That wheel then is OE BMW. "Original Equipment" BMW.
Here is the easiest way to distinguish and understand the difference between OE (Original Equipment) and OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). The two pictures below are of Bosch XR7LDC spark plugs. The one on the left is an OE BMW XR7LDC spark plug made by BOSCH for BMW. The one on the right is a BOSCH XR7LDC spark plug that is considered OEM BMW. The difference may be subtle in this case, and that is why I am using it as an example.
A more obvious example would be let's say an OE BMW cd changer that is made by Alpine for BMW and branded as BMW. It will have the BMW specific wiring harness and cables attached to it, etc. and ONLY those cables attached to it. While the seemingly identical Alpine cd changer that is considered OEM BMW (but NEVER branded BMW) will have a wiring harness and cables attached to it that might fit a variety of cars not just BMW's and some of those cables might not even be used when installed in a BMW.
Most of the time people just say OEM which is better for OEM, but worse for OE! You can also think about it this way. Buy it at the BMW dealer...99% chance it's OE BMW. Buy it anywhere else...99% chance it's OEM BMW.
A good article can also be found on Ron Stygar's webpage:
all_oe_vs_oem_parts
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Originally Posted by LeMansX5
Not sure what you mean by OE but the pic is from wheel off a brand new 2004 X5 4.8is.
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