BMW has unveiled a new logo at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. The new BMW logo will be seen on the company's flagship models like the upcoming 8-Series and the X7 as well as the current i8, i8 Roadster and the 7-Series. This could serve as a move to differentiate their flagship models from the rest of their range.

 
The new BMW logo is similar to the current one in blue and white, except that it is now in black and white. The words "Bayerische Motoren Werke" are spelled out below the logo. According to BMW, the new logo will be used on the company's more premium/flagship offerings - to help them stand apart in their stable, perhaps.
The company has quite a few models in its portfolio and is fast expanding and venturing into new segments in the market space too. And this move may be interpreted as an attempt to distinguish the flagship models from the rest of the BMW line-up. According to BMW, 'the new black and white logo with the full name displayed will underscore the German brand's long and proud history, bringing out deeply-rooted elements of BMW heritage.'
The logo is quite like the one used over 100 years ago - the blue and white logo was circular in shape and the BMW letters were on the top. The inner quadrants featured the Bavarian Free State colors of blue and white. The colors were used in opposite order - as it was illegal to use national symbols in a commercial trademark. The design was not in any way connected with aircraft engines or propellers. The idea about spinning propellers is based on a 1929 advertisement, which featured an aircraft with the image of the Roundel in the rotating propellers.
In the past other manufacturers like Rolls Royce and Porsche too have changed from colored logos to monochrome logos, for different reasons.