Private company

BMW Brilliance

Logo: BMW, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Shenyang, China

BMW Brilliance (officially BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd.) is an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Shenyang, China, and a joint venture between BMW (as majority holder) and Brilliance Auto. Its principal activity is the production, distribution, and sale of BMW passenger cars in mainland China. The BMW Brilliance Zinoro all-electric crossover, based on the BMW X1 (E84), is the first product of BMW Brilliance's brand and the first new energy vehicle (NEV) from a Chinese premium manufacturer.2 It employed 3,900 people.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

May 23, 2003Founded1
南京大明路汽车销售商 - panoramio
Photo: 东京村子, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

BMW Brilliance (officially BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd.) is an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Shenyang, China, and a joint venture between BMW (as majority holder) and Brilliance Auto. Its principal activity is the production, distribution, and sale of BMW passenger cars in mainland China.2

Corporate structure

BMW Brilliance sits at the top of its group. 2 entities on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

  • BMW Brilliance Shenyang

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

On 27 March 2003 BMW and Brilliance Auto agreed to form a joint venture to produce BMW cars for the Chinese market, with BMW holding a 50 per cent stake, Brilliance Auto 40.5 per cent and the Shenyang municipal government 9.5 per cent. BMW and Brilliance agreed to invest an initial €450 million (US$483 million) in the venture. The first Chinese-made BMW, a BMW 325, was sold in October 2003.

In April 2009 BMW Brilliance announced that it would construct a second automobile assembly plant in China. Construction of the plant began in Shenyang in June 2010, with a planned cost of US$73.53 million and a production capacity of 100,000 units. Production at the plant began in May 2012.

In January 2011 BMW Brilliance announced that it would begin Chinese production of a BMW 5 series electric hybrid car later that year.

In 2013, BMW Brilliance opened a research and development centre. It was expanded in 2020, making it BMW's largest R&D centre outside of Germany.

In October 2018, BMW announced that it would increase its stake from 50% to 75%, making BMW the first foreign carmaker to take majority control of its joint venture in China.

In February 2022, BMW acquired a majority 75% stake in BMW Brilliance with Brilliance indirectly owning the remaining 25% of the company.

From Wikipedia’s article on BMW Brilliance, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Products and brands

  • car

Listed on Wikidata.1

Products

BMW Brilliance currently produces the following vehicles:

BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé (F78)

BMW 3 Series (G20/G28) (1.6 litre, 2.0 litre and 3.0 litre)

BMW 5 Series (G68) (i5, 2.0 litre and 3.0 litre)

Read the full text

BMW X1 (U12)

BMW X3 (G48)

BMW X5 (G18)

Former products

BMW X1 (E84) (2.0 litre)(2012-2015)

BMW X1 (F49) (1.5 litre, 2.0 litre and Hybrid version) (2015–2022)

BMW X2 (F39) (2017–2023)

BMW X3 (G01/G08) (2.0 litre and iX3) (2017–2024)

BMW 1 Series (F52) (1.5 litre and 2.0 litre) (2017–2023)

BMW 2 Series Active Tourer (F45) (1.5 litre and 2.0 litre)(2014–2021)

BMW 3 Series (E46) (2.0 litre and 2.5 litre) (2004)

BMW 3 Series (E90) (2.0 litre and 2.5 litre) (2005–2012)

BMW 3 Series (F30/F35) (1.6 litre 2.0 litre and 3.0 litre) (2013–2019)

BMW 5 Series (E60) (2.2 litre to 3.0 litre) (2004–2010)

BMW 5 Series (F18) (2.0 litre and 3.0 litre) (2011–2017)

BMW 5 Series (G38) (2.0 litre, 3.0 litre and Hybrid version) (2017–2023)

Zinoro vehicles

Zinoro is a vehicle brand under BMW Brilliance specializing in electric vehicles.

Zinoro 1E

Zinoro 60H

From Wikipedia’s article on BMW Brilliance, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Subsidiaries and ownership

Owners

Subsidiaries

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. May 23, 2003Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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