The meanings behind car makers’ badges
5 min read
Car makers’ emblems are synonymous with their companies and their cars.
Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW and more. Many car badges and emblems are so well known that even non-enthusiasts can recognise them in an instant. But what many people won’t know is the often fascinating backstories behind these badges and the symbolism they represent. Logos for brands including Mazda, Volkswagen, Citroen and Peugeot all have their own interesting backstories, too. And many car firm emblems have been subtly changing recently, usually to better represent themselves in the digital world.
ABARTH
The scorpion represents Scorpio, the astrological sign of company founder Carlo Abarth. At the top is the Italian flag, and the red comes from the national racing colours of Italy. The Abarth badge today is used on high-performance Fiats.
ALFA ROMEO
Alfa is an acronym for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, while Romeo is the surname of the businessman who bought the company in 1915. Of the badge, the red cross on the left is the symbol of Milan, while on the right is a crowned viper swallowing a Moorish man – the insignia of the House of Visconti, which historically ruled the city.
ALPINA
The name Alpina derives from the company’s first shop (which produced typewriters) by the Alps. The imagery on the badge is of a Weber carburettor – a component that began the company’s close relationship with BMW – and a crankshaft.
ASTON MARTIN
The second half of the name comes from one of the company’s co-founders, Lionel Martin, and the first from Aston Hill Climb, which he found success at. The ‘wings’ badge was chosen in 1927 to represent speed, and supposedly took inspiration from Bentley’s ‘Winged B’.
In 2022, the logo was updated with a simplified design to widen customer appeal as the company prepares to launch its first electric models.
AUDI
Founder August Horch left his eponymous company but was blocked from using the name again for his own efforts. His son suggested ‘Audi’: ‘Horch’ is German for ‘listen’ and ‘audi’ the same in Latin. The logo derives from that of Auto Union, a merger of four brands (Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer). The rings, representing each brand, overlap to signify union. They are silver, the national racing colour of Germany.
In 2022, the logo was altered with a flat two-dimensional design surrounded by a thin black border, to enhance customer appeal and brand recognition.
BENTLEY
Bentley started building aircraft engines in the First World War, so wings seemed natural. The silver of the logo represents sophistication. There are actually an uneven number of feathers on either side of the wing, and they have varied throughout history.
BMW
The name is an initialism for the German meaning Bavarian Motor Works. The black exterior circle comes from the logo of BMW’s predecessor, Rapp, while the blue and white chequered roundel represents the flag of Bavaria.
In 2020, the company unveiled a simplified logo with a revised font and white colour palette to signify a refreshed brand strategy of openness and accessibility, intended to attract younger, tech-savvy customers.
BUGATTI
The motif within the oval represents the initials of the brand’s founder, Ettore Bugatti. The 60 dots around the edge of the red oval have one of two conflicting origins: either pearls to indicate grandeur, or the safety wires that Bugatti employed in its engines as a result of their lack of gaskets.
CADILLAC
The name comes from the founder of Detroit, French explorer Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, who invented for himself the title of sieur (sir) of Cadillac. The intricate badge comes from his fabricated coat of arms, which he based on the authentic shield of his old neighbour, the baron of Lamothe-Bardigues. Originally, the Cadillac badge featured six martlets, but these were replaced by golden quarters with a black horizontal stripe in 2000.
In 2021, the company revealed a new, monochromatic badge as the brand transitions to electrification.
CHEVROLET
The famous ‘bow tie’ logo was introduced two years after the company was formed. The badge was inspired by a design that Louis Chevrolet saw in an advertisement in a local newspaper, likely for the Coalettes coals company.
CITROËN
In 1901, company founder André Citroën travelled to Poland, where he purchased the patent for a double helically-cut milling gear (such was his original business). The two chevrons represent the two opposing gears of this inter-meshing.
In 2022, Citroën reimagined its 1919 logo for the electric era.
FERRARI
At the top of the logo is the Italian flag. Below it is a yellow shield, the colour of Modena. There are also the initials ‘SF’, for Scuderia Ferrari (meaning Team Ferrari), and the leftward-facing prancing black horse. Enzo Ferrari chose this after meeting a count whose late son, Francesco Baracca, had been a fighter ace in the First World War. The horse had been painted on the fuselage of his aeroplane. Baracca’s mother told Ferrari to use the horse on his cars for good luck.
The ace was thought to have taken the horse from the plane of a German pilot, whom he had shot down, from Stuttgart. Therefore, the Ferrari horse is the same as the one on the Porsche crest.
FORD
The blue oval, which was first used in 1927, contains the signature of the company’s founder, Henry Ford, which has remained almost unchanged since its first use in 1909.
In 2023 Ford subtly altered its famous oval badge, removing the contrasting chrome to simplify and modernise the design.
HYUNDAI
Although it looks simply like an italicized Honda emblem, the Hyundai logo has a hidden meaning. It is also meant as a stylised handshake of trust between two people, indicating company and consumer, with the company leaning in.
In 2017, the logo was altered, removing the 3D metallic effect for a flat appearance to project a new look for the company, inspired by its Korean roots.
INFINITI
This has two official interpretations, both concerning the upward-facing triangle. The first is that it is a highway, facing towards the future – appropriate, given that the brand was code-named ‘Horizon’ while under development. The second is that it depicts Mount Fuji, representing the Japanese brand’s nationality and the highest point of quality.
In 2023 the logo was altered slightly, most notably the upward triangle no longer meeting at a point to place a greater emphasis on the horizon, signalling a renewed focus on customer experience.
