMW originally began as an airplane manufacturer, all the way back in 1916 during World War 1. But when the war ended, German companies were no longer allowed to make weapons of war, so they had to switch focus.
- Their first car was called the Dixi - BMW’s switched to automobile manufacturing by buying out Automobilwerk Eisenach, and the rights to their Dixi model. The first of these BMW Dixis, later rechristened the BMW 3/15 DA-2, was not a BMW design, but an English Austin, having been built in England, Japan (as a Datsun) and America (as a Bantum).
- They produced an electric car as far back as 1972 - Although certainly not the first electric car, BWM produced an electric car well ahead of the curve, back in 1972, called the BMW 1602e, that never made it to market due to its poor charge performance of a mere 20 minutes (which for 1972, is not bad at all!).
- BMW’s have interesting remote control features that are not well known - BMW key fobs have a number of not-at-all secret functions. In BMW’s with Comfort Access, holding the Unlock button down on the key fob will roll down the windows. (To roll them back up, touch the three ridges on your door handle.) As well, you can use your key fob to open a convertible shell from outside the car itself by pressing and holding the Unlock button (and use the Lock button to close it back up in the same manner).
Did you know all of this trivia about BMW? Well done if you did! If you’d like to book in with an auto mechanic for a Vehicle Health Check or another auto repair at Bimmer Rescue, Schedule an appointment today. Bimmer Rescue services Richmond, Short Pump, The West End, and The Fan District, at 6401F Dickens Place, Richmond, VA 23230.
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