Facts: BMW
Paul Sauer
- BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Motor Works.
- BMW’s first car, the 3/15, went on sale over 80 years ago in 1929.
- BMW manufactured the world’s first jet airplane engines during the Second World War.
- The first American made BMW rolled off the line on September 8th, 1994.
- BMW has received recognition for its commitment to protecting the environment. This includes membership in the South Carolina Environmental Excellence Program and a spot on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
- The South Carolina factory has made efforts to green its production facilities. It even has an onsite butterfly garden to attract and conserve local butterfly species.
- In June 1919, test pilot Franz Zeno Diemer flew a plane that was fitted with a BMW engine. He set a world altitude record.
- On August 23, 2008, near Coburg, Germany, Maren Bohl led 178 Isettas in the largest parade of BMW cars.
- The South Carolina plant opened in 1994, creating 700 jobs.
- In 1945, BMW stayed active by repairing US Army automobiles as well as making parts for farming machinery and bicycles.
- In the US, BMW cars are referred to as “bimmers” while BMW motorcycles are referred to as “beemers”.
- The paint ovens in BMW’s South Carolina paint facility are powered by the methane gas emitted from a local landfill site.
- BMW’s South Carolina factory produces around 1,000 vehicles a day!
- BMW built its first motorcycle in 1923. However, it wasn't until 1928, when the company acquired the Eisenach Vehicle Factory that the BMW success story as an automobile manufacturer began.
- The paint shop at the Spartanburg facility contains 4.5 miles of conveyor belts and it is 7 stories high!
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