BAU Universal
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Native name | Barmonti Autoki Universitas |
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| Company type | Private |
| Industry |
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| Founded | March 15 1952 |
| Founder | Adro Barmonti |
| Headquarters | 11 Lucianceri Forum, , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
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| Products | Automobiles, vehicles |
| Services | Coachbuilder, industrial design, car design |
| Revenue |  $7.8 billion |
Number of employees | 3300 |
| Parent | Chromeria Design |
| Divisions |
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BAU Universal (Caphiric Latin: Barmonti Autoki Universitas), also known as Barmonti Automotive, is a Caphirian industrial design company which specializes in car styling, coachbuilding and manufacturing. It is also an automotive design and manufacturing firm, having designed high-speed trains, buses, trams, rolling stocks, automated light rail cars, people movers, yachts, airplanes, and private jets.
The company was founded in 1952 by Adro Barmonti of the prestigious Barmonti Estate, a patrician family whose metallurgical expertise dated back to the Third Imperium. The company's first major project was redesigning military vehicles for civilian use, releasing the Barmonti Ralegresce IX in 1956. The firms early success caught the attention of Caphiria's patrician class, leading to a series of exclusive commissions, including the famous "Consul Series" - twelve completely custom vehicles for senior magistrates. The 1970s saw BAU expand into broader transportation design; their work on the Thessian Metropolitan Railway's luxury carriages demonstrated their ability to scale their design principles to larger vehicles. This project led to contracts with various provincial governments and eventually international clients. By 1975, BAU had established dedicated divisions for aerospace, marine, and public transportation design. In 1978, the firm acquired the Anontoreloš Metallurgy Company, one of Caphiria's oldest metal refineries. This acquisition gave them direct control over their supply chain and access to rare alloys previously unavailable to automotive manufacturers. The company used this advantage to develop lightweight, high-strength materials that enabled even more dramatic designs. Since 1998, the firm has consulted on industrial design, interior design, architecture, and graphic design.
BAU Universal operates as an independent subsidiary under automotive giant Chromeria across 4 divisions - BAU Manufacturing, BAU Stile, BAU Technica, and BAU Universal Design Studio. The current Chief Executive is Vandricor Barmonti and Iloterian Vellarocuccini is Executive Creative Director. The firm owns several studios, workshops, and production facilities, including a private 23,000 square meter (250,000 sq ft) workshop for exclusive projects. The firm's annual R&D budget exceeds $2.1 billion, with significant investment in next-generation materials and manufacturing processes. The company employs over 3,200 people, including 450 designers and engineers, and maintains a prestigious apprenticeship program that accepts only 25 new students each year. The firm's project portfolio includes over 200 production vehicle designs, 85 concept cars, and numerous transportation designs across various sectors. Notable recent projects include the redesign of Thessia's automated light rail system, development of luxury carriages for the Venceia-Cartamanduara CELER rail line, and several classified military vehicle programs.