Every car brand in German is masculine. der BMW, der Audi, der Mercedes, der Opel. It doesn't matter where the brand comes from or how the name sounds, the article is always der.
The rule
Whatever the brand, whatever the model, a car takes der. No exceptions, no checking, nothing to memorize per brand.
| Brand | Origin |
|---|---|
| derBMW | Germany |
| derAudi | Germany |
| derMercedes | Germany |
| derOpel | Germany |
| derVolkswagen | Germany |
| derPorsche | Germany |
| derFord | USA |
| derTesla | USA |
Why der
The brand name is standing in for a longer phrase. der BMW is short for something like der BMW-Wagen, a car of the brand BMW. The word actually carrying the gender → der Wagen, masculine, and it passes that gender straight on to the brand. Once a word is masculine, every form that follows it, the Akkusativ, the Dativ, the possessive, follows the regular masculine pattern.
In conversation
- Der Verkäufer zeigtdem Kundenden BMW. The salesman shows the customer the BMW.
- Ich magden Audi. I like the Audi. Was mag ich? → den Audi.
- Der Mercedes gehörtmeinem Onkel. The Mercedes belongs to my uncle.
- Das istdie Tür des BMWs. That's the door of the BMW.
Spot a car brand, and the article is settled before you even reach the noun. der, every time, because the hidden noun → der Wagen.