Alpina Retains Its Own Factory and Staff
We already knew it was going to happen, but now it’s really here. As of January 1, the BMW Group is the owner of Alpina’s brand rights. The brand will continue within the BMW Group under the name BMW ALPINA.
Until the takeover, Alpina was a separate manufacturer responsible for the final assembly of BMWs. Refinement was central to this. Cars were made faster through engine modifications, but on-board comfort was also improved.
Alpina’s factory, located in Buchloe, will not be acquired by BMW and will therefore remain under the management of the Bovensiepen family. From there, the company will continue to fine-tune cars, but under a different name, namely ‘Alpina Classic’. The focus will shift to classic Alpinas, but the production of parts for already released Alpinas will also continue.
What the BMW Group will do with their new brand is not yet entirely clear. In a press release, the new owner writes that Alpina will become an “exclusive, independent brand under the umbrella of the BMW Group.” A logical expectation is that BMW will offer Alpina versions alongside M versions. If they do this according to Alpina’s recipe, the versions will be sportier than regular BMWs, but not as hardcore as the M models from the Bavarian manufacturer.
