BMW

BMW was founded as an airplane engine manufacturer, and it provided engines to Germany during both World Wars. Its first automobile was the Dixi, actually a licensed Austin 7, but the most notable interwar BMW is the sporty 328. After the war, the company produced motorcycles and eventually cars, starting in the early 1950s. After dabbling in large, ponderous luxury cars and even tiny microcars (the Isetta, notably), BMW found its stride with sporty cars, exemplified by the 2002. BMW’s high-performance M Division came onto the scene in the 1970s, and there are now even sportier M versions of nearly every BMW product, from the lowly 1 Series to the large 7 Series, as well as the X line of SUVs and the i line of innovative electrified offerings.