BMW

BMW, founded in 1916 by the technocratic trifecta of Franz Josef Popp, Karl Rapp and Camillo Castiglioni, has long been the car company equivalent of a luxury sports watch: impeccably engineered and wholly insufferable to the hoi polloi. Known for its "Ultimate Driving Machine" slogan, BMW has played both hero and villain in the automotive world. The 1970s saw them reinvent the driving experience with the iconic 3 Series, while the 1990s were marked by an audacious foray into the supercar world with the BMW Z8—exceedingly fast but with questionable taste. Valued at a hefty $60 billion, BMW is a perennial award magnet and a regular on the Geneva Motor Show podium. However, it's not without its share of scandalous sputters; the 2009 financial crisis forced them into an uncomfortable position of begging for government aid, and the recent diesel emissions scandal tainted their eco-friendly image. Top brass like CEO Oliver Zipse and former head of design Adrian van Hooydonk are constantly balancing the fine line between innovation and hubris, ensuring that BMW remains at the forefront of high-performance snobbery.