Who owns Alphabet?
Alphabet is owned by BMW Group (Germany, XETRA: BMW).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: BMW Group Annual Report 2025, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, 18 March 2026. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Bayerische Motoren Werke AG reported
- Owner HQ
- 🇩🇪 Germany, Munich
- Origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Category
- Travel & transport › Car rental
- Parent ticker
- XETRA: BMW
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Alphabet
Alphabet is a business mobility and full-service leasing provider that its own about page calls a BMW Group subsidiary, with more than 800,000 vehicles on the road across Europe and beyond. The page's timeline says it was founded in the UK as the fleet management subsidiary of the BMW Group, and names Alphabet International GmbH.
Ownership timeline of Alphabet
Where Alphabet sits in BMW Group
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full BMW Group ownership tree →
See the full BMW Group brand portfolio (5) →
Other brands owned by BMW Group
BMW Group controls 5 brands on Brandtree.
- BMW (1916)
- BMW Motorrad (1923)
- MINI (1959)
- Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (1904)
Other brands in car rental, and who owns them
The 27 brands in car rental on Brandtree belong to 21 owners. The largest is Avis Budget, with 4.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Avis | Avis Budget | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Dollar | Hertz Global | 🇺🇸 United States |
| El Monte RV | thl | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
| Arval | Arval | 🇫🇷 France |
| ASSA Rent | ASSA | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
| Ayvens | Ayvens | 🇫🇷 France |
| Europcar | Europcar Mobility Group | 🇫🇷 France |
| GreenMobility | GreenMobility | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
About the owner: BMW Group
BMW Group is a publicly listed company headquartered in Munich, Germany, founded in 1916. Brandtree records 5 brands under its control, and it is listed as XETRA: BMW.
BMW began building aircraft engines in 1916, which its blue and white roundel is popularly said to represent. It is controlled by the Quandt family, and it owns two British marques whose names are far better known in Britain than the German parent is.
🇬🇧 Alphabet and other British brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 543 brands that began in the United Kingdom. 282 of them (52%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Alphabet among them.
- Air Partner — Wheels Up 🇺🇸
- Arriva UK Bus — Arriva 🇬🇧
- Avanti West Coast — FirstGroup 🇬🇧
- BA CityFlyer — IAG 🇬🇧
- Birmingham Airport — Birmingham Airport Holdings 🇬🇧
- Bristol Airport — Bristol Airport 🇬🇧
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Alphabet?
The parent company of Alphabet is BMW Group, a publicly listed company headquartered in Germany.
Is Alphabet British or German?
Alphabet originated in the United Kingdom, but it is owned today by BMW Group, which is headquartered in Germany. So Alphabet is a British-origin brand under German ownership.
Is Alphabet still owned by BMW Group?
Yes. As of 5 October 2026, Alphabet is still owned by BMW Group. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] BMW Group Annual Report 2025 — Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, Annual report, published 18 March 2026; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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