The blue-and-white colors of the BMW emblem were inspired by Bavaria, the German state where BMW was founded and remains headquartered.
BMW’s roundel uses alternating blue and white segments, reflecting Bavaria’s traditional colors. The design is often mistakenly described as a spinning airplane propeller, partly because BMW made aircraft engines during the First World War. BMW itself used the propeller interpretation in later advertising, but the emblem’s color origin is Bavarian.
BMW began as Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in 1916 and adopted the BMW name in 1917. The company’s full German name, Bayerische Motoren Werke, means Bavarian Motor Works. Bavaria’s regional identity therefore remains central to the brand’s visual history, even though BMW operates globally and produces many different kinds of vehicles.