BMW Dixi

BMW Dixi was an early small-car marque associated first with Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach and later with BMW. The car originated at the Eisenach plant, where the manufacturer obtained a licence to produce a German version of the British Austin Seven. The resulting Dixi 3/15 PS was a compact, relatively economical automobile intended for a market in which small cars could offer more accessible motoring than larger conventional vehicles. The first 100 vehicles were supplied by Austin in kit form. By December 1927, Eisenach was producing the licensed car itself under the Dixi name. The initial German version was designated DA-1, with DA standing for Deutsche Ausführung, or German Version. The 3/15 PS designation reflected the model's taxation and power ratings. Although mechanically and visually close to the Austin Seven, the German-built car incorporated left-hand drive and metric fasteners. It was offered in several body configurations, including coupé, roadster, tourer, and sedan, while some chassis were completed by outside coachbuilders. Tourer bodies were the most common factory output. BMW entered automobile manufacturing through its acquisition of the Automobilwerk Eisenach in 1928. The transaction brought the Eisenach facility and the rights to build the Dixi-based small car into BMW's operations. BMW initially used combined branding, presenting the vehicle as the BMW Dixi. This gave BMW an immediate production automobile while the company expanded beyond its established activities in aircraft-engine and motorcycle manufacturing. In July 1929, BMW introduced the updated 3/15 PS DA-2. The new model continued the Austin-derived concept but was marketed primarily under BMW branding, and the Dixi name was gradually removed from the badges. This transition made the car an important bridge between BMW's acquisition of an existing automobile operation and the development of a distinct BMW automobile identity. The Dixi-derived BMW 3/15 PS remained in production until 1932, after which BMW moved further toward its own automotive designs. BMW Dixi is therefore significant less as a long-running standalone brand than as a transitional marque. It represents the Eisenach plant's early small-car production, BMW's entry into automobile manufacturing, and the company's first experience selling a passenger car. The vehicle's licensed Austin origins also place it within the interwar European small-car movement, while its later BMW 3/15 PS identity marks the beginning of BMW's branded automobile history.

The Dixi name was used by the Eisenach-based Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, later known as Automobilwerk Eisenach. Seeking to manufacture a small automobile, the company entered into a licensing arrangement for the Austin Seven. The first 100 cars reached the plant as kits supplied by Austin, but Eisenach soon began assembling and producing the German version locally. The first official Dixi-built vehicles, designated DA-1 3/15 PS, emerged from the production line in December 1927. The DA designation meant Deutsche Ausführung, identifying the car as a German version of the Austin-based design. The 3/15 PS designation reflected the vehicle's taxation and power classifications. In keeping with local production requirements, the car used left-hand drive and metric fasteners, but it otherwise remained very close to the Austin Seven. Eisenach offered a range of body styles, including coupé, roadster, tourer, and sedan. Some bare chassis were also sent to independent coachbuilders, although most completed factory cars were tourers. BMW's connection began with its acquisition of the Automobilwerk Eisenach in 1928. The purchase gave BMW an established automobile plant and the rights associated with Dixi production. BMW initially marketed the vehicle with combined BMW and Dixi identification. This was a practical way for BMW to enter automobile manufacturing using an existing licensed product rather than waiting for a wholly new design. The branding changed during the following year. From July 1929, an updated version known as the BMW 3/15 PS DA-2 was marketed under BMW branding, and the Dixi name was phased out of the badges. The DA-2 continued the basic small-car formula derived from the Austin Seven while becoming more closely associated with BMW. Production of the Dixi-derived automobile continued until 1932. The model's historical importance lies in this transition. Dixi began as an Eisenach marque attached to a licensed British design, became part of BMW's portfolio through the 1928 plant acquisition, and then gave way to the BMW 3/15 PS name. It was BMW's first automobile and provided the company's initial manufacturing and market experience in passenger cars. The end of Dixi badging did not represent the end of BMW's automotive activity; rather, it marked the movement from an inherited licensed product toward a distinct BMW automobile range.

• 1932

  End of Dixi-derived production

  [1]BMW Dixien.wikipedia.org

  Production of the Dixi-derived BMW 3/15 PS ended, closing the period in which BMW's first automobile was based on the licensed Austin Seven design.

• 1929

  BMW 3/15 PS DA-2 replaces the earlier Dixi presentation

  [1]BMW Dixien.wikipedia.org

  From July, the updated DA-2 was marketed as the BMW 3/15 PS, and the Dixi name was gradually removed from BMW badging.

• 1928

  BMW acquires the Eisenach automobile plant

  [1]BMW Dixien.wikipedia.org

  BMW purchased the Automobilwerk Eisenach, acquiring the facility and the rights to build the Dixi-based automobile. The acquisition gave BMW its entry into automobile manufacturing.

• 1927

  Licensed Dixi production begins

  [1]BMW Dixien.wikipedia.org

  Eisenach began producing the Dixi 3/15 PS, a German-built small car derived from the Austin Seven. The first 100 vehicles had been supplied as Austin kits, while locally produced DA-1 cars were coming off the line by December.

Early economical small-car marque and BMW's entry point into passenger-car manufacturing.

• Small passenger car · 1927

  Dixi 3/15 PS DA-1

  The DA-1 was the German-built version of the Austin Seven produced by Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach under licence. Its DA designation meant Deutsche Ausführung, or German Version, while 3/15 PS represented the vehicle's taxation and power ratings. It was available in coupé, roadster, tourer, and sedan forms, with some chassis supplied to outside coachbuilders. The car was close to the Austin in design but used left-hand drive and metric fasteners for the German market.

• Small passenger car · 1929

  BMW 3/15 PS DA-2

  The DA-2 was the updated version of the Austin-derived small car introduced after BMW acquired the Eisenach plant. From July 1929 it was marketed primarily as the BMW 3/15 PS, rather than as a Dixi, and the Dixi name was phased out of the badges. It continued the compact and economical format of the earlier car while becoming the first automobile closely identified with BMW.

• 1929

  Dixi branding is phased out in favor of BMWStrategy

  Background

  After taking control of the Eisenach operation, BMW had to decide how to present the inherited licensed automobile in the market.

  Action taken

  BMW introduced the updated DA-2 as the BMW 3/15 PS and progressively removed the Dixi name from vehicle badging.

  Aftermath

  The change strengthened BMW's association with automobile production and made the 3/15 PS a transitional model between the inherited Dixi product and later BMW designs.

  Source

• 1928

  BMW enters automobile manufacturing through the Eisenach acquisitionM&A

  Background

  BMW sought to move into automobile production and the Automobilwerk Eisenach already possessed an operating plant and rights to build the Austin-derived Dixi.

  Action taken

  BMW acquired the Eisenach automobile plant and its Dixi production rights, initially retaining the established product while introducing BMW identification.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition gave BMW its first automobile and created the platform for the transition from the Dixi marque to BMW-branded passenger cars.

  Source

1. 1BMW Dixien.wikipedia.org