ACURA
From the Latin acutus which meant sharpen and source of the word accurate. Originally pronounced ah-koo-ra. Honda launched the luxury and performance car division in 1986. The logo is inspired by a caliper, a precise design tool representing meticulous attention to detail.
AUDI
A reference to founder, August Horch who previously started the Horch car brand in 1904. After disputes with the CFO, he left and launched the Audi company in 1909. Horch means listen in German and audi means listen in Latin. The Four Rings logo came about in the 1930s when Audi joined forces with Horch, DKW, and Wanderer to form Auto Union, which eventually became Audi as we know it today. Audi is currently part of the Volkswagen Group.
BMW
The initials stand for Bayerische Motorenwerke which translates to Bavarian Engine Works. The company was founded in 1916 as an aircraft engine manufacturer. The circle logo quartered in blue and white represent the colors of the Bavarian flag, not a spinning aircraft propeller as is often assumed.
BUICK
Named for Scottish inventor David Dunbar Buick who left his plumbing business to found the original company. Founded in 1899, Buick is the oldest surviving car brand in America. The Tri-Shield logo is rooted in the Buick family Coat of Arms and has been stylized several times over the history of the company. Buick was the primary company to form General Motors in 1908.
CADILLAC
Cadillac was formed from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company. After a dispute with his investors, Henry Ford left the company and Henry Leland was called in to appraise and continue manufacturing. The new company, founded in 1902 was named as an homage to French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, who founded the city of Detroit. Cadillac was purchased by General Motors in 1909. The shield logo is based on his family Coat of Arms. For many years, Cadillac was once considered the standard of luxury, but the flagship of GM fell on hard times. But in the last decade, the company has produced a reborn series of cars to rival the best European luxury has to offer. In 2023, a Cadillac hypercar took 3rd place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
CHEVROLET
Founded in 1911 by French/Swiss racer and bicycle repairman Louis Chevrolet, his brother, Arthur, and business entrepreneur William Durant. The nickname Chevy appeared in the 1930s. The Bow Tie logo was introduced in 1913, suggested by Durant himself. There are multiple stories regarding his inspiration for the logo but originally, blue was for cars and gold for trucks. Durant would eventually use Chevrolet Motor Car Company to leverage and gain control of General Motors in 1918, reinstating himself as company president.
CHRYSLER
Founded in 1925 as a reorganization of the Maxwell Motor Company by Walter P. Chrysler, whose name is German in origin, possibly related to a word meaning spinning top. The first Chrysler logo was a blue-ribboned medal, but the well-known Pentastar didn’t debut until 1962 and was used until 2014. The Auburn Hills Headquarters building still has the Five-Point Star glass window at its peak. Chrysler went through several partnerships with Mitsubishi, Lamborghini, and Daimler-Benz. They eventually merged with Fiat Group to become FCA, who is now owned by Stellantis.
DODGE
Founded in 1900 by two brothers, Horace Elgin and John Francis Dodge, former parts and assemblies suppliers to Ford, Dodge Brothers was acquired by Chrysler in 1928. The Dodge brand has always been synonymous with performance, and many of their models are now coveted examples of legendary muscle cars. The Dodge Logo evolved several times over the decades but pointed stars for automobiles and ram badges for trucks remained a constant. Dodge is most well-known for the “Fratzog” three-pointed badge introduced in 1962, and recently revived for upcoming electric cars. The current Dodge name over the slanted racing stripes first appeared in 2010. Today, Dodge remains part of Stellantis.
FERRARI
Named for race driver and company founder Enzo Ferrari. His name traces back to the Latin word ferrum which means “iron.” Founded in 1939, they produced their first road car in 1947. Ferrari is now one of the leading exotic automakers in the world, and remains a strong force in auto racing. The Prancing Horse badge originated from deceased flying ace Francesco Baracca, whose mother asked Ferrari to use the design for good luck. Ferrari accepted, and used the logo on his Alfa-Romeo 8C race car in 1932. The Ferrari 125S became the first production road car to wear the badge in 1947.
FIAT
The name stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino which translates to Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin. The company traces its history back to its first car built in 1899. Giovanni Angnelli headed up a group of nine men that founded the company. Fiat is the largest automaker in Italy, and the third largest automaker in the world. The FIAT logo has changed many times but the first to use the FIAT initials was in 1901. The red shield background appeared in 1931. Today, FIAT is a large division of Stellantis.
FORD
Founded by Henry Ford in 1903, Ford Motor Company is one of the largest auto/truck builders in the world. Ford was the pioneer of assembly line manufacturing and low-cost transportation for the masses. During WWII, their Willow Run plant produced 8685 B-24 bombers. The Ford name means to cross a river in a shallow place. The Ford logo has seen many subtle changes but has remained constant. The oval shape came from a British auto group that would eventually become Ford of Europe, who gave Henry Ford an oval award for quality and economy. The script is based on Ford’s signature, and the Blue Oval has become one of the most recognized logos in the world. The Ford F-150 truck remains one of the largest mass-produced vehicles in history.
GENESIS
The Genesis Motor Company LLC, known as simply Genesis, was originally a high-end luxury model produced by Hyundai in 2004. The nameplate was broken off as a separate marque in 2015. The word genesis means origin or formation, both of which apply to the cars and company. The winged logo design was chosen as a premium brand status, such as those used by Aston-Martin and Bentley. The wings are also a symbol of speed.
HONDA
Founded in 1948 by Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa, Honda is a multi-national conglomerate producing everything from motorcycles, generators, watercraft, and aircraft in addition to their automotive businesses. The name Honda means original field in Japanese. The founder regrets the company was named after him, saying it should be something that benefits society versus glorifying one person. The Honda logo is broader at the top to denote arms outstretched to the sky. This is meant to follow the company slogan, The Power of Dreams. Honda has been the world’s largest producer of motorcycles since 1959, cresting a milestone number of 400 million total motorcycles built by the end of 2019.
HYUNDAI
This multi-national manufacturer was founded in South Korea by Chung Ju-yung in 1967. The name means modernity in Korean, and the tilted “H” in their logo suggests both motion and two people connecting via a handshake. Hyundai is ranked 4th in the world for its intellectual property and 141 industrial design publications for innovative manufacturing. They operate six research and development centers, three in South Korea, and three others in Germany, Japan, and India. Additionally, they run a dedicated design complex in California to produce vehicles strictly for the North American market.
INFINITI
This is the luxury division of the Japanese automaker NISSAN launched in 1989. The name is a marketing play on the word infinity and the logo depicts a road stretching to an infinite horizon. It also has the double meaning of projecting the image of Mt Fuji, in reference to their Japanese roots. Today, INFINITI vehicles are sold in over 25 markets with their largest presence in the United States, China, and the Middle East.
JAGUAR
The company was originally founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922 before extending into full car bodies, then complete cars after partnership with Standard Motor Company, offering several models with the Jaguar name. The company was known as SS Cars but changed their name to Jaguar Cars in 1945 to avoid any implied association with Nazis. The company has passed through many owners in its history. Tata Motors is the current parent company. The Jaguar cat badge is called “The Leaping Jaguar” and represents “grace, elegance, performance, power, and the ambition to leap forward.”
JEEP
Previous to 1940, the military slang term “jeep” denoted the acronym “GP” meaning General Purpose. Army personnel used the term for any new recruit or vehicle. Before the US entered WWII, the government issued requests to 135 companies to build the new vehicle and only two responded, Bantam and Willys. The companies were given 49 days to produce a working prototype to spec. Bantam didn’t have the capacity to mass produce, so the design was handed over to Ford. Despite multiple owners, Jeep remains headquartered in Toledo Ohio, but they are built and sold worldwide. The Jeep badge has changed little in its history, but each model retains the signature seven-slotted grill design, denoting the seven continents of the globe. Today, Jeep is part of Stellantis.
KIA
Kia Motors Corporation was formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industries whose parent company is Hyundai. The name KIA comes from Sino-Korean characters mean “arise” and “Asia,” which translates to “Rising from Asia.” Kyungsung was founded in 1944 as a steel tubing manufacturer, and went on to produce bicycles. Over the following decades they partnered with various automakers to build cars and trucks under license. Kia produced their own cars in 1992, declared bankruptcy in 1997 after the Asian financial crisis, and became part of Hyundai in 1998. The KIA logo has seen little change since its inception but in 2021 the oval was dropped in favor of a more stylized font, along with the slogan, “movement that inspires.” KIA hired German designer Peter Schreyer in 2006 to remake their visual image and he made the “tiger nose” front end treatment a common theme across the entire KIA line-up.
LAMBORGHINI
Ferruccio Lamborghini was an Italian manufacturing magnate that founded Lamborghini Trattori in 1948 to produce farm tractors. In 1963, he founded Lamborghini Automobili S.p.A. to compete with Ferrari. There appears to be little information on the meaning of his name other than the possible Latin root “Lambere,” which means “to drink or taste.” Lamborghini succeeded in producing some of the most impactful and highly desired sports cars in history. Despite their success, the company has changed ownership several times, and today is owned by Volkswagen Group as part of their Audi Division. The “Raging Bull” logo is rooted in Lamborghini’s love of Spanish Bullfighting. The various model names have come from famed fighting bulls and matadors. Save for the Countach, which was an expletive said to have been uttered when one of the stylists first saw the prototype, and the name stuck.
LEXUS
Founded in 1989 as an upscale, luxury line of vehicles by Toyota, Lexus has grown to be the top Japanese luxury car brand. Created at roughly the same time as Infiniti and Acura competitors, the Toyota division has succeeded with both cars and utility vehicles. There has been speculation on the meaning of the name as a possible combination of “luxury and elegance,” or an acronym for “luxury exports to the US.” However, Toyota officials say the name has no specific meaning, that it only denotes a luxurious and technological image. The Lexus logo is a stylized “L” inside a similar oval as the Toyota logo.
LINCOLN
Lincoln Motor Company was founded by Henry Leland in 1917, and then acquired by Ford Motor Company in 1922, where it remains today as their premium luxury vehicle line. Originally named for Abraham Lincoln, they were known as Lincoln-Mercury from 1946 until the closure of Mercury in 2012. Lincoln is credited with creating the “personal luxury car” with the Continental in 1956. In 1927, the first Lincoln hood ornament was a greyhound, that changed to a knight’s helmet, to a shield with a cross, to a rocket, to the now familiar four-point star, used since 1958.
MAZDA
Mazda Motor Corp or Matsuda was founded originally by Jujiro Matsuda in 1920 for cork manufacturing. The company changed its name in 1927 to Toyo Kogyo Co. Ltd. When it began producing vehicles. The name Mazda was derived from Ahura Mazda, the god of harmony, intelligence, and wisdom. Mazda has used several marketing strategies but its most successful was introduced in 2000 with the slogan “Zoom-Zoom” to describe the emotion of motion. The Mazda logo has used different fonts of their name but the current symbol was first used 1997. The squared circle utilizes a pair of wings in V-shape to form the letter M. The symbol is said to stand for pursuing continuous growth and improvement while the wings signify flexible thinking and creativity.
MERCEDES
The company was founded by the merger of two automakers, Benz & Cie, founded in 1883 by Carl Benz, and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, founded in 1890 by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. In 1926, they agreed to name all their cars Mercedes-Benz. The name Mercedes is derived from the Latin “merced” which means wages or reward. While the company has been through its share of changes and mergers, they have remained a world-renowned automaker for luxury, quality, and innovation. Many features that are standard equipment on the majority of cars today were first offered by Mercedes-Benz. The three-point star has long been the corporate logo with the three points representing land, sea, and air, and the innovation of all three. The original vision of the company was to dominate all three of these venues with their engines.
MITSUBISHI
The company’s origin date back to 1917 when Mitsubishi Shipbuilding decided to build a seven -seat Model A. The result was expensive to produce and ended after only 22 units were complete, but it was still Japan’s first production car. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding merged with Mitsubishi Aircraft to become Mitsubishi Heavy Industries that produced ships, aircraft, trains, trucks, buses, and heavy machinery. In 1937, the built the PX33, an all-wheel-drive sedan for military use. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was broken into three parts in the post-WWII years, with each division producing different cars. It wasn’t until 1970 that Mitsubishi Motors was created to focus solely on car production. The three-pointed diamond logo was designed by the founder of Mitsubishi, Iwasaki Yataro, based on his family crest.
NISSAN
Masujiro Hashimoto founded the origin company in 1911, Kwaishinsha Jidosha Kojo which translates to A Good Company Automobile Manufacturer. They produced their first car in 1914 called DAT. The name was an acronym of the founding investors names. In 1925 the company was renamed DAT Jidosha Co. Ltd. (DAT Motorcar Co) After producing trucks for the military, they built another smaller car in 1931 called Datsun Type 11. Datsun stood for son of DAT. In 1928, Yoshisuke Aikawa founded the holding company Nihon-Sangyo which grew to own most of the machine foundries and auto parts business in Japan, one of which DAT Motorcars. In 1934, Aikawa separated the automotive business under the name Nissan Motors Co. Nissan was a stock exchange abbreviation of Nihon-Sangyo. The Nissan logo in emblematic of the rising sun, the national symbol of Japan, also known as The Land of the Rising Sun.
PEUGEOT
The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, and is regarded as the oldest car company in the world. In 1858, Émile Peugeot applied for the lion trademark. Armand Peugeot built the company’s first steam car. They joined forces with Léon Serpollet in 1886, and in 1890 produced an internal combustion car. The company has a long history in a variety of products from saw blades to bicycles and motorcycles in addition to its cars and trucks. Peugeot also has been prolific in motorsports for over a century with championships at almost every level of competition. They were one of the largest European automakers selling worldwide save for the USA, Canada and Korea. They are now part of the Stellantis automotive empire. The lion logo first appeared walking on an arrow to signify the speed and strength of Peugeot saw blades. The logo has seen variations over the years but remains the company icon.
PORSCHE
Ferdinand Porsche founded the company after his name in 1931. Initially, the company did consulting and design but didn’t build any cars on its own. One of their first and greatest contract projects was for the German government to build a peoples car, which resulted in the Volkswagen Beetle. (Volks-wagen translates to peoples car.) They would later build the Porsche 64 based on the Volkswagen design. Many consider the 356 to be the first true Porsche, made by Ferdinand’s son, Ferry, and the first car from Porsche Construction. Porsche is currently owned by Volkswagen Group but remains a world-renowned producer of performance cars, racing cars, and crossover vehicles. The Porsche logo is derived from the Coat of Arms of Wurttemberg, of which Stuttgart is the capital, where Porsche has been headquartered from their inception.
RENAULT
The Renault Corp was founded in 1899 by Louis Renault and his brothers Marcel and Fernand. Louis was the engineer while his brothers ran the business after leaving their father’s textile company. Renault has always been an innovator, building the first car with reverse gear, first 4-wheel disc brake system, and the first with brake diverter valves to distribute brake forces evenly between the wheels. Today, the Renault Group is a multi-national company that has built cars, trucks, and coaches along with rail and aircraft engines. The Renault logo was initially the interlocked initials of the three brothers, but then evolved to a circle before adopting the lozenge or diamond it uses today. The diamond has seen many revisions but has maintained the image of strength and consistency it is meant to represent.
ROLLS-ROYCE
Rolls-Royce Limited was a British luxury car and aircraft engine manufacturer established in 1904 through the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. The company eventually became nationally owned by the British. Today, the company has been split into Rolls-Royce Holdings which still builds aircraft engines, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, which is a subsidiary of BMW Group. The Logo of interlocking “RR” letters remains today, but since 1911, the Flying Angel hood ornament known as “The Spirit of Ecstasy” has been its best-known trademark.
SUBARU
Subaru is the automobile manufacturing division of the huge Japanese transportation conglomerate Subaru Corporation, formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries. Subarus are known for their trademark boxer engine design and full-time symmetrical all-wheel-drive system. The company began as Nakajima Aircraft Co, an aircraft research lab in 1915. After WWII, the company merged with several smaller operations for form Fuji Heavy Industries. CEO Kenji Kita decided to enter the automotive market with a car in development called the P1. Kita named this car himself “Subaru” which he said was “cherished in his heart.” The name and logo stand for the Pleiades star cluster, or the “Seven Sisters.” One of the sisters is said to be invisible, hence the six stars in the badge design.
SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor Corporation is a Japanese mobility manufacturer based in the seacoast city of Hamamatsu. They produce automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs, and a variety of small combustion engines. Founded in 1909 by Michio Suzuki as a loom weaving business for Japan’s silk industry. Despite enormous success, he felt diversification was important and moved to build prototype cars, then other vehicles followed. The Hayabusa sport bike introduced in 1999 still holds the crown of the worlds fastest production motorcycle. The Suzuki stylized “S” has been used as the company logo since 1958, and the surname Suzuki, which is quite common in Japan means “bell tree.” This is most likely in reference to the Snowbell Tree, which is native to Japan, rather than the percussion instrument.
TESLA
Tesla Inc. is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company, which designs, manufactures, and sells electric vehicles, stationary battery storage devices, solar panels, and charging infrastructure. The company was founded in 2003 as Tesla Motors Inc. by Marc Eberhard and Martin Tarpenning who wanted to create a car company that was also a technology company, including proprietary batteries, software, and motors. Ian Wright and Elon Musk both joined the company later as investors. Tesla has grown to become the largest electric vehicle manufacturer in the world with four factories in the United States, one in China, and another in Germany. The company was named for Nikola Tesla who invented the induction electric motor. The Tesla logo is a stylized “T” representing a section of an electric motor armature passing by the outer magnet stator.
TOYOTA
Toyota Motor Corp was founded in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda as a spin-off Toyoda Industries, a machine making business founded by Sakichi Toyoda (Kichiro’s father) Toyota is a Japanese multinational industry and the largest auto manufacturer in the world, producing 10 million vehicles annually. Toyota’s management and manufacturing philosophies and practices are industry standards that are studied and used worldwide. Vehicles were originally launched under the family name Toyoda, but after a public competition for a logo, the popular choice was three Katakana style letters inside an oval shape. However, Rizaburo Toyoda suggested changing the name to Toyota because in Japanese, it was visually simpler, sounded better, and only required eight brush strokes to write which is a lucky number in Japan. Also, Toyoda in Japanese means “fertile rice paddies” and the company did not wish to be associated with farming. As the company expanded into global markets, their logo was simply TOYOTA in all capitals. In 1989, to commemorate the 50th anniversary, they introduced the three interlocking ovals logo worldwide.
VOLKSWAGEN
Volkswagen was founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party. At that time, only 1 in 50 Germans owned a car and the People’s Car Project had been ongoing since the 1920s with little success. Ferdinand Porsche, well known for sports cars and racing, built the Volksauto prototype from the ground up in 1933. In 1934, Adolf Hitler became involved and ordered a state-run factory to build cars using the Volksauto design. He required a price only slightly higher than the cost of a motorcycle of the day. Since the end of WWII, Volkswagen grew and acquired other companies to become Volkswagen Group of today. In charge of nine other brands, with facilities in fifteen countries, they are now the third largest automaker in the world. The word volkswagen literally translates to “people’s car,” and the round logo of “VW” has seen few changes since its inception. The Volkswagen Beetle remains the most mass-produced car in the world.
VOLVO
Volvo Cars is a Swedish multinational manufacturer of luxury cars, wagons, and SUVs. They are separate from their parent company, AB Volvo, a producer of heavy trucks, buses, and construction equipment. Volvo Cars was sold to Ford Motor Company in 1999, who in turn sold it to Geely Automobile in 2010. Volvo Cars went public on Nasdaq Stockholm in 2021 with Geely still holding majority ownership. Volvo is world renowned for their safety features, and they pioneered technology in integrated safety cage construction, crumple zones, laminated glass, safety belts, impact absorbing steering column, blind spot monitoring, and collision warning braking support just to list a few. Both AB Volvo and Volvo Cars still share the same trademark name, which in Latin means “I roll.” The round logo with the arrow pointing to the right is the Greek alchemical symbol for iron. Today, Volvo Cars owns 48% of Polestar, the division for luxury and performance electric vehicles.
Now you know 😊
T. August Green
Thoughts from the Highway of Life 