BMW owns the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars brand. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW AG and has manufactured Rolls-Royce-branded cars since 2003.
The ownership story is unusually complicated. In 1998, Volkswagen Group bought Rolls-Royce Motors, including the Crewe factory and important historic vehicle assets. However, the Rolls-Royce name and double-R logo were controlled separately by Rolls-Royce plc, the aerospace company, which licensed those rights to BMW. BMW also had an existing relationship with Rolls-Royce as an engine and component supplier.
The two German automakers reached an agreement that divided the assets. Volkswagen retained Bentley and the former production facilities, while BMW acquired the rights needed to create the modern Rolls-Royce car company. BMW built a new headquarters and factory at Goodwood in West Sussex, where production began in 2003.
This history explains why Volkswagen is sometimes mistakenly selected: it briefly controlled the former Rolls-Royce automotive operation. Today, BMW’s Rolls-Royce Motor Cars produces models such as the Phantom, Ghost, Cullinan and electric Spectre.