Why are car brands changing their logos?

For some car brands it is a little less about fixing but rather reinventing when it comes to updating a brand logo. The same way someone might colour or cut off their hair after a relationship ends or buy a new bag when starting a new job. It’s just cosmetic after all.

Recently a few of the world’s biggest and most well known car brands decided to freshen up their logos for the new decade, one a little more subtle than the other.

So why are logos important and what impact can a logo change have on sales and the public’s perception of a car brand? According to carsales Senior Designer, Andrew Panozzo, “Changing a brand’s logo is never a simple decision so when it happens there has to be a good reason. Did someone mention Dieselgate? I did but I think I got away with it.”

Volkswagen decided to flatten and simplify the iconic stacked V W inside a circle and it is expected to be seen on the roads in the form of the new Golf shortly.

According to VW, the reason for the change to a simple two dimensional logo is for greater flexibility of usage in the digital world, to make it more modern and more human and authentic.

"The new brand design marks the start of the new era for Volkswagen," says Jürgen Stackmann, Member of the Brand Board of Management responsible for Sales, Marketing and After-Sales. "By formulating new content and with new products, the brand is undergoing a fundamental transformation towards a future with a neutral emission balance for everyone. Now is the right time to make the new attitude of our brand visible to the outside world."

After Dieselgate, the brand had been so badly tarnished in certain key markets throughout Europe and North America that it needed a fresh new look and some new guiding principles. Since the 2014 revelations, VW has phased out diesel vehicles and has pushed hard to release a range pure-electric vehicles including the ID.3. The new logo's flexible and simple design means it can sit on the nose of the car and instead of being made of chrome like the old logo, it can be illuminated with backing lights. According to Volkswagen:

“As in the case of the vehicle, light will also play a key role in communications. Light is the new chromium. In future, the logo will be illuminated, on the vehicle, at the brand locations and at the dealerships.”

A simplified humanized logo and the use of light, both very symbolic but will it work to reverse damage done by Dieselgate?

“It really feels the whole saga has accelerated VW’s shift towards Hybrid and EV platform vehicles and if any manufacturer had to draw a line in the sand, they did." Says Panozzo. "The revised VW logo presents its self as less bloated and a new beginning even if it’s only a subtle change, after all we still love VW and we’re prepared to forgive.”

Still in Germany, BMW has decided to spice up their look by also simplifying the iconic badge. Again, a flat logo with more simplified colours and now a transparent ring instead of a black one surrounding the blue and white checks. The logo first made an appearance on the i4 electric concept car.

Hardly groundbreaking but very on trend. According to BMW the reason for the refresh of a logo which has remained basically the same since its inception in 1916 was about conveying openness and clarity to its customers. "The additional transparent version of the logo is a more open invitation than ever for customers to join the world of BMW. The change reflects BMW's transition from centering purely on the automotive world to being about technology and connections."

Very marketing, and very zen. Namaste.

Like Volkswagen, the simplified logo gives them an opportunity to be a bit more playful in an ever increasing digitalised world. A ‘digitalised’ logo also allows BMW to compete a little harder against the might of the Mercedes-Benz youth focused marketing. They had ASAP Rocky in their ads!

But what effect does changing an iconic brand logo do to how consumers feel about your brand? “It’s all about the change in the brand’s environment.” Says Panozzo.

"I believe this is where BMW sits. The automotive world, and the world at large is experiencing an environmental shift in attitudes. Sustainability is a hot topic and automotive brands are responding to consumer demand and government emission timelines.

"It feels like BMW have pivoted towards this future with a revised logo that feels fresh while still being very much BMW. Sure, the design changes are subtle but it’s enough to give the feeling that the brand has had an awakening of sorts and I personally feel it says, ‘Watch this space’."

A brand we are hearing logo changing whispers about is KIA. Unlike Volkswagen and BMW, KIA does not command the same type of positive retro nostalgia and brand salience as the Germans so a logo change seems more warranted.

In recent times, KIA has skyrocketed up the sales charts and has begun to show a personality and purpose in its product offering. This new logo first surfaced on a 2019 concept car called Imagine by KIA, which definitely shows a more sporty, modern and adventurous attitude.

More whispers too on a logo update for Japanese stalwart Nissan. The recently spotted logo shows again, a simplified flat design which keeps the style of the current logo but modernises it. It was first seen on the brand’s electric SUV concept called Ariya.

According to Panozzo, design has a tendency to date so it’s obvious why companies update their logos, they’re responding to ‘modern aesthetics’.

"This is more relevant, but not restricted to brands that have a fair bit of history. Just Google, ‘logo history’ of brands like Shell, Pepsi and Mercedes and you’ll see some great logo timelines.

"Indeed Volkswagen and BMW both have interesting logo timelines and history as well. Of course even more recent brands like Apple and Google have also had aesthetic logo updates over the last 20+ years. Ah, I fondly remember the serif fonts of the 80’s."

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