BMW, short for Bavarian Motor Works (in English anyway), says on its website that the company fosters a culture of ideas. "Ideas are everything," one page says. It is this attitude of exploration that has kept the German car maker in the forefront of the automotive industry.

Known primarily as a manufacturer of luxury-imports and high-end motorcycles, BMW's tag-line here in the USA is, "The Ultimate Driving Machine," and that isn't far from wrong, considering the quality of design that goes into their cars, but what isn't was widely known is that the company was originally an aircraft engine manufacturer.

The founder of BMW, Karl Friedrich Rapp, took a contract to build V12 engines for Austro-Daimler in 1916, and because he needed more capital, he joined forces with Camillo Castiglione and Max Friz, It was after this that the name BMW was born - the company officially became BMW AG in 1918.

Since then BMW has been busy. They built the first motorcycle engine, and later the first motorcycle, innovated the designs of sedans and coupes, and eventually became the parent company of Mini, Rolls Royce, and Rover (as in Land Rover), though they sold the latter.

In 2000, under Christopher Bangle's direction, BMW redesigned their entire line, and while traditionalists balked, sales increased, and have continued to increase. Their 3-series cars are currently the standard to be met in entry-level luxury sedans and their performance vehicles, while pricey, are gaining popularity.

Today, BMW continues to put their ideas to work, even showing a hydrogen fuel cell concept car, the Hydrogen 7, in Geneva this year. At BMW, ideas really are everything.