What Is the Citroën Logo?
The Citroën logo is the double chevron: two upward-pointing chevrons stacked one above the other. In the 2022 version they sit inside an upright oval above the name CITROËN. The chevrons have marked the brand since its first logo in 1919.
Citroën is the French car maker that André Citroën founded on 4 June 1919. It has belonged to Stellantis since 2021.
The oval badge with the name beneath it is available as the Citroën logo SVG.
Citroën Logo Facts
| Designer | 2022 version: the Citroën design team, with Stellantis Design Studio |
| Introduced | Chevrons in 1919; oval version unveiled 27 September 2022 |
| Symbol | Two stacked chevrons, known as the double chevron |
| Logo type | Combination mark: symbol and wordmark |
| Earlier mark | Flat chevrons without an oval, from 2017 |
| Owner | Citroën, part of Stellantis |
What the Citroën Logo Means
The chevrons come from gears, not from cars. Before he built cars, André Citroën ran a metalworking business that made chevron-shaped herringbone gears. Citroën says the logo was inspired by the success of that first company.
The design studio Grapheine traces the gear to a trip to Poland, where Citroën saw the double herringbone system and bought the patent to use in French factories.
Grapheine also mentions a second idea: that the chevrons echo military rank insignia from Citroën's time as an army officer. It presents that only as speculation.
The 2022 redesign went back to the shape of the first badge. Citroën describes wider, more prominent chevrons set in a softer vertical oval.
Citroën Logo History
The Citroën logo has kept its chevrons since 1919 while the badge around them changed many times.
| Year | Logo |
|---|---|
| 1919 | yellow chevrons on a dark blue oval |
| 1932 | a swan appears on the Rosalie, but is quickly dropped |
| 1959 | the oval turns horizontal, and gold or yellow chevrons stretch beyond its edge |
| 1966 | a blue square is added behind the chevrons |
| 1985 | flattened white chevrons on a red background |
| 2009 | rounded edges and a three-dimensional chrome finish, with the Citroën name in red below |
| 2017 | flat chevrons that work better on screens |
| 2019 | a preview appears on the 19_19 concept car |
| 2022 | the oval logo is unveiled on 27 September |
The Rosalie was the model launched with Citroën's floating engine. The 1985 colours were chosen to make the chevrons stand out.
Citroën showed the 2022 oval logo on the Oli concept. The company called it the tenth significant revamp of its logo since 1919.
Citroën and Peugeot
Citroën merged with Peugeot in 1976, and the two French brands have shared an owner ever since. The owner was first PSA and, since 2021, Stellantis.
Each kept its own badge. So Citroën cars kept the chevrons while Peugeots carried the Peugeot logo.
For more brands like Citroën, browse our car logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the chevrons in the Citroën logo mean?
They represent herringbone gears, the chevron-shaped gears André Citroën made before he built cars.
When did Citroën change its logo?
Citroën unveiled its oval logo on 27 September 2022. It was the brand's tenth significant logo revamp since 1919.
Why is the Citroën logo inside an oval?
The 2022 oval reinterprets the first Citroën logo of 1919, which also placed the chevrons in an oval.
Who designed the 2022 Citroën logo?
The Citroën design team, with help from Stellantis Design Studio.