I found the comments here very helpful. In an effort to gets things clear (for myself) I've taken the time to order all of my notes. I present most of them below, shaped as a timeline.
Although it's a long list, I don't I completely understand the entire history of the companies involved. The first decades seem quite straightforward and the later era is relatively well document in the press, but there's a period in between (let's say the 1980's en 90's) that remains a mystery to me.
Here is the timeline. I have left out reference to specific car model production dates and lots of other minor details.
1951-06-10
Kuomintang No. 409 Automobile Repair Factory and Beijing Auto Repair Factory are placed under Logistics Department of People's Liberation Army Military Command. Combined these entities become known as PLA 6th Automobile Manufacturing Company.
1951-07-08
No. 409 Automobile Repair Factory produces Jinggangshan motorcycle (based on BMW motorcycle). At some point this factory is renamed Beijing Motorcycle Factory.
1953-xx-xx
Beijing Auto Repair Factory, now known as 1st Automobile Accessory Factory starts producing auto parts (carburettors, fuel pumps, etc).
1958-06-10
1st Automobile Accessory Factory reveals Jinggangshan car. Factory subsequently renamed Beijing Automobile Works.
1966-04-xx
Beijing No. 2 Automobile Works established by PLA Military Command. This second factory starts producing light trucks.
1973-07-30
Beijing (Municipal) Automotive Industry Company, or BAIC Group for short, established by Beijing municipal government. This company takes over control of Beijing Automobile Works, Beijing 2nd Automobile Works, Beijing Motorcycle Factory and several other local industries from PLA Military Command.
1980-xx-xx
BAIC Group restructured and renamed Beijing (Municipal) Automotive Industry Corporation.
1983-05-05
Beijing Jeep Co Ltd established as joint venture between Beijing Automobile Works (69%) and American Motors Corporation (31%). Many assets, including production of the BJ212 off-road vehicle, are transferred to the joint venture. Beijing Automobile Works itself only produces some auto parts and logistics services.
1987-xx-xx
BAIC Group abolished and replaced with new entity after management reform: Beijing Automotive Industry Joint Company.
1987-xx-xx
American Motor Corporation is replaced by Chrysler Corporation as partner of Beijing Automobile Works in the Beijing Jeep joint venture.
1987-06-xx
Beijing Automobile Works and Beijing Motorcycle Factory are merged into a new company called Beijing Automobile and Motorcycle Joint Manufacturing or Beijing Automobile and Motorcycle United Co.
[Comment: this is where it starts to get very confusing to me. Is there really a merger between BAW and BMF or is BAM an intermediate holding? For the following years I keep finding references to all three entities. Also all 1987 events seem related to me, but I can't find any details on the process taking place.]
1988-04-22
Beijing 2nd Automobile Works is incorporated as Beijing Light Automobile Co Ltd.
1992-06-xx
BAIC Group renamed Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation.
1993-09-xx or 1994-01-xx
There is some kind of transaction between Beijing Automobile Works/Beijing Automobile and Motorcycle Joint Manufacturing and an entity called Shandong Zhucheng Motor Co Ltd. I can't find anything specific about it. In this transaction BAIC Group apparently loses control of BAW/BAM to Wang Jinyu, the owner of Shandong Zhucheng.
I also can't find out how that transaction influences the Beijing Jeep joint venture. Since the shares were held by BAW, I assume Beijing Jeep is now formally out of BAIC Group control as well.
1994-xx-xx
BAIC Group incorporated as Beijing Automotive Industry Group Corporation Ltd.
1996-08-28
Beiqi Foton Motor Co Ltd is incorporated as subsidiary company to BAW/BAM. Again some assets are reshuffled. The article Dmitra links in one of the earlier posts says that BAW/BAM becomes mostly a hollow company.
1998-xx-xx
Chrysler Corporation is replaced by DaimlerChrysler AG as partner in the Beijing Jeep joint venture.
1998-05-11
Beiqi Foton Motor is listed on the Shanghai stock exchange.
2001-10-xx
An new company called Beijing Automobile Works Co Ltd is formed with 33% shareholding for BAIC Group and 67% for Beijing Automobile Assembly Plant, owned by Yao Changsheng.
[Comment: Again this a puzzling transaction to me. There seems to be a reshuffle of assets again, but I can't really find out who owns what. I do have a note that says that Beiqi Foton at this point is owned 32% by new BAW and 4% by BAIC Group. Other shares are probably floated. But where does it leave Wang Jinyu of Shandong Zhucheng, did he sell out at the floatation?]
2002-xx-xx
The Beijing Light Automobile Co Ltd is liquidated.
2002-10-18
BAIC Group creates wholly owned BAIC Investments Co Ltd, which forms a 50/50 joint venture with Hyundai Motors called Beijing Hyundai Motor Co Ltd.
2004-12-07
The Beijing Jeep joint venture is dissolved. Latest shareholding: BAW 58%, Daimler 42%. A new 50/50 joint venture is established between BAIC Group an DaimlerChrysler AG called Beijing Benz DaimlerChrysler Automotive Co Ltd.
2006-10-xx
Xu Heyi is appointed the new director of BAIC Group and he instigates sweeping reform within the group. In the following years he sets up an independent R&D institute, a parts and components group (including several joint ventures with foreign component manufacturers) and a financial services and trading group. All of which I will not go into any further.
2007-09-14
Beijing Automobile Works Co Ltd transfers all its shares of Beiqi Foton Motor to BAIC Group. BAIC Group now owns 36% and is the controlling shareholder.
2008-12-30
BAIC Group acquires majority share of Beijing Automobile Works Co Ltd. BAIC Group now owns 51%, Beijing Automobile Assembly Plant/Yao Changsheng 49%.
2009-01-29
Beiqi Foton Motor reaches production licence agreement with Daimler AG for heavy trucks.
2009-11-14
BAIC Group establishes Beijing Electric Vehicle Co Ltd (BJEV) and Beijing Pride New Energy Battery Technology Co Ltd as wholly owned subsidiaries.
2009-12-14
BAIC Group acquires SAAB IP (3 platforms, 2 engines, 2 transmissions).
2010-08-xx
BAIC Group forms a joint venture with Yinxiang Industry Group called BAIC Yinxiang Automobile Co Ltd. BAIC Group holds 26% of the shares, the Zhang family (through several Yinxiang entities) holds 58% and the China Development Bank the remaining 16%.
2010-08-18
BAIC Group acquires Guangzhou Baolong Light Vehicle Co Ltd.
2010-09-28
BAIC Group renamed Beijing Automotive Group Co Ltd.
At the same time BAIC Group forms with 5 partners (Beijing Shougang Group and some investment funds) BAIC Motor Co Ltd, with BAIC Group owning 51%. This company is formed to develop and produce self-branded cars, based on the acquired Saab IP. Several assets are transferred to BAIC Motor. These include BJEV, BAIC Inverstment (and thus the Hyundai joint venture), Guangzhou Baolong and a new Zhuzhou production base.
2011-06-xx
Beijing Benz DaimlerChrysler Automotive Co Ltd renamed Beijing Benz Automotive Co Ltd.
2012-02-18
Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive Co Ltd is established as an 50/50 joint venture between Beiqi Foton Motor and Daimler AG.
2013-xx-xx
BAIC Group creates Off-Road vehicles group as a branch.
2013-02-01
BAIC Group transfers all its shares in Beijing Benz to BAIC Motor.
At the same time Daimler AG acquires an 12% share of BAIC Motor.
2013-11-xx
BAIC Motor acquires an extra 1% share in Beijing Benz (BAIC Motor 51%, Daimler AG 39%, Daimler China Invest 10%).
Also BAIC Motor transfers its shares in BJEV to BAIC Group.
2013-11-25
BAIC Group acquires 70% of Jiangxi Changhe Automobile Co Ltd from FAW. The remainder of the equity is held by the Jiangxi SASAC.
2013-12-20
BAIC Group forms a joint venture with Yunnan Jingcheng Group, parent of Ruili Airlines. The company, BAIC Yunnan Ruili Automotive Co Ltd, is owned by BAIC Group (40%), BAIC International Development Co Ltd (30%) and Yunnan Jingcheng Group (30%).
2014-01-24
Beiqi Foton Motor wholy acquires German company Borgward AG, through a subsidiary Foton AutoTech set up in 2010. In 2015 Foton AutoTech is renamed Borgward Group AG.
2014-03-xx
BJEV is renamed Beijing New Energy Vehicle Co Ltd.
2014-12-19
BAIC Motor is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. BAIC Group retains 45% of the shares, Beijing Shougang 14% and Daimler AG 10%.
2016-03-xx
Beijing Borgward Automobile Co Ltd (factory) and Borgward Automotive (China) Co Ltd (management company) established, subsidiary to Borgward Group.
2016-03-14
BAIC Group acquires 35% of Fujian Benz. The equity is then transferred to BAIC Motor.
2017-03-xx
BAIC Off-road group incorporated as wholly owned subsidiary Beijing Automotive Group Off-road Vehicles Co Ltd.
2018-07-xx
After a series of equity transactions, BJEV gains a backdoor listing on the Shanghai stock exchange. The listed company is Beijing BluePark New Energy Technology Co Ltd, of which BJEV is a wholly owned subsidiary. BAIC Group remains the controlling shareholder, with 23% direct interest, 6% through BAIC Motor and 10% through Beijing SASAC. During the process Daimler AG acquires 4% of Beijing BluePark.
2019-07-22
BAIC Group acquires an 5% stake in Daimler AG. Later in the year reports emerge that BIAC Group intends to raise this stake to 10%, to replace Geely's Li Shufu as Daimler's largest shareholder (currently 9,7%).
2019-07-25
After several equity transfers Shenzhen Ucar (Xiamen) Information Technology Co Ltd has acquired 67% of Beijing Borgward Automobile Co Ltd, which has become the parent of Borgward Automotive (China) Co Ltd. Beiqi Foton Motor continues to own 33% of Beijing Borgward and 100% of the European assets under Borgward Group.