I was driving home from the grocery store today and because traffic was heavy and stop 'n go, I had plenty of time to look at the vehicles around me. I seemed to have focused on car logos. You know, like the familiar Ford oval, the Chevrolet Bowtie, and the circle with blue and white quarters for BMW. There were several that -- not being a real car-focused person -- weren't readily familiar.
Unless I see the word Toyota, I have trouble placing their 3-oval logo, which some say looks like a T but I always think of an animal head with horns. My favorite car logo for quite some time has been for Saturn. One of my daughters has a Saturn. Nice car. Nicer logo. It's a letter (cursive S with the top loop lopped off) and an image (bit of the ringed planet). And, it's suggestive of criss-crossing roads. I just like it.
So what's your favorite car logo? What do you think is really special about it as a logo? In addition to those linked, above, here are some more logos with a bit of history or commentary.
- The Cadillac Crest Logo
- The Honda "H" Logo
- The Hyundai "H" Logo
- The Rolls Royce "RR" Logo
- The Subaru Stars Logo
- The Volkswagen "VW" Logo
Update: And a few more mentioned in the comments:
- The Chrysler Pentastar Logo (2007) as well as AMC, Imperial, Valient, and others
- The Dodge Ram Logo
- The Jaguar Cat Logo
- The Mazda "M" Logo (I never realized that was an M)
- The Mercedes 3-point Star Logo
So that’s what the Toyota logo signifies? I’ve been driving my Toyota Highlander for five years now and never gave a thought to what the logo means – nor did I understand it at all. Customer/company trust and global market…now it all makes sense!
I like both the Chevy bowtie logo and one that you did not mention. The Jaguar logo — no need to say what that is!
I’ve always loved the Mazda logo (the M looks like the wings of a bird inside an oval). Classy, elegant union of the letter and the concept. I’ve never liked the Toyota logo–I’ve tried, but I can’t help but see a Mexican hat.
I like the Jaguar and Mercedes logos. One I’ve never liked is the Dodge Ram logo. It’s kind of funny: all these men driving around in these brawny trucks with a logo that’s supposed to be a Ram but really REALLY looks like a Uterus. ugh. Bad design. lol.
I too hated the Toyota logo and liked the Honda–guess which car I bought? That was the heyday of the Civic. I wish Subaru would do something about its goofy stars. The Outback deserves an easily recognized but minimalist logo.
to katieL: “supposed to be a Ram but really REALLY looks like a Uterus”
Oh it is such a good thing I didn’t have a mouth full of milk when I read that. It would be all over the screen and keyboard. So funny. Now I will never look at the Ram the same way ever again.
as a Mustang owner, I like the Mustang logo!!
The Acura loga is an A created by the use of an engineer’s calibrator. This symbolized the ACCURACY of the building of the Acura. I have driven 3 Acuras since the late 80s and can vouch for this message. Great car and great service.