We’ve seen a great deal of automotive producers and corporations trying to promote their brand in a very competitive market over the past century. Some of them were extremely successful, while the rest of the bunch never made it big and were barely noticed. Yet, they all had one thing in common: unique car logos that would represent their brand and showcase all the hard work they’ve done to create an end product that will satisfy the needs of a very picky consumer.

Majority of these car logos are created in such a manner that combines two major elements:

• The name of the car producer
• Simple and powerful shape connected with the design of the car line and their history

A PEAK INTO THE STORIES BEHIND A FEW DISTINGUISHED CAR LOGOS

We have selected a few companies that simply deserved to see their story being told, whether it was based on the message they’re trying to convey or there was just some interesting anecdote connected with the logo.

1.      Ferrari

Ferrari created a legendary brand with their innovative legal road racing machines thanks to one of the most recognizable logos in the history of automotive design. Described by the founder Mr. Enzo Ferrari, the logo is as a combination of a prancing horse painted on the fuselage of a fighter plane flown by heroic airman Francesco Baracca during WWI. The canary yellow background is taken from the official crest of the city of Modena.

When Mr. Ferrari met with Baracca’s parents, they were the ones who suggested the placement of their son’s prancing horse on Ferrari’s line of cars as they held the belief that this symbol brings fortune and good luck. From today’s perspective, we could say they were absolutely right.

2.      Mazda

Mazda is known as a brand obsessed with symbolism. Their name comes from the ancient spirit of wisdom, intelligence, and harmony, Ahura Mazda who is depicted in Zoroastrianism. Mazda’s logo symbolizes a flight towards the future, represented through the blend of wings in flight (the letter M in the logo) and a mix of creativity, vitality, flexibility and passion that comes with the inclusion of the letter V.

3.      Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is considered as one of the most trusted brands around the globe and that’s mostly because they were always led by a statement of intent, comfort, and safety, which is not that surprising for a German based brand. Their logo, a simple and powerful three-point star, symbolizes the brand domination on land, air, and sea. This idea has stayed with the company since their World War II days.

4.      Mitsubishi

Japanese car producers have interests in symbolism and that’s the main reason why they have so many colorful logos bearing some deeper meaning. Mitsubishi is no exception from the rule as their logo is actually a compound word deriving from two Japanese terms:

• Mitsu – The number three.
• Hishi (Pronounced bishi) – Diamonds or diamond shape.

Mitsubishi’s founder Yataro Iwasaki chose the three-diamond logo because of its resemblance to the three-leaf crest of the Tosa Clan, who were also Yataro’s first employer. His own family crest also consisted of three rhombuses stacked on each other.

Their logo has been in use from the late 1800s and we’ve witnessed little to none adjustments throughout the years.

5.      Subaru

Fuji Heavy Industries was incorporated in 1953 with the merger of six Japanese companies, forming one of the biggest transportation manufacturers we know today, which goes under the name of Subaru. The word itself means united in Japanese, but it’s also the name given to the Pleiades star cluster, which is the most visible cluster to the naked eye at night.

Combining the star cluster and the literal translation of the name, they came up with one beautiful logo that represents the merger of these six companies.

What are your favorite car logos and why? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section, so we can create an even better list.