Thursday, March 28

BMW acquires Alpina, plans to fully absorb it in 2025 | Digital Trends Spanish


Contrary to what most people believe, Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH & Co. KG is a car manufacturer and not a company dedicated to the modification of BMW vehicles. On March 10, 2022, Alpina was acquired by BMW, after 57 years of close collaboration, thus joining Mini and Rolls-Royce under the protective umbrella of the prestigious Bavarian automotive house.

Alpina, which was founded in 1965 and began its activities manufacturing carburettors, has for years worked closely with BMW in such a way that its processes are integrated into the manufacturer’s production lines. This is why, unlike modifiers like Hamann in Germany and Dinan in the United States, Alpina is recognized by the German Ministry of Transport as a true car manufacturer.

Alpina B7 xDrive

For example, today the Alpina B7 high-power executive sedan, based on the BMW 7 Series, is produced on the same assembly line where BMW builds the 7 Series in Dingolfing, Germany. The B7 is equipped with a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 that is hand-assembled by Alpina at its headquarters in the German city of Buchloe and then shipped to Dingolfing.

With the acquisition of Alpina, BMW will take full control of the operation, ending the independent development and production of new variants after 2025. In a statement, Alpina explained that the move was taken in response to conditions for car manufacturing are becoming increasingly difficult for small manufacturers. “The politically driven transformation towards electric mobility, as well as the tightening of regulatory demands around the world, especially in relation to vehicle emissions, software validation and requirements to protect monitoring and driver assistance systems , means that the demands and risks for small series manufacturers are increasing,” Alpina said in the statement.

Paradoxically, with more than 2,000 units delivered, 2021 was the most successful year in Alpina’s history, despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world economy.

Alpina will continue to build versions of BMW models at Buchloe until 2025, at which point the brand will be fully taken over by its new owner. Plans from 2025 onwards have not been revealed, but we do not rule out that it will play a role similar to the one that AMG has taken in the Mercedes-Benz universe after being acquired by Damlier (today Mercedes-Benz Group).

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