► BMW buys the Alpina brand► ‘Cooperation agreement’ ends in 2025
► Munich’s upping its luxury car game
BMW Group has acquired Alpin, aiming to bring the long-standing tuning firm and its established branding in-house after more than 50 years of cooperative separation. BMW says that by doing so, it will bring ‘even greater diversity into its own luxury car range.’
The deal is still to be signed off under the usual financial checks, but the move to bring Alpine brand inside the Group comes as the ‘cooperation agreement’ between the two brands is to expire at the end of 2025. Alpina will carry on its business as it currently does until the end of that agreement, where Alpina models are pre-assembled on BMW production lines, then brought to workshops in Buchloe for finishing.
BMW Group says that the service, parts and accessories side of the business ‘will continue at the Buchloe location in the long term’, adding that ‘there will be no changes to the existing aftersales cooperation.’ But the sale does ‘have implications’ for those working at Alpina; BMW says it will work with Alpina to ensure those who may be made redundant via the new structure can find a new position within the BMW Group or a supplier.
It is understood that the big subject of electrification is something that Alpina as a separate entity may be too small to tackle on its own – something CAR’s Georg Kacher found out after he visited the Alpina facilities in 2021 – so it would make sense to bring itself closer to BMW to take advantage of the Group’s rollout of PHEVs and EVs.
‘We recognised the challenges facing the automotive industry early on and are now setting the right course for Alpina and for our family firm, Bovensiepen,’ says Andreas Bovensiepen – co-MD of Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH; ‘this marks the beginning of a new chapter.’
BMW board member for brands and sales, Pieter Nota, added ‘For over fifty years, the Buchloe firm has demonstrated how to deliver top-quality car cachet through meticulous attention to detail. Acquiring the trademark rights will allow us to shape the long-term course of this brand steeped in tradition. We are delighted to welcome the ALPINA brand to the BMW family.’
Keyword: BMW Group acquires the Alpina brand