When did they start building cars? In 1927 an Austin Seven produced under license, began production. BMW bought the company the following year, and this became the company's first car, the BMW 3/15. So BMW's first car wasn't really theirs at all! I know that since 2003, BMWs have been produced in Shenyang, China in a joint venture with Chinese manufacturer Brilliance. Have you considered a Mercedes-Benz? Just like BMW, they are excellent quality. In the past I owned an E230, but I don't know too much about the company. Mercedes-Benz was established in the late 1880s by two men: Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz. Their partnership is long and complicated. Yes, I've read a little about it. Mercedes-Benz was named after Karl Benz's daughter, wasn't it? Actually they were named after the daughter of an Austrian dealer who bought and successfully raced the cars. He went on to help decide some design modifications. Well, if you have any SLK models in stock, I'd love to take one for a test drive.