Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited, the company that manufactures Rolls-Royce-branded motor cars, is a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW AG since 2003. BMW licensed the rights to the Rolls-Royce brand name and logo from Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, and acquired the rights to the Spirit of Ecstasy and Rolls-Royce grille shape trademarks from Volkswagen AG. Although there was a separate Rolls-Royce brand founded in 1906, the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars that we know today has its roots in 1998, in the United Kingdom. Its worth noting that Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is a British multinational aerospace and defence company that owns Rolls-Royce, a business established in 1904 which today designs, manufactures and distributes power systems for aviation and other industries. However, this company is not related to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited, the company that manufactures Rolls-Royce-branded motor cars.