Alpina Has Been Acquired by the BMW Group, You Can Still Buy New Cars From Them

Since Alpina built its models based on BMW vehicles, and refrained from tuning anything else, the marque was almost tied with an umbilical cord to BMW. Back in late 2020, the leaders of both organizations extended their collaboration agreement up until December 31st, 2025. No shares will be acquired, and no financial details will be revealed.

As part of the deal, Alpina will continue to develop new models, manufacture them and sell them until the last day of 2025. From that point of view, nothing will change from the brand born in Buchloe, Germany. Moreover, no changes will be made to the existing aftersales cooperation, but the existing development services business will be expanded out of the company's headquarters in Buchloe.

Last year, Alpina built almost 2,000 vehicles, which makes the brand more exclusive than many luxury car manufacturers. It is worth pointing out that 2021 was the most successful year in Alpina's history, but that should not make people stray away from the brand up until its last day of manufacturing. After all, the products will become collectibles if they are carefully kept.

Sadly, the company still has to face regulatory challenges, as well as handle this also makes the firm sensitive to increasing emissions regulations, requirements on ADAS technology, and other costs that are tough to stomach as a small-series manufacturer. BMW is described as the ideal partner for the brand by the current leaders of Alpina.

The Bovensiepen family, who owns the Alpina brand, also has a wine business, which has the ALPINA name, will continue to run and operate the said business without any involvement from BMW. The family's wine business was handled by a separate arm of the Alpina company, which was not sold.

At the end of 2025, the current Alpina vehicle program will be discontinued, which will have implications for those working in the company's factory in Buchloe, which is in the Ostallgäu district of Bavaria.

BMW has pledged to offer new positions within the BMW Group for all the Alpina employees who will not be able to continue working at the Buchloe facility, and those who cannot get a job within the German conglomerate will be assisted in getting one with suppliers or development partners.

In other words, while Alpina will not make any new cars from 2026 onwards, its workforce, currently sitting at about 300, will be assisted in finding new jobs.

It is not the best possible outcome for those who dreamed of retiring from Alpina, but it is better than a severance package and a goodbye, if you ask us.

Officially, Alpina was founded on January 1, 1965, and it became an official automotive manufacturer – not just a BMW tuner, back in 1983. In the latter year, the German Federal Motor Transport Authority in Flensburg approved its registration as such, which is why Alpina models after that year have a different manufacturer code in their VINs from BMW and BMW M models.