BMW Group has reached an agreement to buy the Alpina brand from Alpina Burkard Bovensiepento, subject to various conditions including approval by antitrust authorities. Both parties have not disclosed financial details.
Pieter Nota, member of the Board of Management responsible for Customer, Brands and Sales at BMW, said acquiring the trademark rights will allow BMW to shape the long-term course of a brand steeped in tradition.
“The automotive industry is in the midst of a far-reaching transformation towards sustainable mobility,” Nota said. “For that reason, existing business models need to be re-examined on a regular basis. For over 50 years, the Buchloe [Germany] firm has demonstrated how to deliver top-quality car cachet through meticulous attention to detail. The BMW Group is also driven by this same passion for cars that capture the imagination. That is why we are now embarking on a new chapter in our long-standing partnership.”
BMW said the transformation towards electromobility and increasing regulation worldwide – particularly emissions legislation, software validation, and requirements for driver assistance and monitoring systems – result in significantly higher risks for small-series manufacturers. “The management of [Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen] is addressing this with a strategic realignment that will secure the long-term viability of the Buchloe operations,” the company said.
Andreas Bovensiepen, Co-Managing Director of Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen, said the company chose to sell Alpina to BMW as the two companies have worked together and trusted each other for decades.
“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,” he said.
The company owned by the Bovensiepen family will continue to use its engineering expertise in developing, manufacturing and selling BMW Alpina vehicles within the existing co-operation agreement until it concludes at the end of 2025.
Base BMW cars receive extensive modification by the Alpina team, including in areas such as engine, transmission, chassis, aerodynamics, and interior equipment. BMW Alpina vehicles are pre-assembled on BMW production lines, with final assembly of the vehicles taking place in workshops in Buchloe.
Around 2000 vehicles were produced in Buchloe in 2021, the brand’s most successful year. Germany, Europe, Japan, the US and the Middle East are important markets for Alpina.