BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Motor Company. The company was established in 1913 and based in Munich, Germany. It started out as an aero engine manufacturer, hence the company logo. The logo comprised of four quadrants of alternating white and blue color. It is a stylized representation of an airplane propeller spinning against the clear blue sky. The logo represents a white propeller blade against a blue sky. It reflects the origins of BMW as a maker of military aircraft engines during WWI. Also, white and blue are the traditional colors of Bavaria.

The Audi badge the ‘Four Rings’ is the emblem of one of the oldest car manufacturers in Germany. It symbolizes the 1932 merger of the four independent motor-vehicle manufacturers: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer. Together with the NSU brand, which joined in 1969, these companies are the roots of the present-day AUDI AG. After the war the Audi name – which is Latin for “Hear!” – disappeared, but was revived in 1965, using the four rings as a logo. Also, the name is sort of a pun on ‘hoerch’, German for ‘hear’, name of one of the founders.  The company itself is more than a century old.The new logo, released in September 2009 changes the font and also improves on the 3-dimensional aspect of the rings. Auto Famous Brand Names

The Mercedes-Benz logo is one of the most famous brands in the world. The Benz logo is a simplistic three-pointed star that represents its domination of the land, the sea, and the air. The famous three-pointed star was designed by Gottlieb Daimler to show the ability of his motors for land, air and sea-usage. It was first seen on a Daimler in 1909, and was combined with the Benz laurel wreath in 1926 to signify the union of the two firms. Mercedes-Benz is the world’s oldest automobile manufacturer.

All racing fans are very familiar with the famous Ferrari “prancing horse” symbol. The famous symbol of Ferrari is a black prancing horse on yellow background, usually with the letters S F for Scuderia Ferrari. The horse was originally the symbol of Count Francesco Baracca, a legendary “asso” (ace) of the Italian air force during World War I, who painted it on the side of his planes. Baracca died very young on June 19, 1918, shot down after 34 victorious duels and many team victories.
He soon became a national hero. Baracca had wanted the prancing horse on his planes because his squad, the “Battaglione Aviatori”, was enrolled in a Cavalry regiment (air forces were at their firstHe soon became a national hero. Baracca had wanted the prancing horse on his planes because his squad, the “Battaglione Aviatori”, was enrolled in a Cavalry regiment (air forces were at their first years of life and had no separate administration), and also because he himself was reputed to be the best cavalier of his team.The Scuderia Ferrari logo Coat of Arms of the City of Stuttgart. It has been supposed that the choice of a horse was perhaps partly due to the fact that his noble family was known for having plenty of horses in their estates at Lugo di Romagna. Another theory suggests Baracca copied the rampant horse design from a shot down German pilot having the emblem of the city of Stuttgart on his plane. Interestingly, German sports car manufacturer Porsche, from Stuttgart, borrowed its prancing horse logo from the city’s emblem. Furthermore astonishing: Stuttgart is an over the centuries modified version of Stutengarten (an ancient germen word for “Gestüt”, translated into English  as mare garden or stud farm, into Italian as “scuderia”).On June 17, 1923, Enzo Ferrari won a race at the Savio track in Ravenna, and there he met the Countess Paolina, mother of Baracca. The Countess asked that he use the horse on his cars, suggesting that it would grant him good luck, but it the first race at which Alfa would let him use the horse on Scuderia cars was eleven years later, at SPA 24 Hours in 1932. Ferrari won. Ferrari left the horse black as it had been on Baracca’s plane; however, he added a yellow background because it was the symbolic color of his birthplace, Modena. The prancing horse has not always identified the Ferrari brand only: Fabio Taglioni used it on his Ducati motorbikes. Taglioni’s father was in fact a companion of Baracca’s and fought with him in the 91st Air Squad, but as Ferrari’s fame grew, Ducati abandoned the horse; this may have been the result of a private agreement between the two brands. The prancing horse is now a trademark of Ferrari. Auto Famous Brand Names

I own a Toyota Camry and never gave much thought to what the logo meant. From far it looked like a T to me, which stood for Toyota. While doing the research for this logo, I found out that it is actually three ellipses depicting the heart of the customer, the heart of the product, and the ever-expanding technological advancements and boundless opportunities that lie ahead.One website even described it as a cowboy with a big hat.I finally found the official explanation from Toyota 

The current Toyota Mark consists of three ovals: the two perpendicular center ovals represent a relationship of mutual trust between the customer and Toyota.  These ovals combine to symbolize the letter “T” for Toyota.  The space in the background implies a global expansion of Toyota’s technology and unlimited potential for the future.

The Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) is a South Korean company manufacturing automobiles. Their automobiles are available in many countries around the globe. In 2003 it was South Korea’s largest car maker and the world’s seventh largest car maker.Its slogan is “Drive your way”. Hyundai Motor Company is a division of Hyundai Motor Group which also manages Kia MotorsThe Hyundai logo seen above is appears to be an oval shaped H (symbolizing Hyundai). It is also supposed to be symbolic of the company’s desire to expand. The ovaloid shape indicates the company’s global expansion and the slanted, stylized ‘H’ is symbolic of two people (specifically the company and customer) shaking hands.

The Citroen logo looks like something you might see on an American cartoon soldier – two inverted Vs. Andre Citroen – imagine one of those old black and white photographs with an ancient man in a white beard – started in the motor trade by building gear wheels before branching out into the motorcar, and the twin chevrons << are meant to represent gear teeth in honor of the old engineer’s early fettlings. Auto Famous Brand Names

The company’s famous “double chevron” logo derives from André Citroën’s early business in gear-cutting the company pioneered mass production of double helically-cut gear teeth, which mesh together in a chevron.

Lamborghini is an Italian manufacturer of high performance sports cars based in the small Italian village of Sant’Agata Bolognese, near Bologna. Lamborghini is now a subsidiary of German car manufacturer Audi AG, which is in turn a subsidiary of Volkswagen. Lamborghini is the main counterpart to Ferrari in the Italian sports car business. The Italian company was founded in 1963 by businessman Ferruccio Lamborghini, who owned a successful tractor factory.The Lamborghini Charging Bull Logo stands for the founder’s, Ferruccio Lamborghini, zodiacal sign (Taurus). Most of the company’s cars have been named after famous fighting bulls (oddly most have been Spanish bulls not Italian).

Interestingly it is said that the choice of an animal and the colors used on the logo (gold on a black background, and a charging bull) are suspiciously similar to the Ferrari logo (a black horse on a yellow background). It is believed that this was no accident on the part of Lamborghini, who had a long standing (and not always friendly) rivalry with Ferrari.

The FIAT name is an acronym for FabbricaItalianaAutomobili Torino (Italian Car Factory of Turin), founded by a group of investors–Giovanni Agnelli among them–in 1899. The current Fiat logo has the letters F-I-A-T written with a silver line between each of them. The lines were added by the company’s design chief when one day passing under the factory, he noticed the sky at the backdrop of the huge FIAT letters on the top of the building. The lines added are actually the spaces that he saw in the name over the building and decided to keep it.FIAT was founded in Turin on July 12, 1899. The first plant, inaugurated in 1900 at Corso Dante, had 235 employees and produced 24 automobiles. The first automobile to bear the Fiat brand name was a model 4 HP. Auto Famous Brand Names

The Ford oval trademark is one of the best-known corporate symbols in the world and has been in regular use for more than 50 years. The script trademark dates back to the very beginning of the company when Henry Ford’s engineering assistant developed a stylised version of the words “Ford Motor Company”.This last logo is the blue oval that Ford released in 2003 in honor of the 100 years Ford Motor Company had been around. It was named the “Centennial Blue Oval”.

Jaguar Cars Limited is a British based luxury car manufacturer, originally with headquarters in Browns Lane, Coventry, England but now at Whitley, Coventry. It was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922,by two motorcycle enthusiasts, William Lyons and William Walmsley,  and changed its name to Jaguar in 1945. The company has been owned by Ford since 1989.The Jaguar logo is a Jaguar leaping across the company name. The leaping Jaguart is possibly built to represent the speed, power and quickness of the car. The Jaguar emblem is also placed on the front of the car.

Subaru is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries Co., Ltd (FHI). FHI was established on July 15, 1953 when five Japanese companies, known as Fuji Kogyo, Fuji Jidosha Kogyo, Omiya Fuji Kogyo, Utsunomiya Sharyo and Tokyo Fuji Sangyo, joined to form one of Japan’s largest manufacturers of transportation equipment. Subaru is known mainly for its all-wheel drive vehicles such as the Subaru Forester and the Outback.The company is influenced by the star cluster Pleiades. In Japanese the cluster name is “Subaru”, which roughly translated into English means, “to govern”, “unite,” or “gather together”.  The large star in the logo represents Fuji Heavy Industries, and the five smaller stars represent the current five companies that are united under the FHI group. In essense the logo represent the unification of 5 companies mentioned above to become one large entity called the Fuji Heavy Industry. Auto Famous Brand Names

The Kia logos is very simplistic, consisting of the letters K I and A in white with a Red background. The A however is designed differently and is missing the horizontal bar in between. I am not sure if it was done to give it an East Asian touch.Kia Motors Company is a South Korean automobile manufacturer. Kia was founded in 1944
as as a bicycle parts maker and now produces passenger cars, vans and cargo trucks. Kia produced
the old Mazda brand cars. In October 1998, Hyundai was named the winning bidder for 51 percent of the parent company, Kia Motors Corp. The word Kia has origins in the Chinese language with the first syllable, ki, meaning to “arise or come up out of.” The second part of the word, a, refers to Asia. So when you put it all together, Kia means to “arise or come up out of Asia.”  Its slogan is “The Power to Surprise”.

Mazda Motor Corporation is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Hiroshima, Japan.
It is said that Mazda coincides with the anglicized pronunciation of the founder’s name, Jujiro Matsuda, who was interested in spirituality, and chose to rename the firm in honor of both his family and Zoroastrianism. The word Mazda derives from Ahura Mazda, the Avestan language name for a divinity exalted by the ancient Iranian prophet Zoroaster, as the source of wisdom, intelligence and harmony.The current logo attempts to capture the spirit of Mazda, the stylised “M” evokes an image of wings in flight and symbolises the Mazda’s flight toward the future. The “V” in the centre of the “M” spreads out like an opening fan, representing the creativity, vitalty, flexibilty and passion that is Mazda. The symbol as a whole expresses the sharp, solid feeling that Mazda will be seeking in all of its products. The dynamic circle symbolises our readiness to spread our wings as we enter the 21st century.

The Mitsubishi Group is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy.The Mitsubishi group of companies form a loose entity, the Mitsubishi Keiretsu, which is often referenced in US and Japanese media and official reports; in general these companies all descend from the zaibatsu of the same name.The name “Mitsubishi” refers to the three-diamond emblem. “Mitsubishi” is a combination of the words mitsu and hishi. Mitsu means three. Hishi means water chestnut, and Japanese have used the word for a long time to denote a rhombus or diamond shape. Japanese often bend the “h” sound to a “b” sound when it occurs in the middle of a word. So they pronounce the combination of mitsu and hishi as mitsubishi.There are also some alternate interpretations of the logoThe logo for this successful worldwide Japanese automobile manufacturer is made up of three points that symbolise trust, integrity and openness. The logo is based on the merger of two age-old Japanese dynasties who used a coat of arms with three similar diamond patterns.
Mitsubishi built its first car in 1917. The company itself goes back to 1870, when it built its first ships – the three diamonds represent a ship’s propellers.

The Peugot lion logo is a strong visual brand for the Peugot car. The first lion is designed for marking saw blades and steel products. It symbolizes the three qualities of Peugeot saw blades: the toughness of the teeth, the flexibility of the blade, and the speed of the cut. In 1850 the lion image appeared for the first time on the ‘Peugeot Bros’ arrow. Initially put on saw blades, this logo was registered in 1858, and for many years would mark the tools manufactured by the brand. Now called the ‘Blue Brand’, the logo changes again to better reflect the Peugeot brand’s ambitions. Still complete and metallized, it has had black added to the blue to show the lion’s shadow. Balanced in shape and proportions, the logo and the car Brand are by now indivisible: unity creates strength.

Pontiac is a brand of automobiles first produced in 1926, and sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico by General Motors (GM), marketed as an “athletic” brand specializing in mainstream performance vehicles.The Pontiac brand was introduced by General Motors in 1926 as the ‘companion’ marque to GM’s Oakland Motor Car line. The Pontiac name was first used in 1906 by the Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works. The name was taken from Chief Pontiac, an American Indian chief who led an unsuccessful uprising against the British shortly after the French and Indian War. The Oakland Motor Company and Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works Company merged in November 1908 under the name of the Oakland Motor Car Company. The operations of both companies were joined together in Pontiac, Michigan (of Oakland County) to build the Cartercar. General Motors in 1909 purchased Oakland.

The Rolls Royce logo consisting of the two Rs  or the double R clearly stands for the Rolls and Royce, the two founders of this car manufacturing company.  There is nothing special about the design of the logo, but the brand name is so strong, the logo looks special.  In 1998, BMW the option on the trademarks, licensing the name and “RR” logo for £40m.In 1884 Frederick Henry Royce started an electrical and mechanical business. He made his first car, a “Royce”, in his Manchester factory in 1904. He was introduced to Charles Stewart Rolls in a Manchester hotel on the May 4 that year, and the pair agreed a deal where Royce would manufacture cars, to be sold exclusively by Rolls. A clause was added to the contract, stipulating the cars would be called “Rolls-Royce”.

Renault is a French automaker producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and trucks. Due to its alliance with Nissan, it is currently the world’s 4th largest automaker behind General Motors, Toyota and Ford. It owns the Romanian automaker Dacia and the Korean automaker Renault Samsung Motors. The company is well known for numerous revolutionary designs, security technologies, and motor racing. Producing cars since late 1898, the Renault corporation was founded in 1899 as Société Renault Frères by Louis Renault, his brothers Marcel and Fernand, and his friends Thomas Evert and Julian Wyer.

The Volvo Group is a Swedish supplier of commercial vehicles such as trucks, buses and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace components and financial services. Volvo was founded on 14 April 1927 in the city of Gothenburg, as a spin-off from the roller ball bearing maker SKF.The name Volvo means “I roll” in Latin and is derived from the Latin word “volvere” which means “to roll”.  The name originated from the original company that manufactured bearings for the car industry. The logo for Volvo is the ancient symbol of Iron, which is a circle with an arrow pointed diagonally upwards to the right. This symbol also represented “Mars, the God of War” and also the symbol for “Man” as well.  Volvo cars are also traditionally known for the safety features. The iron symbol was used to also reflect the strong tradition of th Swedish Iron Industry along with its properties such as safety, quality and durability. The name of the car “Volvo” also runs across the logo against a blue background.The Volvo car and brand was sold to Ford in 1999.

Maybach and Mercedes: Partners from Day One:Wilhelm Maybach was one of the first engineers in Germany. He designed the first Mercedes in 1901, and, along with his son Karl, created the first Maybach W1 concept in 1919. The car debuted as the Maybach W3 at the 1921 Berlin Auto Show with a 5.7L V6 engine, which Maybach later sold to fellow luxury car maker Spyker in Holland. Maybach the man also worked with Graf Zeppelin (no relation to Led) on engines for the airships that bore his name. Zeppelins and Limos:Maybach’s next milestone came in the Type Zeppelin DS8, which debuted in 1929. This car had a huge 7L V12 with 200 hp and a top speed of 93 mph.