who owns the rolls royce car company

[DelKing]

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited is owned by the German automotive group BMW. BMW acquired the rights to the Rolls-Royce brand name and logo for automotive use back in 1998, after a complex and competitive bidding war with Volkswagen Group. While the historical Rolls-Royce company had a long and storied past, the modern car company we know today was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW in 2003. This means BMW oversees all aspects of the business, from design and engineering at its headquarters in Goodwood, England, to global manufacturing, marketing, and sales.

The acquisition separated the automotive brand from the aerospace and other industrial businesses that retained the Rolls-Royce name. Volkswagen Group, which had initially won the auction for the broader Rolls-Royce Bentley conglomerate, actually ended up with the Bentley brand and the historic Crewe factory. However, because the Rolls-Royce brand name was licensed separately by Rolls-Royce PLC (the aerospace company), BMW secured the coveted marque for cars. This strategic move allowed BMW to position Rolls-Royce at the absolute pinnacle of the luxury automotive market, leveraging its own engineering resources while preserving the brand's British heritage.

The ownership structure is a key reason for the brand's modern success. Under BMW's stewardship, Rolls-Royce has seen significant investment, leading to an expanded and highly successful model lineup like the Phantom, Ghost, and Cullinan SUV. This table outlines the key models produced under BMW's ownership:

Model	Debut Year	Vehicle Type	Key Characteristics
Phantom	2003	Full-size Luxury Sedan	Flagship model, iconic design
Ghost	2010	"Smaller" Luxury Sedan	More driver-focused, understated
Wraith	2013	Luxury Coupe	Fastback design, sportier character
Dawn	2015	Convertible	Four-seat luxury open-top touring
Cullinan	2018	Luxury SUV	First-ever Rolls-Royce SUV, high demand
Spectre	2023	Electric Coupe	Brand's first fully-electric production car

[OMalachi]

It’s BMW. They’ve been the ones calling the shots since they started making the new Phantoms back in 2003. There was a huge corporate tug-of-war with Volkswagen over the brand in the late ‘90s. VW got the Bentley factory, but BMW walked away with the rights to use the Rolls-Royce name on cars. So, today, every Rolls is a BMW product built with German engineering, but they’re still assembled by hand in England to keep that tradition alive.