BMW LOGO

The name BMW is an abbreviation for Bayerische Motoren Werke (German pronunciation: [ˈbaɪ̯ʁɪʃə mɔˈtʰɔʁn̩ ˈvɛɐ̯kə] ( listen)). The German name is not grammatically correct, because motorenwerke is a single word in German. The term Bayerische Motorenwerke (which has been used in several German publications and advertisements in the past) translates into English as Bavarian Motor Works, which has been used by BMW for marketing products in English-speaking countries.The suffix AG, short for Aktiengesellschaft, signifies an incorporated entity which is owned by shareholders.

The terms Beemer, Bimmer and Bee-em are commonly used slang for BMW in the English language and are sometimes used interchangeably for cars and motorcycles.

In the United States, some people prescribe that "beemer" should be used specifically for motorcycles and "bimmer" should be used for cars.Some of these people claim that "true aficionados" make this distinction and those who don't are "uninitiated." Usage in North American mainstream media also varies, for example the Canadian Globe and Mail prefers Bimmer and calls Beemer a "yuppie abomination", and the Tacoma News Tribune says that it is "auto snobs" who use the terms to distinguish between cars and motorcycles. An editor of Business Week was satisfied in 2003 that the question was resolved in favor of Bimmer by noting that a Google search yielded 10 times as many hits compared to Beemer, though googling gives very different results today.

The circular blue and white BMW logo or roundel evolved from the circular Rapp Motorenwerke company logo, from which the BMW company grew, combined with the blue and white colors of the flag of Bavaria.The BMW logo still used today was created in 1917, albeit with various minor styling changes.

The origin of the logo is often thought to be a portrayal of the movement of an aircraft propeller with the white blades cutting through a blue sky. However, this portrayal was first used in a BMW advertisement in 1929 - twelve years after the logo was created - so this is not the origin of the logo itself.