BMW has officially taken full control of Alpina and given first hints of its plans for the long-running performance firm – claiming future models will focus on a “unique balance of maximum performance and superior driving comfort.”
The Munich manufacturer acquired the 60-year-old Alpina firm, famed for its extensively modified versions of BMW models in 2022. Due to an agreement with Alpina's founders, the Bovensiepen family, it has continued to operate as a separate entity since then, with its final standalone car launched last year. But that agreement expired at the end of 2025, and from the start of this year it has been relaunched as what BMW calls “an exclusive standalone brand” – and has now revealed its new wordmark.
Now known as BMW Alpina, it will sit alongside BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce in the BMW Group’s portfolio. The early focus will be on “brand activation”, so there are no official details yet of any future product plans. BMW has already been preparing for this move, with former Polestar design chief Max Missoni set to take charge of BMW Alpina's design.
A key focus will likely be on ensuring that BMW Alpina models continue to differ from BMW’s M performance arm. In its future hint of its future direction BMW said that “key elements of the BMW Alpina brand are its unique balance of maximum performance and superior ride comfort, combined with hallmark driving characteristics.”
It added that there will also be a “remarkable portfolio” of bespoke options available, with a focus on high quality materials and craftsmanship. It added that would make each BMW Alpina vehicle “an exclusive object for connoisseurs in pursuit of the extraordinary, without compromises on performance, comfort and individuality.”
The new wordmark, which BMW hints will appear on the cars, is inspired by an asymmetrical version developed by Alpina in the 1970s, and is intended to link the firm’s history with its future.
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Why would you want to sell a car that's better than your own?, they key message here is we are going to make Alpina BMW's with loads of bespoke bits and pieces according to how deep your pockets are, Alpina is just another revenue stream for BMW just like any other car firm would do.