Logos - Automobile industry - III

Porsche


Professor Ferdinand Porsche started a company called “Dr. ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH” in 1931, in Stuttgart. It offered motor vehicle development work and consulting but did not build any cars under its own name during the initial period. One of the first assignments the new company received was from the German government to design a car for the people, a “Volkswagen” . This resulted in the birth of Volkswagen Beetle. The first Porsche, the Porsche 64, was developed in 1939 using many components from the Beetle.

In 1945 the Volkswagen factory fell into the hands of the British and Ferdinand Porsche was arrested for war crimes. Ferdinand Porsche’s son, Ferry Porsche, decided to build his own car because he could not find an existing one that he wanted to buy. The first models of what was to become the 356 were built in a small sawmill in Gmünd, Austria and this model is considered by many as the first car of Porsche.

The Porsche’s company logo was based on the coat of arms of Free people's State of Württemberg which had Stuttgart as its capital and became part of Baden- Württemberg after the political consolidation of West Germany in 1949.

Flag of Württemberg

Coat of arms of Stuttgart

Weimar-era Württemberg coat of arms

Peugeot

(Source: Peugeot)

Goldsmith and engraver, Julien Blazer, designed the first Peugeot emblem of lion walking on an arrow at the request of Jules and Emile Peugeot, the founders of Peugeot Frères in 1847. Having started as a pepper, salt, coffee mill manufacturer in 1842, the manufacturing of the saw blades brought success to the family business.

The Lion in 1858 (Source: Peugeot)

The Lion was engraved in the saw and the laminated edge tools manufactured by the company. The strong teeth like that of the lion, the suppleness of the blade like the lion's spine and the swiftness of the cut made comparison of the saw with the lion easier. In order to identify the three levels of quality, other logos were used like a crescent moon and a hand.

The Peugeot lion went through a number of changes over the years. The merger of Armand Peugeot's company and Eugène Peugeot's sons in 1910 saw a haughtiness in the face of the lion that was reminiscent of the majestic Lion of Belfort, created after the war of 1870.

The lion in combat for cycles - with or without engines - and a lion's head on a shield for automobiles came later on. In 1927, it could be seen crouching on three legs and perched on a spur on the edge of a precipice, ready to pounce on its prey, and in 1932 the graphics were modernised.

Lion in 1925 (Source: Peugeot)

Lion in 1936 (Source: Peugeot)

In 1948, the lion standing on its hind legs was borrowed from the Franche-Comté coat of arms.

The Franche-Comté coat of arms

Lion in 1950 (Source: Peugeot)

From 1965 onwards, only the head was shown, which was framed in a shield.

Lion in 1965 (Source: Peugeot)

Three years later the curved lines of this image were abandoned in favour of an angular design enclosed in a square.


In September 1958, the little roaring lion mascot that had adorned the bonnet of Peugeot since the 1930s were discontinued for security reasons. The year 1976 saw the return of the lion, with just its outline.

Lion in 1980s (Source: Peugeot)

1998 saw the birth of the lion in a metallic block on a blue square background. This latest change was slightly reworked in 2002.


In May 1976, the Peugeot-Citroën group was created by the merger of Citroën SA and Peugeot SA in which Peugeot took over Citroën. PSA Peugeot-Citroën holds 100% of the two automakers. The birth of PSA Peugeot-Citroën, formerly known as Peugeot Société Anonyme, though comprises of the two brands that makes use of a common technology, development and assembly assets has a separate marketing and sales structure.

Logo of PSA Peugeot Citroën