Volkswagen Logo History

You’d know it anywhere — that circle with the V stacked atop a W can only mean one thing — Volkswagen! The iconic Volkswagen logo is one of the most recognizable on East St. Louis streets, no matter what model it’s on. Auffenberg Volkswagen has already filled you in on where Volkswagen got its name. Now, take a look at the VW logo history with us.

Volkswagen New Logo

Let’s start with something you might have noticed recently — there was a VW logo change in 2020. The new VW logo is two-dimensional, flat, and fresh, aiming for a minimalist look. It’s more open and clean than the old VW logo so that it works well on digital platforms. The designers behind the Volkswagen new logo have taken it down to its essential elements. Lead Volkswagen Designer Klaus Bischoff said, “My personal drive in this redesign was to make the W float, bringing a new lightness to the Volkswagen brand. Of course, this rebrand also brings Volkswagen into the digital era, transforming our classic logo into a trademark that is easily displayed digitally on devices and applications.”

Volkswagen Old Logo

The VW logo history goes back over 70 years, and this is just one of nine new VW logos Madison drivers have seen through the years as Volkswagen has evolved. Take a look at the past Volkswagen logos:

1937-1939

The first Volkswagen logo reflected the German design of the time, with the stacked VW surrounded by an avant-garde-style cogwheel with a feel of a rolling wheel.

1939-1945

A simplified VW logo change left a larger stacked VW inside a circle with the teeth of a cog exposed.

1945-1960

This old VW logo lasted longer than any other and was the first one Americans saw on the first Beetle. A black circle had a white block print stacked VW on top of it, inside a thick white circle, ringed with a thinner black circle.

1960-1967

In its next iteration, the Volkswagen car logo flipped the colors of the previous VW logo and added a thick-lined black square around the whole VW logo.

1967-1978

The next VW logo change introduced a shot of color. The square disappeared, along with all the black. This new VW logo ditched the black, turned the letters sky blue, and placed the stacked VW on a white circle surrounded by a matching circle.

1978-1989

Once again a VW logo change involved inverting the colors, but with a slightly darker blue as the background with white block letters. The letters sat on a blue circle, surrounded by a white circle and an outer blue circle.

1989-2000

The pale blue returned for the millennial VW logo, with the design remaining similar to the previous VW logo on Caseyville streets.

2000-2012

The VW logo got a third dimension in this new VW logo. The darkest blue yet is the main color of the Volkswagen logo, ringed by a silver circle. The stacked VW in slightly grayish-white includes shading that gives the logo a rounded effect.

2012-2019

The most recent VW logo change before 2020 looks even more three-dimensional, thanks to thicker block letters, more saturated blue and white, and heavier shading.

See the New Volkswagen Logo at Auffenberg Volkswagen

Ready to see the sleek new Volkswagen car logo? Take a look at the new VW logo when you browse the new car inventory at Auffenberg Volkswagen. Our team loves to talk about VW history, so contact us with any questions you have about where to find the new Volkswagen logo.