History of BMW in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: February 12, 2026

BMW Group, a German multinational, is a leading manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, its origins trace back to 1917 when Rapp Motorenwerke became Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH. In 1922, the company's name and assets transitioned to Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG, resulting in the modern-day BMW AG.

1965: Convex (Camur) Assembles BMW Cars in Uruguay

In 1965, José Arijón founded Convex (later Camur) in Uruguay, and began assembling BMW cars.

1969: First BMW Dealership Opens in Canada

In 1969, the first BMW dealership in Canada opened in Ottawa.

1986: BMW Establishes Head Office in Canada

In 1986, BMW established a head office in Canada.

1992: End of BMW Assembly in Uruguay by Camur

In 1992, Convex (Camur) in Uruguay, which had been assembling BMW cars since 1965, ceased production.

1999: BMW Starts Assembly in Kaliningrad, Russia

In 1999, BMW started assembling Russian-market 3 Series and 5 Series cars from complete knock-down components in Kaliningrad.

2002: Camur Assembled the 2002 model

The 2002 model was assembled by Camur between 1965 and 1992, in Uruguay.

2008: BMW Sales in Canada in 2008

In 2008, BMW sold 28,149 vehicles in Canada.

2008: BMW Establishes CKD Assembly Plant in Malaysia

In 2008, BMW's complete knock-down (CKD) assembly plant in Kedah began assembling models for the Malaysia market.

2011: BMW Group Expands Production in Indonesia

In 2011, BMW Group invested over 100 Billion Indonesian rupiah to expand its production by establishing a complete knock-down (CKD) assembly plant at Gaya Motor's facility in Jakarta, assembling models for the Indonesian market.

2018: BMW Announces Subscription Fee for Apple CarPlay

In 2018, at the Detroit Auto Show, BMW stated they would start charging users a subscription fee for Apple CarPlay, but later removed it after criticism.