Car Company Logos Car Company Logos By Mary Gormandy White In addition to being an essential part of advertising and brand identity, car company logos provide a powerful visual image for auto consumers. Each automobile manufacturer has a unique logo, many of which have changed dramatically over the years. In some cases, these logos are tied to the company's history in surprising ways. List of Car Company Logos Abarth Now Fiat's racing arm, Abarth's logo is rich with meaning. The scorpion represents the Zodiac sign of company founder Karl Alberto Abarth, and the shield is a symbol of passion and triumph. The colors beneath the name represent the Italian flag. Acura Honda's luxury brand features a logo that looks like a stylized letter "A" inside a circle. The symbol also represents the caliper, an important precision engineering tool. Aixam Now Aixam Mega, the logo for this French microcar manufacturer is simple and elegant, spelling out the company's original name and calling out the first letter with a bold "A" (or "M" in some cases) inside a circular graphic. Alfa Romeo This Italian exotic car brand has a complicated, circular logo featuring a red cross and a green snake with a dragon's head.

These symbols represent the city of Milan, where the company was founded. Aston Martin The British luxury car brand has an iconic logo of a pair of wings with the company name. A version of this logo has graced Aston Martin cars since the 1920s. Audi This German automaker's four interlocking rings represent this history of the company as it started out as four smaller companies. Bajoun Bajoun is a General Motors brand made and sold only in China. The name means "treasured horse" - and that's exactly what the logo depicts. Bentley The British exotic car manufacturer features a winged logo with a letter "B" in the center. The wings in this logo call up the company's aerospace roots. BMW BMW's blue and white checkerboard pattern represents an airplane propeller, since BMW was originally an airplane manufacturer. The logo's colors and checks are from the Bavarian flag, where the company was founded. Buick This American car brand features a logo with three shields inside a circle. The idea for the shield came from the Buick family crest. Cadillac Cadillac has had many logos over the years. This current version features two stalks of wheat with a shield in the center.

Chevrolet One of the most iconic American car logos, the symbol for Chevrolet is a simple angled cross with a longer horizontal line. The design is referred to as the Chevrolet bowtie. Chrysler There are several versions of the Chrysler logo, but the most recognizable is a pentagon with a star in the center, referred to as the Chrysler Pentastar. The current version is sleeker and simpler, suggesting wings. Citroen The double chevrons in Citroen's logo represent the Helical Gear, a Citroen invention that is used in every modern automobile. They also represent the company's commitment to technical innovation. Dacia This Romanian car brand has been part of Renault since 1999.The company is bold and simple, highlighting the company name in a shade of blue representative of one of the colors of the Romanian flag, on a bold, silver-tone graphic. Daewoo The modern logo of this Korean General Motors brand still bears the crown-shaped emblem from the company's early days. The shape is similar to that of a now defunct, but once popular, football club in South Korea.

Daimler The Daimler logo is simple and elegant, conveying the same sense of understated luxury that this German car manufacturer is known for around the world. Datsun The Datsun brand is exclusive to Japan and emerging markets like India. The logo places the brand front and center, superimposed over a striking chrome and blue graphic. Denza As the first Chinese car brand dedicated to new energy vehicles, Denza's logo represents the company's values of responsibility to nature and society Dodge The logo for this American brand features is the manufacturer's name in simple block lettering. The two red stripes represent speed and agility. Ferrari This Italian exotic car manufacturer uses a logo of a rearing horse, often set inside a yellow rectangle. The same horse logo once graced the sides of an Italian ace fighter pilot's plane. Fiat Fiat's bold red logo calls to mind its retro roots, as well as a sleek, modern style. Ford The Ford logo is simple and instantly recognizable: a blue oval with the company name in script lettering. A version of this logo has been in use since 1927. GM The white lettering in General Motors' logo stands for the company's purity, charm and integrity.

The blue background indicates excellence and trustworthiness. GMC This American car company symbol is easy to recognize, since it is simply the letters "GMC" in red block lettering. Holden This GM-owned Australian car company's logo features a lion rolling a stone - a graphic representation of the invention of the wheel. Honda The Japanese carmaker features a symbol of a silver letter "H" inside a rectangle. Hummer Hummer's logo features the company's name and slogan in block letters appropriate for the company's rugged, yet luxurious, vehicles. Hyundai The symbol for the Korean auto company is a slanted blue letter "H" inside an oval Infiniti This high-end auto brand has an oval logo with a notch out of the bottom. Isuzu This Japanese car company's logo is a bright red representation of its name with mirror image "s" and "z" letters. Jaguar Luxury carmaker Jaguar has a logo of a leaping jungle cat with the company name underneath. Jeep Just like the classic vehicle itself, the Jeep logo is simple and utilitarian, consisting of the company name in block letters. Jiefang China's first domestic car manufacturer bears a logo with the number one as the focal feature.

The company is a joint venture with General Motors, and the colors reflect that relationship. Kia This Korean automaker has a logo of the company's name in red letters, surrounded by a red oval. Lamborghini The Lamborghini logo is a gold shield with the company name above a charging bull which stands for Taurus, the Zodiac sign of the company founder. Lancia The Lancia logo features the company's name surrounded by a lance and a shield. Land Rover The green oval Land Rover logo is easily recognizable and elegantly simple. Lexus The luxury arm of Toyota features a simple letter "L" logo inside a silver circle. Lincoln This American carmaker has a simple logo of a vertical rectangle with a cross on it. Lotus The Lotus logo is a yellow circle with a green, curved triangle featuring the company name. Maserati The graphic on Maserati's logo is a red three-pronged spear referred to as a trident. It rises from a base that bears the company's name. Maybach Maybach's logo features two overlapping letter "M"s on a triangular, orange background. Mazda The logo for this Japanese company features a rounded rectangle with a winged V-shape in the center.

Mercedes-Benz This simple logo is a circle with a three-pointed star in the center. The logo represents the merging of Mercedes and Daimler who had a laurel wreath and a star as their symbols respectively. Mini Mini's iconic, winged logo calls to mind its British roots and retro style. Mitsubishi Mitsubishi features a logo with three red diamonds arranged in the shape of a triangle. The logo represents the combination of two family crests. Nissan This automaker has a simple logo of a silver circle with the company name across the center. Opel The Opel logo features lightning streaking across an open circle above the German company's name. The logo is inspired by the Opel Blitz truck, as "blitz" is German for "lightning." Peugeot Peugeot's logo has featured a lion since 1948. The modern version features a lion above the company's name. The metallic color represents the brand's values, which are excellence, emotion, and allure. Porsche The Porsche logo features a shield with a prancing horse in the center, and red and black stripes. The horse represents the city seal of Stuttgart, Germany, where the brand was founded.

RAM The logo for this American brand features a ram's head inside a shield shape. Renault Renault's logo is a silver diamond above the name on a yellow background. The yellow color represents the brand's joy, optimism and prosperity, while the silver stands for sophistication and creativity. Renault Nissan Representing the alliance of the French and Japanese automakers, this logo features both brand names beneath graphic elements that show their corporate colors joining together. Renault Samsung This logo represents the sophistication and creativity used by Renault Samsung Motors in its quest to produce high-end, modern vehicles and the company's focus on research and development. Rolls-Royce This luxury brand has a symbol of two overlapping letter "R"s on a blue background. Saab This logo is a blue circle with a red, griffin head wearing a gold crown. Saturn Saturn's logo is a silver abstract representation for the planet bearing the same name over a red background. The graphic is outlined in silver and positioned above the brand name. Scion This Toyota offshoot features an oval logo with a slanted vertical line and a horizontal bar printed with the company name. SEAT The logo for this Spanish car company features a bold, silver depiction of an "S" above the brand name boldly presented in red.

Skoda The Skoda insignia is an encircled arrow with wings beneath the brand name. The colors and design represent this Czech Republic company's focus on the environment, eco-materials, progress and innovation. Smart Car The Smart Car has a logo shaped like the letter "C" with a yellow triangle. Spyker The Spyker logo calls to mind the company's aero roots with its airplane propellers. SRT Street Racing Technology (SRT) is a Chrysler brand. The logo features the brand's initials (and common name) in a slanted shape that indicates speed. The red color represents speed and agility, and is the same shade used in the logo for sister-brand Dodge. Subaru Subaru has a blue logo featuring several silver stars. The five smaller stars represent the five Japanese car companies that banded together to form the larger company. Suzuki This logo features a bold, red "S" symbol above the full name in dark blue. The red represents the brand's passion, determination and vitality, while the blue stands for strength and harmony.

Tesla This green automaker features a shield-shaped logo with a stylized letter "T." Toyota Manufacturing Logo Design - Logos for Businesses That Make Stuff Submit Manufacturing Logo Design Explained Your manufacturing logo design is your brand’s identity. A crisp, concise logo image is just as important as a clean handshake in the business world. In fact, your manufacturing company logo is like a visual handshake for the consumer. It inspires trust and so much more. Consider these characteristics of a well-designed logo when deciding what you want to say about your company. Deciding on a Logo That Encompasses Your Brand Logos may have up to three important components that come together to create one recognizable image. The parts of the logo work together to create a branded image. The definitions of these parts are as follows: The Logomark – A unique image The Logotype – The company name with a defined typeface The Logo Descriptor – The tagline, mission or action statement; often appears on marketing materials These components could be used in different combinations depending on where the logo appears. A packaging logo, for instance, may vary slightly from a company’s website header logo. For a completely recognizable brand, both the logomark and logotype can be used independently of each other.

Consumers should be able to easily relate to a company by image or company name and typeface alone. However, there are exceptions. For example, if the company name and typeface are also the logomark, the company is successfully branded by one distinct image. The following examples are of logo branding combinations from different manufacturing companies. Let’s take a look at two car manufacturer logos: Ford Ford’s logo is a perfect example of a logomark and logotype in one. The common form of the logo features the blue horizontal oval with gradient and the Ford typeface. These two elements do not function on their own. Consumers would probably not recognize the blue horizontal logo without the company name and typography. Mitsubishi Mitsubishi’s logo, however, has two distinct parts. The logomark consists of three red diamonds that come together to form a circle. This image appears before, and independent of, the logotype: bold black lettering. The Mitsubishi diamond-triangle could easily be used by itself (and often is) on Mitsubishi cars. Note that neither of these companies use a descriptor element on their car logos, but both use descriptors on their respective website and marketing materials.

Choosing a ogo That Instills Confidence Consider how you want consumers to view your brand. A good logo instills confidence in a consumer. Always remember: your logo is powerful enough to create brand associations among consumers. These links could be what motivates them to buy, or not. Don’t believe us? According to Psychology Today, “Psychologists are discovering that exposure to brand images can have a profound effect on everything from honesty to creativity.” A successful logo design for a manufacturing company will project specific values through a single, recognizable image. In order to set up those associated values, consumers must first have brand confidence. Logos and Consumer Brand Confidence Confidence starts with trust. Although elements such as product quality and customer service help establish trust, manufacturing companies must first rely on their logo to convey this message. It starts with logo color. Studies have shown that American consumers prefer to buy products made in the USA – even if they come at a higher cost. Americans associate the US with quality and craftsmanship, but they may associate products made overseas with poor value and inhuman working conditions. Your manufacturing operations do not have to take place in the US to infuse American values into your logo.

Many companies include the colors red, white, and blue in their logos to subconsciously convey the American message of quality. In some cases, colors and images combine to instill consumer confidence. Consider bicycle manufacturers logos, specifically the brand Fuji, which aims to implant their American message through a carefully crafted image. Fuji Bicycles History Fuji was originally a Japanese-owned bicycle manufacturer. In 1971, an American company purchased the brand; however, its name, which pays homage to its roots, Mt. Fuji in Japan, remains intact. Primitive Fuji Logo The primitive Fuji logo, while red, white, and blue, does contain some imagery that could be construed as un-American. For example, the original logo featured a red circle in the background and a blue Mt. Fuji in the foreground. Some may note that the red circle bears a striking resemblance to the image on the Japanese flag. Current Fuji Logo The current logo still includes white and blue. Fuji removed the red circle and updated their iconic mountains, opting for a more contemporary, sharp design. The logomark is now contained inside a triangle. Some small patriotic aspects that could come across in this image could include the points of a star or the pyramid depicted on the American dollar.

Whatever Fuji’s intention, the use of color and shape says a lot about how they want consumers to perceive them. Finding Your Niche Whether you are in the business of making bikes, cars, or anything in-between, your niche can shape and define your logo. The points and curves of lines can compose a dynamic-style or static image that let the consumer know all they need to about your brand. Take the logo of the tech company Cisco. This software and hardware manufacturer has a logo that includes lines that rise and fall to create a bridge-like image above the logotype. This tech company’s logo has a carefully placed dual-meaning that’s hardly hidden between the lines. The name “Cisco” is short for San Francisco. The image easily represents the Golden Gate Bridge as much as it symbolizes their technology’s ability to forge connections. With just nine lines, Cisco symbolizes its niche as a technology company. Designing With The Logo Company Remember, a logo is one of the first and best ways to represent your company to potential consumers. Make it count. Ready to create a unique design that confidently represents your company? The Logo Company can help you get started. Our designers will work with you to develop high-quality concepts for your approval.

22 Corporate Brand Logo Evolution of Automobile Groups | InstantShift 22 Corporate Brand Logo Evolution of Automobile Groups Posted in Inspiration , Showcases February 25th, 2010 By MsaNkadI 62 Comments Advertisement Did you know that many of the biggest automobile companies started as bicycle manufacturers? Have you ever wondered why the Audi has four interlocked rings as its logo? Or why the Alfa Romeo has such a romantic company name? Logos represent the brand image, traditions and origins of a company. It is not just a visual badge on the car’s bonnet but represents what people think about the brand and the cars themselves. Somebody driving a Mercedes is perceived as prosperous, mature and of course rich. On the other hand, somebody with an Aston Martin is likely to be a more flamboyant personality. All of these perceptions, just from a small logo of the car manufacturer! So it is not surprising, that the logos undergo historic evolution along with the company’s products, origins and customers. You may be interested in the following related articles as well. Don’t forget to subscribe to our RSS-feed and follow us on Twitter — for recent updates.

Corporate Brand Logo Evolution Of Automobile Groups A company’s brand is its most important asset. A brand is a leadership tool. A brand defines your business, products and services you offer. It is a guarantee of quality. Your brand helps your business establish a relationship with customers and define your position in the market. The brand makes a promise to customers and key stakeholders that must be delivered at every touchpoint. There are a lot of fascinating stories associated with companies’ logo histories. Below we share logo stories of some of the biggest automobile companies today. Be sure to let us know if I have missed anything! 01. Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo, the Italian car manufacturer, traces its beginnings to France. The company was initially founded as Società Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID) in 1906 by the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq, with some Italian investors. After the partnership failed, one of the investors, Cavaliere Ugo Stella, moved the company and renamed it as Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (Lombard Automobile Factory, Public Company) or A.L.F.A.

The first logo of ALFA was designed in 1910 by Romano Cattaneo, and has an interesting story. He was once waiting for a tram at the Piazza Castello station in Milan, when he was inspired by the Red Cross on the Milan Flag and the Coat of Arms of the Noble House of Visconti (the coat of arms featured a grass snake, biscione, with a man in its jaws, symbolizing “[to the] Visconti’s enemies that the snake [was] always ready to destroy”). The words ALFA and MILANO were written around the two symbols separated by two Savoia Dynasty Knots, to honor the kingdom of Italy. In 1916, Neapolitan businessman Nicola Romeo bought the company and converted its factories to produce munitions and machineries for World War I. In 1918, the badge was redesigned by Giuseppe Merosi, to include the words ALFA and ROMEO (after the name of the owner Nicola Romeo). Post war, the company went back to producing car and was named after its owner as Alfa Romeo. 02.

Aston Martin Aston Martin is a British manufacturer of luxury sports car, which was found by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford in 1913. Initially, the duo started to sell sports car made by Singer but later decided to make their own vehicles. Their first car was named Aston Martin, after the name of the owner Lionel Martin and the Aston Clinton Hill Climb Racing Course (one of their Singer cars, they sold earlier had won a race there). In 1959 James Bond happened, and frankly the Aston Martin story cannot be told without Mr. Bond. In 1959, Ian Fleming put the super spy James Bond in an Aston Martin DB Mark III. When the movie was released in 1964, James Bond drove the upgraded supersleek silver Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965) (complete with machine gun, passenger ejector seat, and revolving number plates!). 03. Audi Audi is a German brand which produces cars and is a part of the Volkswagen Group. The company was founded as A. Horch & Cie by August Horch in 1899, and its origin has a very interesting story.

August Horch, a German Engineer, was forced out of his own company in 1909, after which he continued to use the old brand name of Horch. However, his partner sued him for trademark infringement, and Horch was forced to look for a new name. During a meeting at his business partner Franz Fikentscher’s apartment, Franz’s son came up with the name Audi (which is a Latin translation of Hoch, which means listen): During this meeting Franz’s son was quietly studying Latin in a corner of the room. Several times he looked like he was on the verge of saying something but would just swallow his words and continue working, until he finally blurted out, “Father – audiatur et altera pars… wouldn’t it be a good idea to call it audi instead of horch?”. “Horch!” in German means “Hark!” or “listen”, which is “Audi” in Latin. The idea was enthusiastically accepted by everyone attending the meeting. (Source: Wikipedia, A History of Progress (1996) – Chronicle of the Audi AG) After this the company was named as Audiwerke GmbH in 1910.

In 1932, four car makers Audi, Horch, DKW, and Wanderer merged to form Auto Union. The four interlinked rings that would later become the modern Audi logo, was originally the logo of the Auto Union. Initially the Auto Union logo was used only for racing cars and the four companies continued to produce cars under their own brands. Finally in 1985, the Auto Union became the Audi company we know today. in 2009, Audi introduced new logo which is also the current one. The modern Audi logo shows a three-dimensional texture and shadowing, resulting in a polished chrome look. The Audi name is now smaller, has moved away from the center to the bottom left corner, while the font has changed as well. 04. BMW BMW or Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (Bavarian Motor Works) was originally founded as an aircraft company. The aircrafts manufactured were painted with the colors of the Bavarian flag, which is the color of BMW logo. Another explanation is that when the pilot used to sit in the plane he would see alternating segments of white and blue due to rotation the plane propeller (blue being the sky).

The major business of BMW was to supply planes to the German army during World War I. But after the war they were forced to change their business. It made railway brakes, before making motorized bicycle, motorcycles and cars. The logo itself hasn’t changed a lot during the years, but now has a more stylish look due to the different gradients. The unchanged logo has made it easier for people to remember and has given the company more recognition. 05. Buick Buick Motor Company, which would later become the world’s largest auto company General Motors, was founded in 1903 by David Dunbar Buick, a high school dropout! Buick had dropped out of school at 15, to work for a plumbing fixture manufacturer. Buick and his friend took over the business, after the last owner decided to shut down the failed business. Buick sold his share in the company after an argument with his partner because he used to spend most of his time tinkering with car engines. With this money, Buick founded the Buick Motor Company and within a few years he ran it to the ground. Around 1904, James H Whiting took over the company and brought in William Durant to manage his acquisition.

Buick was kicked out of the company by Durant and had to sell his share for just $ 100,000. Buick’s share would be worth more than $ 100 Million today. Later Buick held low paying jobs, and died penniless as an inspector at the Detroit School of Trades. Ironically, Durant himself was kicked out of the company years later and denied him pension. He too died penniless. Before 1937, the company’s logo was a variation of the cursive word “Buick”. In 1930s, Ralph Pew, a General Motor’s Styling Researcher, found the Scottish “Buick” family’s crest and the company used that as its logo. In 1959, the company logo incorporated three such shields, one each for its three models at that time (LeSabre, Invicta, and Electra). In 1975, the company launched its Skyhawk line, and the company logo was changed to include a hawk named “Happy”. The familiar tri-shield logo returned in late 1980s when the company stopped manufacturing the Skyhawk car. 06.

Cadillac When Henry Ford left Henry Ford Company, the financial backers wanted to sell the company’s assets. Cadillac was found in 1902, when an engineer, Henry M Leland, convinced the financial backers to hold on to the company assets. Cadillac was named after a minor aristocrat Antoine de La Mothe, Seigneur de Cadillac (Sir of Cadillac), and the family crest of de La Mothe was used as the first company logo back in 1906. Antoine de La Mothe, born in France, was forced to move to America, (some say he had committed a crime, others say he had a debt which he was unable to pay) where he assumed a new identity and formed his family crest by borrowing from different crests. In 1998, the company started redesigning its logo under the design philosophy called “Art & Science”. The new logo finally unveiled in 2002, didn’t have the six birds (merlettes), crown and the crest resemblance, and looked like it was made by Piet Mondrian.

in 2009, As part of the new marketing vice president Bob Lutz’s campaign to revive and spin the GM image around, Cadillac’s general manager, Bryan Nesbitt, revealed the brand’s new logo, in fact a very minor-tweaked version of the old one. 07. Chrysler The Company was formed by Walter Percy Chrysler on June 6, 1925, with the remaining assets of Maxwell Motor Company. The original Chrysler logo, which vanished after 1954 from all but 1955-1956 Windsors, C300s, and 300Bs with manual transmissions*, and reappeared in 1994, is a rendition of a wax seal complete with ribbon affixed at the lower right. The thunderbolts above and below the name are actually “Z”s, a tribute to the prototype built before Chrysler took over Maxwell, which took the name “Zeder” from chief engineer Fred Zeder. (At the time, Chrysler was trying to keep development of the new car and his involvement in it a secret, probably still upset about the loss of the car that was supposed to be the first Chrysler.

This car design was sold to Billy Durant as a liquidated asset in the Willys-Overland bankruptcy; Durant eventually built this car under the Flint name.) Starting in the 1980s, Chrysler adopted “modernistic” logos in print materials and on some car nameplates. During the “rebirth” of Chrysler in the late 1990s, the Chrysler “seal” logo was installed in wings. After Cerberus bought Chrysler, Trevor Creed was let loose on the traditional pentastar. Shortly after the Fiat takeover, Chrysler trademarked another new logo, based on a modernized wing design. [ Read More.. ] In 2009, Chrysler redesigned it’s logo for their adorn cars, The look is sleeker and clearly more modern than the previous winged logo, which incorporated the old Chrysler seal. The new one has an almost Aston-esque (Aston Martin) vibe to it, featuring “Chrysler” embossed in a blue emblem centered between the outstretched wing. 08. Citroen Citroen double arrow that is found in every logo Citroen has a fascinating history.

Brand founder, André Citroën, was fascinated by wooden gears with spiral teeth, produced by a Polish inventor and business partner’s André Citroën, he decides to produce steel, bought a license and open a factory in St Denis, France. This business, ENGRENAGES Citroën brings profits, of mention is that these gears, Citroen products were used on the Titanic. Logo factory and later the Citroen brand is stylized and two teeth “cut” on the clutch. In 1919, Company start production of cars, the first model is Type A, we observed first logo Citroen, octagonal with arrows logo on a blue background with silver or gold, on top of the radiator. After been many ups and downs, In 2009, The new company logo is shown in the time she was born founder, André Citroën. Belongs design firm Landor and presents new trends in automotive three-dimensional logos. Citroen change appearance. Arrows (chevroanele) out in relief, gained strength. Writing Citroen keeps its traditional red color, as a bridge between history and future.

Both, together, represent brand identity, Citroen subliniand restore confidence in the values and ambitions. 09. Fiat Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (FIAT) was founded in Turin (1899) by a group of investors including Giovanni Angelli who later became the Managing Director of the company. At this time a poster was created to celebrate the event, and the company name in the top left corner of the poster became the company’s first logo. In 1901, the company changed its logo to a brass plate with the name FIAT in the centre. The logo had a characteristic ‘A’ which has remained unchanged till date. In 1925, the FIAT logo became circular, from an oval shape in 1904. The laurel wreath around the circle was to celebrate the company’s victory in first competitive car races. The shape of the logo kept changing from square to shield, and returned to a circular logo in 1999, with the characteristic ‘A’ and a modern stylish laurel wreath around the circle. The current FIAT logo was launched in 2006, and was first seen on Bravo. 10.

Ford Henry Ford used to work for Thomas Edison. He founded two companies before settling on Ford. His first company went bankrupt after just two years, and he left the second company after just one year. However, the second company became Cadillac later on. His third company, founded in 1902, was called Ford & Malcomson, Ltd. He was unable to pay the bills for parts in his third company, but some investors agreed to put money in the company, and it was renamed as Ford Motor Co. This is the company name in the first logo of 1903. The 1909 logo, which has a similar font as today’s logo was borrowed from Childe Harold Wills, who had made this font for his business card. In 1912, the Ford logo was given a complete makeover, as compared to the earlier simplistic design. When a car was launched in 1927, called Model A, the famous blue oval was introduced in the logo. This was the shape and color, on which all future Ford logos have been made. The Company has experimented with different shape going from ellipse to circle, and even a diamond like shape in 1957.

The 1976 logo was essentially, the last major change in the symbol, and is very similar to their current logo. Finally, in 2003, the company released a new logo, which came to be known as “Centennial Blue Oval”. 11. Mazda The company derives its name from a West Asian God named Ahura Mazda, the God of wisdom, intelligence and harmony. The company was setup in 1920 as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co. in Hiroshima, Japan. The company was setup to produce a cork substitute because there was a shortage of real cork in Japan during World War I. However, after the war when real cork was again available, the company failed. In 1927, Jujiro Matsuda joined the company, and it started manufacturing tools, three-wheeled trucks and finally cars. After World War II, the company registered its trademark under the Mazda brand, and the first logo was launched. The curved “M” in the logo was inspired from the Hiroshima city emblem.

The 1936 logo had a combination of the curved M from the city emblem, and wings that represented the “company’s agility, speed and capability to soar to new heights”. The current company logo was designed by Rei Yoshimara in 1997, and was nicknamed as the “owl” logo. According to the company, the new logo has the following significance : Capturing the spirit of Mazda, the stylised “M” evokes an image of wings in flight and symbolises the Mazda’s flight toward the future. The “V” in the centre of the “M” spreads out like an opening fan, representing the creativity, vitalty, flexibilty and passion that is Mazda. The symbol as a whole expresses the sharp, solid feeling that Mazda will be seeking in all of its products. The dynamic circle symbolises our readiness to spread our wings as we enter the 21st century. Some people saw a stylized Tulip instead of the stretched wings. 12. Mercedes-Benz The Mercedes-Benz was formed by the merger of two car companies – DMG (Daimler-Motored-Gesellschaft, founded by Gottlieb Daimler) and Benz & Cie, founded by Karl Benz.

Both the companies were similar in their work and were situated in close proximity. It was after the World War I, when the German economy was shattered, that both these companies decided to from a syndicate in 1924, and then finally merge in 1926, called Diamler-Benz. In 1902, the logo for Mercedes was nothing more than the simple company name. However, it was changed to a 3 pointed star in 1909. The origin of this star came from a postcard by Diamler, where he had drawn a 3 pointed star which represented ‘making vehicles in land water and sky’. After 1926, a new symbol for Mercedes-Benz came into picture, where the original logo of both the companies was merged into one. It combined the 3 pointed star of Mercedes and the laurel wreath of Benz. Over the years, the symbol has been improved vastly in design and simplicity. It has been recognized as a symbol representing luxury and top tier cars. 13. Mitsubishi The Iwasaki family, who started the Mitsubishi brand, lived in 1854 feudal Japan, and had to go through very tough times.

When Yataro Iwasaki was in school he was called home one day because his father was injured during a dispute with the village leader. He asked a local magistrate to hear his father’s case, and when the magistrate refused, he accused the man of corruption. Yataro was promptly jailed for 7 months. After abolition of Japan’s feudal clan system, Yataro, acquired Tosa Clan’s shipping business in 1873 and named his shipping business as Mitsubishi. Later, a fourth generation Iwasaki, Kayota, turned this company into a giant corporate group, with an automobile manufacturing company called Mitsubishi Motors. The Mitsubishi logo was a combination of the Iwasaki family crest, the Tosa Clan three-leaf crest (see origin of shipping business above), and three stacked diamonds. The official translation of the logo itself is “three diamonds”. 14. Opel Opel is a so important historically and currently, to a large class of people, representing the quality for a mid-price category. We thought so to present to those who still not a history facts in a circle logo used by the company of great importance in Europe. The founder of the Opel factory sewing machines, Adam Opel died in 1895.

His sons bought Lutzmann company and produced the first Opel car in 1898. On the right you see first company logo Adam Opel, a manufacturer of sewing machines. In 1900 they began to import and Renault cars and Darracq, which purchased and a production license. During the company has adapted a logo Art Deco since 1906. After 1906, there are many version of opal logo introduced and from 2002 to today is just a bit modernized version of 1987, complying with the 3D design style of this era. With the introduction in 2008 of the Insignia which reached the 2009 Car of the Year worldwide, the company introduced a new logo to strengthen brand image. The new logo received in addition to the previous logo, OPEL inscription in the upper part of the circle. 15. Peugeot Peugeot, a major French car brand was started by two brothers Jean-Pierre and Jean-Frédéric Peugeot in 1812.

The company was a steel mill for decades, making different products like machine tools, crinoline dresses, umbrellas, wire wheels, irons, sewing machines, kitchen gadgets. In 1855, the company started making bicycles and was one of the largest bicycle manufacturers in France. The company entered the automobile industry due to its bicycle manufacturing business. In 1889, Armand Peugeot created the company’s first car which was run by a steam powered engine. After meeting Gottlieb Daimler, the company replaced the steam engine with a gas powered internal combustion engine. The Peugeot “lion” logo was based on the flag of the Région Franche-Comté, designed by a jeweler Justin Blazer in 1847. Earlier, the logo was used on the company’s kitchen gadgets, to denote the signature quality of their steel, and was introduced on cars only after Armand could convince his family, that cars could be a profitable business. 16. Porsche Porsche, a German manufacturer of luxury high performance automobiles, was started as a company called “Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH” by Ferdinand Porsche.

Initially the company didn’t build any cars under its own name and offered consultancy for motor vehicle development. This company is known for designing the first Volkswagen car, Volkswagen Beetle. Ferdinand turned this company into Porsche in 1931, but the first Porsche car wasn’t introduced till 1939. In 1950s Dr. Ferdinand, set about developing a company logo to denote their location in Stuttgart and a dynamic, powerful image. After several draft versions, a logo created by Porsche engineer Franz Xaver Reimspiess was decided as the company emblem and has become the trademark of the company. The rampant house in the centre was derived from the city seal of Stuttgart, and was a symbol of forward thrusting power. Unfortunately, Ferdinand died in 1951, before the company shield first appeared on the Porsche 356 model in 1952. The logo first appeared in the centre of the steering, and started appearing on the bonnet of 356 from 1955. In 1959, the shield appeared on the wheel-caps too, allowing the sports car to be recognized from the sides to.

The Porsche shield has remain unchanged over the years, and still appears on the steering, bonnet and the wheel-caps. 17. Renault Louis Renault, the founder of Renault, produced his first car in his own backyard when he was 21 years old. When he started receiving orders from companies to build more cars, he started the Société Renault Frères Company with his brothers and friends in France (1898). Renault’s first logo introduced in 1900 featured the initials of the Renault brothers: Louis, Ferdinand and Marcel. In 1906, the logo was changed to a front end of a car, enclosed in a gear wheel. During the First World War, Renault produced light tanks for the Allies. Renault changed its logo to a tank after the war due to the popularity of its tank, Renault FT-17. The diamond shape, which appears in the company logo till date was first introduced in 1925. Victor Vasarely designed the modern Renault logo in 1972. 18. Rolls Royce Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce founded the Rolls Royce Limited in Britain (1906). The company manufactured automobiles and aircraft engines.

In 1973, the Rolls Royce Motor Company was separated from the parent company, which was nationalized following a huge crisis in 1971. In 1884, Henry Royce, One of the founders of Rolls Royce, started an electrical and mechanical business. He made his first car, a two-cylinder Royce 10, in his Manchester factory in 1904, and was introduced to Charles Rolls at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on 4 May of that year. They both agreed to create a company that would later go on to manufacture the ‘best car in the world’. The name of the company “Rolls Royce” derives from the surnames of the company founders, Henry Royce and Charles Rolls. In 1971, the company and subsequently the brand were split. Rolls-Royce plc, the owner of the famous Rolls-Royce trademarks, initially granted permission for use to a newly formed entity, Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motors Ltd. In 1998, this license was withdrawn when the motorcar trademarks were sold by Rolls-Royce plc to a BMW company, now known as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd.

This company today manufactures luxury automobiles and accessories in the name of Rolls-Royce from its headquarters in Goodwood, England. Its identity system and brand are consistent with the original principles of the company founded over 100 years ago. 19. Saab Saab, the automobile manufacturer, started as an aircraft company back in 1937. In 1937, to meet the needs of the Swedish Air Force, Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (“Swedish Aeroplane Limited” or simply SAAB) was created. After the Second World War, SAAB company started manufacturing automobiles to diversify its business. In 1947, the SAAB Automobile Company was incorporated, and the first manufactured car was named as SAAB 92 (because it was the company’s 92nd design, all previous designs were aircrafts). The griffen logo, featuring the head of a mythological beast that had a body of a lion and head and wings of an eagle, came from Vadis-Scania, a truck manufacturer that merged with SAAB (airplane) company. The griffen was a coat of arms of the province Scania.

In 2000, SAAB Automobile Company was acquired by General Motors (100% stake) and just a week ago (Feb 23, 2010) GM announced that it has completed the sale of Saab to Spyker Cars NV . Simply put, from the of announcement, Saab is part of Spyker and the new life for the troubled Swedish brand begins. To make things even clearer, GM announced the wind down of Saab operations has ended. 20. Skoda Skoda, is an automobile manufacturer based in Czech Republic. It became a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group in 1991. The company was started as a bicycle manufacturing company back in 1890s. Vaclav Laurin and Václav Klement started a bicycle repair shop in Mladá Boleslav (1895), and later they started a bicycle and motorcycle manufacturing factory in 1898. The company’s first logo was based on the Slavia brand, with lime leaves, to represent the Slav nations. The logo also included the owners’ names which later became the main foundation for future logos.

In 1905, “L&K” logo (initials of the owners) was designed and was influenced by Art Nouveau, an artistic style at the beginning of the 20th century. From 1926, the cars were produced under the brand name Skoda, which is reflected in the oval shaped logo of the company. The laurels enclosing the brand name were retained in the new logo as well. The famous “winged arrow” logo was first introduced in 1926, but its origin and designer is unknown. This was merged with the Skoda brand logo and the new logo was used on cars from 1994. The black and green logo, gives the Skoda brand a great degree of originality. The black color symbolizes the company’s 100 years tradition, and green color signifies the environment friendly production of Skoda cars. 21. Volkswagen Volkswagen means ‘People’s car’ in German. The history of the company is tied with Adolf Hitler. Before the rise of Hitler, the German economy was in a very bad shape; as a result people couldn’t afford to buy cars.

In 1933, Hitler raised the idea of an inexpensive car in the Auto show. In 1934, Ferdinand Porsche met with Hitler to design the car. Hitler gave him all the specifications of the car and Porsche promised to deliver the design. In 1937, the Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH was created (it became simply Volkswagenwerk GmbH a year later). In 1938, Hitler opened a state funded Volkswagen factory in Walburg. It was suppose to produce commercial cars, but it was used to churn out military cars. It was only later found that Hitler had intended to use the Porsche car as a military vehicle only, which could carry 3 men and a machine gun. After the WWII, Britishers took over the company. They renamed the car as Beetle. Surprisingly all the car makers like Fiat and Ford declined to take ‘free control’ of the Volkswagen factory. So, it was returned to the German government, and went on to become one of the world’s bestselling cars ever. The first logo was designed by Franz Xavier Reimspiess, a Porsche employee during an office logo design competition.

The main part of the logo hasn’t changed much, but understandably after the WWII, they got rid of the design around the circle which seems to be inspired from the Nazi flag. I love the colors that were added in 2000, to the logo which was built after WWII, it depicts a positive change in the company and the ability to adapt to the new millennium. 22. Yamaha Yamaha’s logotype, featuring the combination of the tuning fork mark and the Yamaha logo, was established in 1967 when the tuning fork mark was standardized. Following a period in which the tuning fork mark was not used, the company unified the logotype to the one used today. The Yamaha brand has its roots in the name of our founder, Torakusu Yamaha. Familiar with western science and technology from his youth, Yamaha initially found employment repairing medical equipment. This led to a request to repair a organ, a project that resulted in the birth of the Yamaha brand. The three tuning forks of the Yamaha logo mark represent the cooperative relationship that links the three pillars of our business — technology, production, and sales. They also evoke the robust vitality that has forged a reputation for sound and music the world over, a territory indicated by the enclosing circle.

The mark also symbolizes the three essential musical elements: melody, harmony, and rhythm. In 1967, The Yamaha logotype was established but in 1980 The Yamaha logotype was revised. A design using simple lines (the current special version of the logo) was established as the standard version of the logo. Then in end of 1987, The Company changed its name to Yamaha Corporation to mark the 100th anniversary of its founding. To emphasize the Yamaha name, the tuning fork mark was eliminated but again in 1998 the tuning fork mark comes into picture. The current standard version of the Yamaha logotype (upper line) and special version (bottom line) were established. There is a slight differences between the Yamaha logotype and that of Yamaha Motor. Yamaha Corporation uses a Yamaha Logomark with the tips of the tuning forks contained within a circle. And an “M” with a middle column shorter than the outer legs, and features “YAMAHA” printed in an asymmetric font. The logo of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. is printed in a symmetrical font and uses red as its corporate color, while Yamaha Corporation uses violet.

There are many talking about why Yamaha changed its color from blue to red. The one which we believes that Yamaha motors want to match the logo color with Yamaha Japan’s corporate color. Further References for Detailed Logo History! If you like to read some detailed information about above automobiles logo evolutions then refer the following list.

Question: Which Japanese car manufacturer features a logo with three red diamonds arranged in the shape of a triangle?
Answer: Mitsubishi