Automotive Company Logos With Hidden Meanings

Probably one of the most important aspects of any company is a well-designed logo. And without a doubt, a lot of process and thought goes into designing a vehicle logo – aesthetics, kerning, symbolism and a ton of other factors! More often than not, an automotive company logo denotes much more than merely the company’s name; it might also carry some deep significance – which may be the company’s history, inspiration, or the ideologies behind the company’s working.

In this article, we take a look at the hidden meanings behind the car emblems of popular automotive brands.

Automotive Company Logos With Hidden Meanings

1. SUBARU

Astronomy enthusiasts might recognize the Pleidas star cluster which is denoted on the car logo; and the word ‘Subaru’ is named after the Japanese word for the same.

The six stars represent the six companies which merged together to form Fuji Heavy Industries – out of which Subaru is the automotive manufacturer.

2. MITSUBISHI

This car logo can be instantly recognized almost anywhere in the world, owing to its presence on popular racing cars such as the Eclipse and the Lancer Evo series.

The three red diamonds on the Mitsubishi logo represent the three ship fleets owned by the company founders, which was also the first major activity of the Japanese manufacturer.

3. VOLVO

A circle with an arrow pointing outwards is commonly the symbol of masculinity, and the symbolism is pretty much present in this car logo. The symbol actually represented Mars – the Roman God of War.

It signifies the relationship between the God of War and the metal used to manufacture weapons at that time – Iron. The Volvo founders wanted a symbol to represent the strength of their cars, and this symbol fit the bill!

Another interesting factoid: The name ‘Volvo’ literally means ‘I roll’ in Latin, referring to the activity of manufacturing bearings with which the company first entered the automotive industry!

4. HYUNDAI

This is a very simple car logo, and is the same when viewed upside down. The ‘H’ denoted in the vehicle logo stands for Hyundai, of course. But it is also symbolic of the company’s desire to expand.

The elliptical shape indicates the company’s global expansion; and the ‘H’ is also symbolic of the company and the customer shaking hands.

5. CHEVROLET

Another simple logo, the Chevrolet logo is also referred to as “The Bowtie” emblem. It is said to be inspired from the design of a wallpaper in a French hotel room where GM founder William Durant stayed at once.

A research by historian Ken Kauffman suggests that the bowtie emblem was actually based upon a logo for coalettes. Others claim that the design was based upon the Swiss Cross, in order to honour the homeland of Louis Chevrolet’s (who was one of the founders of the company) parents.

6. TOYOTA

Finally, saving one of the most interesting car emblems for the last, here we have the Toyota logo. The car logo comprises three ellipses – which represents the heart of the customer, the heart of the product and the heart of technological progress and limitless opportunities of the future.

The vehicle logo also has eight strokes, and this was considered as a talisman for the Japanese company, as the number eight is regarded as a lucky number in East Asian culture.

Regarding the name, in Japanese, “Toyo” signifies abundance, and “ta” means rice. In some Asian cultures, rice represents wealth, so there’s another lucky charm!

Finally, there’s this symbolism as well!

Every vehicle logo has a meaning behind it, and the way it’s designed can often be considered as sheer genius. In the next part, I’ll be talking about the meaning of car emblems of luxury car companies.

7. AUDI

The Audi logo is composed of four interconnected rings, and these rings represent the four companies that were part of the Auto – Union Consortium in 1932. These companies were namely DKW, Horch, Wanderer and Audi.

8. MERCEDES BENZ

A simple car logo, but it actually indicates the confidence of the company. The three pointed star represents the company’s dominance in quality and style over land, sky and water. The origin can be dated back to when Daimler Benz motors could be used for all three domains.

An interesting factoid: Mercedes Benz made engines in the pre-World War II era, and these engines were made for automobiles, airplanes and ships, thus signifying dominance in land, sky and water yet again!

9. PORSCHE

The Porsche logo actually pays tribute to its German heritage. Featured on the logo is a prancing horse – signifying speed and power. Above the horse is the word “Stuttgart”, which indicates the name of the city where the company is based. Also, horses were bred in Stuttgart – when literally translated, “Stuttgart” means ‘stud farm’.

The horse car logo itself is identical to Stuttgart’s coat of arms. The antlers and red and black stripes come from the coat of arms of Württemberg, the German state whose capital was, you guessed it, Stuttgart!

And where there are prancing horses, how can one forget…

10. FERRARI

… Yep! Think of a rearing horse and the image of a red Ferrari inevitably comes to mind! The logo is fairly simple – consisting of a black horse on a yellow shield, with the letters “S F” below it. ‘S F’ stands for Scuderia Ferrari. Also present on the logo are the Italian colours of green, white and red.

The origin of the logo can be traced back to World War 1, where Count Francesco Baracca – a legendary ace of the Italian Air Force – had painted it on the side of his planes. After Baracca’s mysterious death, his mother had asked Enzo Ferrari to paint the logo of the prancing horse on his cars, as a symbol of good luck.

11. BMW

Like most other car companies, BMW too has a history in aviation – it made engines for airplanes in World War II. And the logo is a tribute to just that. The blue and white represent a propeller of a plane in motion – the blue indicating the sky.

Another symbolism behind the logo is that BMW was created as a result of a restructuring of Rapp Motorenworke; and BMW wanted to maintain the logo and format of Rapp – giving rise to the circular shape of the current BMW logo.

Also, the colours of the BMW logo represent the Bavarian national colours – blue and white.

12. LAMBORGHINI

And finally, when it comes to luxury cars, one thing is for certain – a Lambo will always be mentioned! The raging bull in the logo has always been associated with sheer class, speed and style.

Ferrucio Lamborghini (the founder of the company) had a deep love for bullfights. Also, his zodiac sign was Taurus. These factors inspired him to have the logo of his car company as that of a raging bull.

In fact, in the early sixties, he once spent some time with Don Eduardo Miura – who was a breeder of prized Spanish fighting bulls in Seville. The bulls had a deep impact on Lamborghini. Till this date, most Lamborghini cars are named after prize winning bulls.

The gold colour in the Lambo logo depicts excellence and a rich tradition, while the black denotes power, prestige and intelligence. The bull is also a symbol for power and determination.

So there you have it. They say pictures are worth a thousand words, but evidently, a logo is worth much more!
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