BMW is not owned by another automaker: BMW AG is a publicly traded company with individual and institutional shareholders. If you are considering a luxury vehicle, ownership can help you understand who runs the company and its brands. It also differs from where a vehicle is built.
BMW AG is the parent company, while BMW Group is the wider corporate group. Its brands serve car and motorcycle buyers, and its manufacturing network reaches countries around the world. This article explains who owns the company today and how to tell ownership from brands and production.
Key Takeaways
- BMW AG is publicly traded and owned by its shareholders.
- Stefan Quandt and Susanne Klatten are major shareholders.
- BMW Group is the wider corporate group, not a shareholder.
- BMW Group has car and motorcycle businesses.
- BMW vehicles are built across a worldwide production network.
The key distinction is that shareholders own BMW AG, while BMW Group manages a portfolio of brands and businesses.
Who Owns BMW? Shareholders and the BMW Group
BMW AG is owned by its shareholders, with Stefan Quandt and Susanne Klatten holding the largest disclosed individual stakes. An Aktiengesellschaft (AG) is a German public limited company whose shares are owned by shareholders. BMW AG is traded as BMW on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG translates as Bavarian Motor Works. The company that makes BMW cars is BMW AG, not Volkswagen or Tata. Stefan Quandt and Susanne Klatten make the Quandt family a major shareholder group, not the sole owner.
How BMW AG’s voting shares are divided
These figures show each holder’s share of voting share capital on July 31, 2026. BMW AG completed its preferred-share conversion into ordinary shares on June 30, 2026, following shareholder approval on May 13.
| Holder | Voting share capital, July 31, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Stefan Quandt | 25.3% |
| Susanne Klatten | 20.5% |
| Free float | 51% |
| BMW AG treasury shares | 3.2% |
After conversion, each share carries the same voting right at the Annual General Meeting. The company’s share capital is about €616 million and now consists only of ordinary shares.
BMW AG treasury shares are held by the company itself, rather than by an outside shareholder.
BMW AG had 615,810,431 outstanding shares as of June 30, 2025. Its 2025 revenue was €133.5 billion, with €10.2 billion in profit before tax. Those are company performance measures, not an owner’s personal wealth.
What BMW Group and BMW AG mean
BMW AG names the listed legal company; BMW Group means the wider corporate group. BMW Group had 154,540 employees on December 31, 2025. Its shareholder vote on the share conversion received approval for equal voting rights.
Shareholders’ voting rights can shape company decisions, as seen in other public firms’ annual meetings and shareholder approval processes. Use the July 31, 2026 voting-share figures for the current ownership snapshot, not older percentages.
Which Brands Belong to BMW Group?
BMW Group’s portfolio spans the BMW and MINI car marques, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, and BMW Motorrad. BMW AG remains the listed company, while BMW Group is the wider corporate group. No other car brand owns BMW; BMW AG is the parent company.
In 2022, BMW was a publicly traded German company, not a Volkswagen or Tata subsidiary. Those 2022 facts do not rely on later voting-share percentages.
BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, and Bentley
BMW and MINI are car marques within BMW Group. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a wholly owned BMW AG subsidiary and makes only Rolls-Royce-badged motor cars. BMW created the subsidiary in 1998, and it began making those cars in 2003.
So, Rolls-Royce is owned by BMW, but Bentley is not. Bentley has belonged to Volkswagen Group since 1998 and has been consolidated under Volkswagen’s Audi brand arm since 2022. A BMW Group brand history traces the group’s marques and their development.
BMW Motorrad and the group’s scale
BMW Motorrad is the group’s motorcycle brand. BMW Group sold 2.46 million passenger vehicles and more than 202,500 motorcycles worldwide in 2025. Those sales show the scale of the business, not the value of any shareholder’s personal holdings.
For BMW Group net worth, its market capitalization was $38.86 billion in October 2026. Market capitalization is the market value of a company’s listed shares, not the same as book net worth. A new BMW still comes from BMW AG, even when its assembly location differs. Bentley’s Volkswagen Group ownership is separate from BMW Group’s ownership of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
Where Does BMW Build Its Vehicles?
BMW is a German company, but its production is international, with more than 30 production sites worldwide in 2026. No country owns BMW AG; its shareholders do. BMW Group’s sales network reaches more than 140 countries, and its plants serve buyers across many markets.
In Greer, South Carolina, BMW Group Plant Spartanburg assembles these model families and variants:
- X3
- X5
- X6
- X7
- XM
- Variants of those models
A German headquarters does not mean every BMW vehicle is built in Germany.
Plant Spartanburg employs more than 11,000 people on a 10-million-square-foot campus. It assembles more than 1,500 vehicles each day on two shifts, and about half its vehicles go abroad. Its 2025 exports were worth about $9 billion. A 2018 report recorded more than $8.4 billion in exports, a historical figure, not a current total.
BMW Group Plant Berlin made more than 157,000 motorcycles and electric scooters in 2024, then built its four-millionth BMW Motorrad motorcycle in 2026. BMW Motorrad also has owned facilities in Thailand and Brazil, plus contract production sites in China and India. Check the assembly location for a specific model and model year rather than assuming every BMW sold in the United States was built in the United States.
Conclusion
BMW AG belongs to its shareholders, while BMW Group brings together the brands and operations associated with BMW. Stefan Quandt and Susanne Klatten are major shareholders, but they are not the sole owners. Brand ownership and vehicle assembly are separate from who holds shares in the parent company.
For updated voting-share figures, check BMW AG’s current investor-relations shareholder structure. If you are comparing vehicles, use the stated assembly location for the model you want. Before choosing a vehicle, verify its model-specific features and assembly location through the vehicle’s official documentation.
FAQ
Who owns Bentley?
Bentley belongs to Volkswagen Group, not BMW Group. Volkswagen Group made Bentley a subsidiary in 1998. Since 2022, Bentley has been consolidated under Volkswagen’s Audi brand arm. This differs from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, which is a wholly owned BMW AG subsidiary. The two luxury car businesses have separate parent groups, even though both sell high-end vehicles.
How do you pronounce Bayerische Motoren Werke AG?
Bayerische Motoren Werke is roughly pronounced “BYE-er-ish-uh moh-TOH-ren VEH-kuh” in English. The sounds vary by speaker, so this spelling is an accessible guide rather than a precise German phonetic key. AG is pronounced as the German letter names, “ah-gay.” The full name translates as Bavarian Motor Works and identifies BMW AG, the German public limited company.
Does BMW make motorcycles?
Yes, BMW Motorrad is BMW Group’s motorcycle brand. BMW Group sold more than 202,500 motorcycles worldwide in 2025. The brand’s production network includes owned facilities in Thailand and Brazil, along with contract production sites in China and India. BMW Motorrad also builds motorcycles and electric scooters at its Berlin plant, which passed its four-millionth motorcycle milestone in 2026.
What is the history of BMW?
BMW’s official founding date is 1916, while 1922 is its de facto date. The two dates reflect different points in the company’s development, rather than two competing founding claims. The name Bayerische Motoren Werke means Bavarian Motor Works. BMW Group’s current portfolio formed later and includes separate car and motorcycle marques, so the brand group is not the same as the company’s founding story.
Which country buys BMW the most?
China is BMW Group’s largest single-country market by sales. A country ranking is different from a regional sales total, which can combine several nations. BMW Group serves markets around the world, and its sales network spans more than 140 countries. The country with the most sales can differ from the region with the highest combined total, so those measures should not be treated as interchangeable.
Are any BMW’s made in the USA?
Yes, BMW Group Plant Spartanburg in Greer, South Carolina, assembles BMW X3, X5, X6, X7, and XM models and their variants. The plant is a major part of BMW Group’s U.S. production work. Still, BMW sells vehicles built at different sites, so a particular vehicle’s assembly location depends on its model and model year. Check its official vehicle information for that detail.
Is Mercedes or BMW higher end?
Mercedes-Benz and BMW are both premium luxury automakers; neither brand ranks higher-end in every case. The comparison depends on the specific model, trim, and features you choose. A top trim from one brand may offer more equipment than a base trim from the other. Compare similar vehicle types and options, such as two SUVs with matching size and equipment, for a fair view.
