BMW has owned the Rolls-Royce car brand since 1998. The arrangement emerged from a complicated split in the sale of Vickers’ Rolls-Royce and Bentley automotive business. Volkswagen bought the factories, vehicle designs, and Bentley marque, but BMW secured the Rolls-Royce name and logo from Rolls-Royce plc, the aerospace company.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars became a wholly owned BMW subsidiary in 1998, although the BMW-controlled company did not begin producing its own Rolls-Royce cars until 2003. Volkswagen temporarily continued building Rolls-Royce models during the transition, while BMW developed a new headquarters and factory at Goodwood in West Sussex, England.
That history explains a common mix-up: Volkswagen owned the earlier automotive operation and still owns Bentley, but BMW owns the modern Rolls-Royce car business. The company’s current range includes the Phantom, Ghost, Cullinan, and Spectre. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is separate from Rolls-Royce Holdings, which makes aircraft engines and retains the corporate aerospace identity.