ALPINA, the German preparer specialized in the models of the Bavarian brand, already has a new owner, and you will not be very surprised who it is. BMW itself has acquired the rights to this tuning specialist, which will continue with his activity but with greater refinement and distinction.
Since 1978, ALPINE has been putting its sportiest and most luxurious touch to BMW models. Almost every model launched by the German brand has had a replica in which the Allgäu-based trainer has left his mark with extra power and with a more luxurious finisha combination of these two qualities but always without stepping on the terrain of the most extreme models in the sports division.
Now, both the preparer and the BMW group have announced the acquisition of all the rights of the first, for which it becomes part of the conglomerate of brands of those in Munich. The truth is that the purpose of this acquisition has other objectives for the Buchloe firm, whose transformation has never meant the loss of guarantee for clients. The acquisition of the BMW group dismantles the recent renewal of the cooperation agreement that both parties signed last December, and that will end on December 31, 2025, an agreement that allows use of the BMW license in current modelsso future models will already have the BMW ALPINA seal.
ALPINA loses its independence in exchange for significant support from BMW
Pieter Nota, Sales Director of ALPINA, has stated that “By acquiring the brand rights, we will shape the long-term existence of this traditional brand in a future-oriented way”, without disclosing details of the agreement in financial terms and noting that the shares of the company would not be acquired. What has transpired from the agreement is that, From 2026, BMW will introduce a greater offer in the product range of the preparerso it will expand its business beyond traditional combustion.
Their models left the production facilities and were transferred to the ALPINA headquarters to adopt the improvements proposed by the preparer, preserving the original exterior and interior aesthetics, and always complemented with aerodynamic improvement packages that provide greater aggressiveness and greater luxury to the interior, while on the mechanical level, a new engine control unit with specific injection maps and technical tweaks made it possible to generously increase performance. Now, with the injection of BMW behind, the future of the preparer is assured with the entry into the era of total electrification, and it will be offered an extra refinement.
Despite the special circumstances surrounding the world economy, and the production of new cars in particular, ALPINA can boast that a family business with 300 employees became an object of desire no less than 2,000 units, with 2021 being the most successful year in its history. An agreement that was already in the making, especially in view of the latest set-up received by the ALPINA B8, whose prototypes of the luxury sports sedan hit the streets practically at the same time as those of BMW itself, and with presentations practically simultaneously, respecting time.