Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

===Ownership and licensing of trademarks===
[[File:Rolls-Royce Motor Cars logo.svg|thumb|upright|left|Rolls-Royce Motor Cars emblem]]
In 1998, [[Vickers]] decided to sell Rolls-Royce Motors. The most likely buyer was BMW, which already supplied engines and other components for Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars, but BMW's final offer of £340&nbsp;million was beaten by Volkswagen's £430&nbsp;million ($703 million).<ref>{{cite news |title=Rolls-Royce Sale To VW Backed |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/06/business/rolls-royce-sale-to-vw-backed.html |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=6 June 1998 |archive-date=27 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627081953/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/06/business/rolls-royce-sale-to-vw-backed.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

A stipulation in the ownership documents of Rolls-Royce dictated that Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, the aero-engine maker, would retain certain essential trademarks, including the Rolls-Royce brand name and logo if the automotive division was sold. Although Vickers plc sold the vehicle designs, nameplates, administrative headquarters, production facilities, Spirit of Ecstasy and Rolls-Royce grille shape trademarks to Volkswagen AG, Rolls-Royce plc chose to license the Rolls-Royce name and logo to BMW AG for £40&nbsp;million ($66 million), because Rolls-Royce plc had recently had joint business ventures with BMW.<ref>{{cite news |title=BMW Buys Rolls-Royce Brand Name |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bmw-buys-rolls-royce-brand-name/ |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=CBS |archive-date=27 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627081649/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bmw-buys-rolls-royce-brand-name/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

BMW's contract to supply engines and components to Rolls-Royce Motors allowed BMW to cancel the contract with 12 months' notice. Volkswagen would be unable to re-engineer the Rolls-Royce and Bentley vehicles to use other engines within that time frame. With the Rolls-Royce brand identification marks split between the two companies and Volkswagen's engine supply in jeopardy, the two companies entered into negotiations. Volkswagen agreed to sell BMW the Spirit of Ecstasy and grille shape trademarks and BMW agreed to continue supplying engines and components until 2003. Volkswagen continued to produce Rolls-Royce branded vehicles between 1998 and 2003. This gave BMW time to build a new Rolls-Royce administrative headquarters and [[Goodwood plant|production facility]] on the [[Goodwood House|Goodwood Estate]] near [[Chichester]], [[West Sussex]], and develop the Phantom, the first Rolls-Royce from the new company. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited became the exclusive manufacturer of Rolls-Royce branded cars in 2003. Rolls-Royce announced in September 2014 that a new technology and logistics centre would be built, which opened in 2016, 8 miles away from the main headquarters, in the seaside resort town of [[Bognor Regis]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-29118089|title=Rolls-Royce plans Bognor Regis technology centre|work=BBC News|date=8 September 2014|access-date=24 June 2015|archive-date=9 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209061248/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-29118089|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New building sought by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars at its site |url=https://www.bognorregispost.co.uk/2018/09/new-building-sought-by-rolls-royce-motor-cars-at-its-site/ |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=Bognor Regis Post |archive-date=14 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814071932/https://www.bognorregispost.co.uk/2018/09/new-building-sought-by-rolls-royce-motor-cars-at-its-site/ |url-status=live }}</ref>