Nicknames for BMW
Many car brands are referred to by their popular informal names. BMW is one such company that has had its own nickname for a long period of time. However, most people out there do not know the story and difference between each of these three versions of the BMW nicknames.
“We at BMW do not build cars as consumer objects, just to drive from point A to B. We build mobile works of art.” – Chris Bangle
Let’s a take a look at all of the informal titles of BMW, when they came into the picture and the reasons behind them:
- Beamer
- Beemer
- Bimmer
Beamer
The first nickname of BMW, Beamer, was introduced in Great Britain in early the 60s. Beamer was used to refer to motorcycles that were made by BMW and to differentiate it from other bike Beezer bikes.
“BMW cars are recognized for their unique kidney grills and sleek styling, not to forget their punchy top end performance as well.”
This BMW nickname gained immense popularity in Europe after winning several motor racing titles during that era. BMW was the first motorcycle company outside of Great Britain to win the most adrenaline racing event, Isle of Man TT races. It was Georg Schorsch Meier, who took the victory with his beamer 255 kompressor bike.
Beemer
The fans of BMW are responsible for this next nickname, Beemer. It was coined as an analogy to the other famous Beezer motorcycles. Beemer came into picture in the late 60’s early 70s and was commonly used among young racing enthusiasts.
What makes these terms more common is the ease of pronunciation. For English speaking nations, iterating BMW in the German style was difficult. Therefore, BMW fans took it upon themselves to create effective nicknames like Beamer and Beemer.
Since the term Beemer came into existence, it has stayed strong in the motorcycle community and is still used to refer to BMW bikes.
Bimmer
Introduced in the year 1970, the term Bimmer was coined by a BMW fans magazine in the US. This particular nickname was inspired by the titles Beamer or Beemer, which were used to refer to motorcycles produced by the company. Soon after the magazine was launched, the name stuck with the brand and since then, BMW cars have been known as Bimmers.
“I’ll always give it my all, and to be with a quality car manufacturer like BMW is mega.” – Guy Martin
Sidenote: referring to BMW cars as Beamer or Beemer is incorrect as these versions are meant for the motorcycle segment of the company. BMW cars are simply known as Bimmer!
Other lesser known nicknames of BMW
Some countries have their own version of pronouncing brand names including BMW. We have listed out a few different nicknames of BMW cars referred by various countries:
| Countries | Nicknames of BMW |
| China | Bié mō wǒ (pronounced as Bo-ma) is the chinese name for BMW |
| Middle East and Mexico | People in the Middle East and Mexico refer to BMW cars as BM |
| Estonia | They Estonians call a BMW Bemari or Bemm |
| Kosovo | The Kosovo nickname for BMW is BMVEC |
| Russia | BMW in Russia is known as Boomer |
| Spain | The Spaniard’s have nicknamed the BMW, Be me uve |
| Latvia | Latvians refer the BMW as Bembis |
| Iceland | In Iceland BMW cars are known as Bimmari |
| Romania | The Romanians called the BMW a Bim |
Legacy of BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft (BMW) is a company that started off as an aircraft engine manufacturer and has transformed itself to a car and motorcycle manufacturer. Some of the early BMW vehicles include the BMW R32 (motorcycle), BMW 3/15 (Car), 1933 BMW 303, the BMW 328, and the 62 BMW 501. These vehicles are still popular among collectors and fetch a high price in the car market.
In its 100 years span, BMW has gained significant popularity across the globe, with some of its models becoming fan favorites. Hence, people of different regions have developed their own unique BMW nicknames of which Bimmer, Beamer, Beemer are commonly used.
