Case study · Automotive · 7 min read

Why carmakers flattened their logos, 2019–2024

Volkswagen, BMW, Nissan, Kia, Audi, Ford and Honda moved to two-dimensional marks. Here is what each company said about the change, and what it means for the files you download.

Written by: SimilarLogo Editorial
First written: 10 September 2026
Updated: 24 September 2026
Sources: 9 cited below

How this article was checked. It was drafted with AI assistance and rewritten on 24 September 2026 so that each dated or attributed claim links to a source in the list at the end.It has not yet been reviewed by a named editor. Where sources disagree, the text says so. Report an error.

At a glance

Between 2019 and 2024, several carmakers replaced three-dimensional, chrome-effect emblems with flat, two-dimensional versions. By July 2020 Dezeen counted Nissan, BMW, MINI and Volkswagen among them.^[1]
Volkswagen and Nissan cited digital use directly, and BMW introduced its flat logo for online and offline communication.^[2]^[5]^[3]
A flat logo in communications does not always mean a new badge on the car. BMW, for example, kept its existing badge on vehicles.^[3]

Change by change

The table lists each change with the date given by the company or, where the company made no announcement, by press coverage.

Brand	When	What changed	Where it is used
Volkswagen	September 2019	A flat, two-dimensional logo “reduced to its essential elements”, shown at the IAA in Frankfurt with the ID.3.^[2]	Brand-wide, including about 70,000 logos at dealer and service sites in 171 markets.^[2]
BMW	March 2020	A pared-down, two-dimensional logo, with an additional transparent version.^[3]	Online and offline communication only; not on vehicles or dealership signage.^[3]
Nissan	July 2020	A redesigned logo with “a two-dimensional impression”; the Ariya was the first car to carry it.^[5]	Vehicles and digital media; Nissan’s electric vehicles get an illuminated version lit by 20 LEDs.^[5]
Kia	January 2021	A new logo drawn to resemble a handwritten signature.^[6]	Corporate logo, launched with the slogan “Movement that inspires”.^[6]
Audi	November 2022	Flat rings on vehicles, no longer raised or chrome. Audi had used two-dimensional rings digitally since 2016.^[7]	All new Audi vehicles.^[7]
Ford	September 2023	A flatter Blue Oval with a white border in place of chrome and larger script.^[8]	First seen on the 2024 F-150; Ford did not announce it in its press materials.^[8]
Honda	January 2024	A new “H mark” shown at CES 2024.^[9]	Next-generation Honda EVs, including the Honda 0 Series.^[9]

What the companies said

Volkswagen, 2019

Volkswagen described its new logo as having “a flat two-dimensional design” that is “clearer and has been reduced to its essential elements”, and said the new brand design is “intended for digital applications”.^[2]

BMW, 2020

BMW introduced its new brand design on 3 March 2020 for online and offline communication. Jens Thiemer, BMW’s Senior Vice President for Customer and Brand, said: “BMW is becoming a relationship brand. The new communication logo stands for openness and clarity.” The press release states that the logo would not be used on vehicles or on dealership signage, where the existing logo remained.^[3] The Red Dot Design Award credits the brand design relaunch to BECC Agency GmbH of Munich.^[4]

Nissan, 2020

Nissan says work on the new logo began in 2017, when Alfonso Albaisa, its senior vice president of global design, gave the design team the keywords “thin, light and flexible”. The 20 LEDs in the illuminated version correspond to the number of years between logo redesigns, and in some digital and video uses the logo is animated.^[5]

Kia, 2021

Kia said: “The rhythmical, unbroken line of the logo conveys Kia’s commitment to bringing moments of inspiration, while its symmetry demonstrates confidence.” It unveiled the logo with a drone and firework display over Incheon, Korea.^[6]

Honda, 2024

Honda says its new H mark, “like two outstretched hands”, expresses its determination to pursue transformation, and that it will be used on next-generation EVs including the Honda 0 Series.^[9]

What this means for the files you download

BMW’s announcement separates the logo used in communication from the badge fitted to its cars, and files for other brands can differ in the same way. When you look for a carmaker’s logo, check which one you need:

Communication logo. Where a brand has a separate communication logo, as BMW does, that is the version it intends for websites, apps and print.^[3] Use it subject to the owner’s conditions.
Vehicle badge. A photograph or model of the physical badge may still show chrome or depth. BMW’s badge on vehicles did not change in 2020.^[3]
Marks for a model range. Honda says its new H mark will be used on next-generation EVs.^[9] Check whether a file shows that mark or Honda’s corporate logo before labelling it “the Honda logo”.
Dates. A file’s year label in this archive describes that file. The dates in this article come from the sources cited, not from file names.

Each brand record in the archive lists the files it holds, where they came from and the conditions that apply. A record is not a licence to use the mark.

In this archive