Car Logos, History and Origins - autoevolution autoevolution Car Logos, History and Origins / Home / News / Coverstory As we all know, every single car company out there has its very unique history, mostly related to the way it managed to emerge from a tiny entity into a huge conglomerate that sells hundreds of thousands or maybe millions of vehicles a year. And some of these stories are indeed fascinating and captivating and each of us is invited to find them out once the dealers hands us the keys. Basically, the cars' logos are the introduction to the companies' tales, most of them showing symbols or signs that remind us of the thrilling experiences the automaker had to go through to stay alive. Today, we're inviting you to a journey through some of the most important car logos, so keep reading to find the tales hidden behind the emblems we see every time we get behind the wheel. Abarth, which currently serves as Fiat's sport division, saw daylight in 1949 and was founded by Karl Abarth. Its logo comprises several elements, including the company's name just on top of all the others.

The overall shape of the emblem represents a shield and denotes strength and power, thus demonstrating Abarth's capacity to resist over time and become a top player in the automotive world. The three colors underneath the company's name, green, white and red, symbolize Italy's flag, as the company was brought to life in Turin. The scorpion is Karl Abarth's astrological sign – he was born on November 15, 1908 – and is complemented by the two dominating colors, yellow and red, which are indicating the brand's appeal for motor racing.ALFA ROMEO Alfa Romeo, also owned by Fiat but still considered an Italian symbol, is one of the companies whose logo changed a lot over time, but retained the main elements that remind us of the way the brand was brought to life. Alfa Romeo, initially known as Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (Lombard Automobile Factory, Public Company), got its first logo in 1910, when Romano Cattaneo created a rounded badge consisting of a grass snake with a man in its jaw.

Inspired from the House of Visconti flag, the so-called "biscione" (the Italian term for grass snake) actually represents one's ability to stand against opponents and face competition. Additionally, Cattaneo added the red cross seen in the Milan flag, plus the Alfa Romeo designation separated by two Savoia dynasty knots. Over time, the knots were eliminated from the logo, with each symbol comprising the logo receiving minor "redesigns". AUDI The "brand with the four rings" as Audi is often called is currently one of the world's top automakers and surely a leading German brand. Its logo, seen on millions of cars sold worldwide, is believed to have multiple meanings. First of all, the emblem is seen as a symbol of the merger that took place in 1932 and included four large manufacturers of that time: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer. On the other hand, some people believe that Audi's logo is a bit older and has a strong connection with the Olympic games.

Either of the two meanings are actually true, the Audi logo underwent a minor makeover in 2009 when the badge got a new font plus a restyled 3D design of the four rings.BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Motor Company – BMW as most of us know the brand – is, once again, one of the largest carmakers in the whole world. Its roots can be traced back in 1913, with the first activities strongly related to the aviation industry. The company's logo is obviously based on these facts, but there are again multiple interpretations available. One of them claims that the blue and white colors, which are actually the traditional colors of Bavaria, BMW's natal region, are also representing a white propeller on a blue sky, a hint to BMW's aero history. On the other hand, some people believe that the two colors are only used because they also appear on the Bavarian flag and BMW just wanted to honor the area that hosted its headquarters for years.BUICK Buick, an American symbol as some people name it, was founded in 1903 by David Dunbar Buick.

Its history, often connected to General Motors, includes several logo changes that occurred as the company grew bigger. The first logos were actually variations of the Buick designation, but were replaced during the '60s by three shields representing the three models rolled out until that point: LeSabre, Invicta, and Electra. 1975 brought a new change of logo at Buick, with the American icon now adopting a hawk emblem, known at that time as "Happy", that was expected to mark the beginning of a new design era in Buick's history. The moment was celebrated with the introduction of the Skyhawk series. However, the range was discontinued during the '80s, when Buick re-adopted its three-shield badge. CADILLAC Both the name and the logo used by Cadillac were based on the aristocrat the company was named after, Antoine de La Mothe, Seigneur de Cadillac, but the badge suffered several modifications, especially under GM's ownership. The auto manufacturing business received the Cadillac designation in 1902 but during the '90s General Motors brought a few changes as part of an effort to refresh the company's image.

The logo thus dropped the six birds (codenamed merlettes), as well as the crown and the La Mothe family crest, but adopted simpler elements that are still being used nowadays.CITROEN There's nothing fancy or too complicated in Citroen's logo which remained practically unchanged over the time. The two inverted Vs are actually reminding of André Citroen's first area of expertise: mass production of double helically-cut gear teeth.CHEVROLET In case you're wondering where does the Chevrolet "plus" symbol comes from, there are several suppositions behind it. First of all, some people are saying that William C. Durant actually designed the logo after a wallpaper he saw in a French hotel. On the other hand, others are claiming that this badge was first seen in a newspaper and Durant's wife proposed it to be used as Chevrolet's logo. FERRARI Almost every car enthusiast out there knows the "Prancing Horse", especially thanks to the great achievements the Italian carmaker recorded in the past. But the story of its logo is once again related to multiple theories.

First of all, it is believed that the black prancing horse on yellow background was first used by Count Francesco Baracca, the Italian airforce that made a name for itself in World War I. Another theory claims the symbol was actually seen on a German pilot's plane that crashed during the war - the horse is actually the symbol of Stuttgart, which might raise some eyebrows because Porsche uses the same element as source of inspiration for its very own badge. Last but not least, the Ferrari logo might have a different story. It appears that Ferrari founder's family owned lots of horses so the new company adopted the prancing horse as a symbol of power. However, one thing is 100 percent sure: the three colors appearing on Ferrari's logo represent Italy's flag, the company's natal country.FIAT Fiat, currently the largest Italian automaker and one of the new names in the American auto sector, changed its logo several times, especially following the growth the company recorded during the 1900s. The first emblem created by Fiat's designers was only showcasing the company's full name: Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin).

As the time passed by however, Fiat modified the logo several times, with the latest change getting into effect in 2006 when the company turned to the red background instead of the blue one.FORD Ford is surely one of the most powerful automakers in the whole world and the fact that it managed to survive the 2009 crisis without government help comes to confirm this. And the origins of its logo are at least as interesting as the company's past: Harold Wills, often considered Henry Ford's main help within the company, had his very own business card printing company before working for Ford. When Henry Ford decided to choose a badge for the company, Wills designed the first sketch of the logo using his printing equipment and a font he used on business cards. HYUNDAI The Hyundai logo is just a regular badge at the first sight. However, there are multiple meanings of the "H" letter you're seeing on every Hyundai out there. First of all, the oval that surrounds the H letter is actually representing Hyundai's continuous expansion that now goes beyond the Asian continent.

And the H is indeed coming from Hyundai but, in addition, it also represents two people shaking hands, probably in an attempt to show Hyundai's appreciation for consumers buying its models.JAGUAR The meaning of the Jaguar logo is quite simple and one could understand it in a second, especially after driving a Jag. Just as we learned in our first school years, the Jaguar is a quick and agile feline, so placing such a badge on a car is actually an effort to underline its vehicles' ability to develop very high performance.KIA The South-Korean brand Kia owns quite a simplistic logo that does nothing than to show the company's name on a (usually) red background. However, if you split the word into two separate parts, the term Kia also has a different meaning. In Korean, KI (the first two letters of the name) stands for "arise" while the A is believed to represent Asia, Kia's natal continent. In this context, the name translates into "arise from Asia", hence matching the company's slogan "The power to surprise". LAMBORGHINI The logo seen on all the Lambos out there (burning or not) isn't surprising at all.

The bull logo actually stands for the founder's, Ferruccio Lamborghini, zodiacal sign (Taurus), and is obviously accompanied by the company's name, Lamborghini. Contrary to other "patriot" Italian carmakers, Lamborghini does not use the Italy's colors on its logo.MAZDA Based in Hiroshima, Japan, Mazda is becoming more powerful in most markets, especially in Europe where its models are getting more powerful thanks to the company's efforts in the fuel consumption and emission areas. Its logo, which suffered several modifications as time passed by, has multiple interpretations. The company's name, which is inspired by the ancient Iranian prophet Zoroaster, seems to serve as source of inspiration for the badge as well: the restyled "M" (which looks like two spanned wings) is believed to represent the company's flight to the future.MERCEDES-BENZ Mercedes-Benz, an iconic premium and luxury, has been around for a long time but the brand "Mercedes" was only registered in September 1902. The three-pointed start logo however saw daylight in 1909 on a Daimler vehicle and represented the company's domination of land, sea and air.

Just as expected, the badge got several "facelifts" as the company grew bigger, but the first interpretation is believed to date back to early 1900 when Gottlieb Daimler drew a star on a picture, adding the following text: "this star would one day shine over own factory to symbolize prosperity." MITSUBISHI The Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi is the subject of several theories when it comes to its logo and although several people are talking about them, there's no official information supposed to put things straight in this matter. According to some sources, the Mitsubishi designation is actually a combination of the words "mitsu" (three) and "hishi" (water chestnut, which could be translated into "diamond"). In other words, the term Mitsubishi could mean "three diamonds", hence the logo of the company. However, there are two interpretations of the logo. Some people consider that the three-diamond logo stands for a mix of the Iwasaki family (who established the business) crest, three stacked diamonds, and the three-leaf crest of the Tosa Clan. On the other hand, the three diamonds could represent the three main attributes describing the company: responsibility, ethics and communication.

Last but not least, the logo could actually represent a ship propeller, reminding us of the beginning of the Mitsubishi business.PORSCHE As we said when talking about Ferrari, Porsche uses as a logo Stuttgart's symbol, which is also accompanied by the antlers and red and black stripes that are all parts of the arms of the Kingdom of Wurttemberg.PEUGEOT From the point of view of its logo, Peugeot surely has one of the most captivating stories. The French lion was officially created in 1847 by Justin Blazer who worked as jeweler and engraver and was based on the Region France-Comte flag. However, the logo appeared on Peugeot cars only years later, receiving a lot of modifications over the years. The last modifications occurred in 1998 and 2002 when the company reworked the look of the lion in an effort to better underline the "message" of the logo: it denotes power and balance, while the blue is believed to represent the company's view of the future. RENAULT Renault, now involved in one of the world's biggest alliances with Nissan, changed its logos for over 10 times since it was founded.

The French carmaker used an entirely different badge, showing the initials of the three Renault brothers (Louis, Ferdinand and Marcek) drawn on a medallion. The diamond badge was only adopted in 1925, while the 3D perspective was added in 1972 by Victor Vaserely. The last "facelift" of the logo was rolled out in 2007 when the company placed the Renault designation just underneath the diamond, on a yellow background - which is believed to stand for quality.SKODA The Czech manufacturer which now exists under VW Group's ownership got its first logo when the company only produced bicycles using the Slavia designation. The badge was thus comprising the Slavia term plus the names of the two owners, Laurin & Klement. The first logo under the Skoda brand came out in 1926 and obviously included the Skoda name surrounded by an oval decorated with laurels. The popular “winged arrow” design was brought to life in the late '20s and was used for a long time, until 1990. It was believed to be the creation of commercial director of Skoda Plzen, T. Maglic.

The current logo was adopted during the '90s and comprises the same winged arrow, now painted in green with black surroundings. The two colors are supposed to represent the company's interest for environment protection and its 100-year history, respectively.SUBARU Subaru's name is actually the Japanese translation of the Pleiades star cluster, which also means "to gather together". The six star logo represents the five companies that joined forces (Fuji Kogyo, Fuji Jidosha Kogyo, Omiya Fuji Kogyo, Utsunomiya Sharyo and Tokyo Fuji Sangyo) to form Fuji Heavy Industries (the biggest star in the logo). SAAB SAAB, the Swedish carmaker now owned by the Dutch company Spyker, uses as a logo the coat of arms of the Count von Skane which also served as symbol for Skane, the Swedish province where Saab was initially based in. As you can see for yourselves, the badge shows a some kind of mythological bird that has the body of a lion but the head and wings of an eagle. It was actually based on Vadis-Scania's logo, the truck manufacturer that joined forces with Saab's parent manufacturer involved in the airplane manufacturing business.

TOYOTA Although some of you would expect it, Toyota's logo has absolutely no connection to the stuck accelerator pedals affecting the Japanese company's models (no pun intended). The company's badge is actually made of three different ovals, two of which are said to stand for Toyota's relation with its customers. Furthermore, these two are also creating a symbolic "T" letter that comes from the brand's name.VOLVO A symbol for safety and passenger protection, Volvo's name is inspired from the Latin word "volvere" which translates into "to roll". The badge however is the old symbol of iron but, according to some people, it also tries to transmit Volvo's "attraction" for safety technologies, which are often described to be as durable as iron.VOLKSWAGEN Volkswagen, one of the top players in Germany and in the whole world, has probably one of the most popular logos out there, seen on millions of cars sold in almost every corner of the Globe.

There are multiple theories related to the the origins of Volkswagen's logo: one of them claims that it was designed by one of Hitler's friends during World War II while another suggests that it was the result of a design competition won by Franz Xavier Reimspiess, an employee of Porsche. Alfa Romeo Toyota Subaru Mazda Abarth Lamborghini cover story Car brand logos | Logo Design Love Alfa Romeo Originally designed by Romano Cattaneo and Giuseppe Merosi, in 1910 The Alfa Romeo company was founded in 1910, and the logo has changed many times since then, but its main items have remained — the red on white cross of Milan, and the serpent from the Visconti family coat of arms. I’ve never been convinced. Mainly because there’s too much detail in the serpent and it becomes lost at small sizes. Audi Designed in 1932 Audi’s four ring design was created to symbolise the merger of four individual companies. One of my favourites for it’s simplicity and meaning. BMW Designed in 1917 The blue and white panels of the Bavarian flag were placed at the centre of the design.

During the late 1920s, the BMW logo was given a new interpretation, that of a rotating propellor. Simple and iconic. Fiat Designed by Robilant Associati and the Fiat Style Centre, in 2006 Between 1931 and 1968, a shield emblem decorated Fiats. This logo design recalls the older icon, and the revised version has been made 3D. There’s something about the type that just doesn’t inspire a good feeling. Is that just me? Ford Designed by CH Wills, in 1909 The designer, CH Wills, was actually an engineer and draughtsman, working for Henry Ford in the early days. Extremely recognisable through the sheer scale of Ford production. The logo has certainly stood the test of time, but I’m curious as to what other logo designers think of it. Maybe it’s just that I’m not so keen on ovals. Honda Here’s a question, who designed the Honda logo? Jaguar Designed by The Partners, in 2002 In updating the older Jaguar logo, The Partners altered the logotype and digitally remodelled the leaping Jaguar.

I’ve often wondered why the Jaguar is shown leaping from right to left, countering how the eye reads the text from left to right. Perhaps it’s to create a more streamlined end? Lexus Designed by Siegel & Gale, in 2002 The name ‘Lexus’ has been attributed to the words ‘luxury’ and ‘elegance’, and this is one that I quite like. Mercedes-Benz Designed in 1909 One of the most recognisable logos around. A three-pointed star had been designed by Gottlieb Daimler, to show the ability of his motors for land, air, and sea use. This star first appeared on a DMG model in 1909, so it was chosen for the new logo. The traditional laurel wreath symbol used by Karl Benz was added along with his name to complete the new logo. The logo with a plain ring, as seen today, was not used until 1937. More on Wikipedia . Mitsubishi Designed by Yataro Iwasaki, in 1870 I featured the Mitsubishi logo in an earlier post, 15 wonderfully simple logo designs , and it’s a design I greatly admire.

‘Mitsubishi’ is a combination of the words ‘mitsu’ and ‘hishi’. ‘Mitsu’ means three, and ‘hishi’ means water chestnut. Japanese have used the word ‘hishi’ for a long time to denote a rhombus or diamond shape. In speech, Japanese often bend the ‘h’ to sound like a ‘b’ when it occurs in the middle of a word. So they pronounce the combination of ‘mitsu’ and ‘hishi’ as ‘mitsubishi’. Nissan Designed by FutureBrand, in 2000 This metallic roundel is part of a successful Nissan revival, and in my opinion, is an improvement on those older designs that can be viewed by scrolling down on this page: Cartype Nissan Logo . Renault Designed by Éric de Berranger, in 2004 Interesting typeface info: both the Renault logo and its documentation (technical as well as commercial) had used a specially designed typeface called Renault, developed by British firm Wolff Olins. This type family is said to have been designed not for prestige reasons, but mainly to save costs at a time where the use of typefaces was more costly than it is now.

In 2004, French typeface designer Jean-François Porchez was commissioned to design a replacement. This was shown in October of that year and is called Renault Identité. Found on Wikipedia . I have featured Wolff Olins on my other blog: London 2012 olympic logo disaster . Seat 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. Cars in China Cars in China Felix Wong A couple years ago I observed how the automotive landscape in China had diversified since my first trip there in 2002 , when just about every car was a family-friendly four-door sedan wearing the emblems of Volkswagen, Audi, and Buick. In that 2014 article I already mentioned how there were a lot more brands and that SUVs, hatchbacks, crossovers and even two-seat sports cars gracing the streets. So in this post about cars in China I will focus more on Chinese marques, many of which most Americans probably never have seen nor heard of. These automobile manufacturers include: BYD Auto (motto: Build Your Dreams): This private Chinese manufacturer builds a cute F0 5-door hatchback that is about the size of a Chevy Spark. I’ve also seen its name on an unfortunately generic 4-door sedan.

It started out as a rechargeable battery manufacturer in 2002 and is now China’s largest, capturing over 50% of the world’s cell phone battery market. Warren Buffett purchased 10% of the company in 2008 (and wanted to buy more were he allowed), and while it has yet to make an impact in the U.S., BYD sold more electric vehicles than Tesla did last year. Its rapid rise has been due in part to using cheap Chinese labor instead of more expensive automation. Changan Automobile: A state-owned company that makes some decently styled cars. A hotel driver gave my parents and me a ride in a new Changan sedan equipped with a touch screen and what seemed like a high-quality interior and a smooth ride. I was impressed, thinking that this car seemed on par with a modern Kia or Toyota. Changfeng Motor: A maker of light trucks that is wholly owned by the GAC group and originated as a branch of the People’s Liberation Army. It used to license several Mitsubishi models. Chery: A state-owned company infamous for the Chery QQ, which is a complete rip-off of a Chevy Spark/Daewoo Matiz.

The doors are even interchangeable with those models. Geely: A private Chinese automaker that used to have four sub-brands, including Emgrand (for affordable luxury), Emglon, Gleagle, and Shanghai Maple but has phased all of them out (the first four in 2014 and Shanghai Maple in 2009). It also owns London Taxi and Volvo, both famous international marques. Jiangling Motors (JMC): A state-owned manufacturer of trucks and SUVs. Landwind: A joint venture between Changan and Jiangling. It rehashed some SUVs based off old-but-legitimately-licensed Isuzu designs, and more recently has made a shameless Range Rover Evoque clone that sells at one-fourth the cost of the real thing. Leopaard: An SUV brand owned by Changfeng. MG Motor: Owned by SAIC nowadays, it has long strayed from its British roadster roots. In China the famous octagon now is mostly on some sporty five-door hatchbacks, including the MG3 and MG5. An SUV was just released too featuring MG’s first ever automatic transmission.

Roewe: Also owned by SAIC, Roewe initially made cars using technology from the defunct British carmaker MG Rover. SAIC was unable to obtain the rights to the Rover marque, so it created the Roewe brand instead. Qoros, a joint venture between Chery and shipping/energy giant Israel Corporation that brought its first car to market in late 2013. SAIC Motor: This state-run company owns both MG and Roewe and also sells cars under other brands. It has had joint ventures with companies like Buick, Chevrolet, Skoda and Volkswagen. Volvo: Volvo has been selling some pretty nice cars ever since ownership changed from Ford to Geely. In 2015 Volvo started exporting the S60 sedan manufactured in Chengdu to the U.S., the first mainstream made-in-China car to make it to American showrooms. Wuling Motors: A maker of minivans. Its logo consists of five red diamonds, perhaps to one-up Mitsubishi which has a logo made of three red diamonds. The “Big Four” Chinese automakers include Changan, SAIC, Dengfeng Motor, and FAW Group.

I did not notice any Dengfeng and FAW vehicles and thus did not list them above, although I’m sure they were around. Their cars or logos might have been too generic to be memorable. As many Chinese marques I noticed during my stay in China and listed above, there are many more! Wikipedia has an even more comprehensive list . China became the world’s largest marketplace for cars several years ago, and both General Motors and Volvo (among others) sold more cars in China than in the U.S. recently. Opportunity for sales in China remains huge despite its recent economic slowdown since it has one billion more people than the U.S. and the vehicle penetration rate is only one-tenth in comparison. Another difference to the U.S. is that most cars on the streets of China are newish. For example, I did not see a single 2002 Buick Regal during my entire time in China, despite the car being ubiquitous in 2002. Someone in our tour group said that there is a law disallowing cars more than 10 years old in order to reduce pollution.

(This article states the limit is 15 years old.) Speaking of emissions, China announced plans to build charging stations for 5 million electric vehicles by 2020. This is good news for the many Chinese people who do not have a garage to charge their vehicles in, and should spur a lot of electric car sales. The Chinese government is providing a lot of subsidies and tax cuts for electric cars and wants millions of new cars—if not the vast majority—sold in 2020 to be electric. If you enjoyed this article, please consider receiving my weekly newsletter . I typically write about endurance bicycling, travel, self improvement, Colorado living, marathon running and epic adventures.

Question: The logo of which car manufacturer is based on an arrangement of three red diamonds?
Answer: Mitsubishi