BMW

BMW is one of the world’s leading luxury car brands, although the wider group also includes the ultra-luxury and small car segments with British acquisitions Rolls-Royce and Mini, high-end motorcycles with BMW Motorrad, plus its car financing division, fleet management subsidiary Alphabet and automotive consultancy Designworks. BMW formed in Bavaria during the First World War as an aircraft engine supplier, before switching to branded motorbikes and later automobiles. Half-owned by the Quandt family, the DAX-listed company employs 155,000 people and sells into 140 markets. Like many in the sector, BMW is leaning heavily into electric vehicles, which increased from 1.9% of deliveries in 2020 to 14.7% in 2023. It is based in Munich.