BMW is preparing to take control over Alpina, its long-standing dedicated tuner. No financial details of the deal have been announced yet, and anti-monopoly bodies have yet to approve it.
If the deal succeeds, Alpina pledges to continue producing upmarket BMW modifications until the end of 2025. What happens after that date remains unclear, but the tuner says production will halt at the Buchloe factory. Any staff left unemployed will be invited to work for BMW.
Alpina will also continue servicing all models it has produced to date, as well as selling spare parts and accessories. It will also launch a restoration program soon to let old Alpina car owners to spruce up their rides.
The press release explains that increasingly strict emission regulations and driver safety requirements make the continued operation of a small industrial company like Alpina harder by the day, and merging with BMW would enable it to stay afloat in the changing market environment.