What Is the Subaru Logo?
The Subaru logo is six stars in an oval, one large and five small, drawn after the Pleiades star cluster that gives the brand its name.
It belongs to Subaru Corporation, the Japanese car maker that was set up as Fuji Heavy Industries on 15 July 1953. It took the name Subaru Corporation on 1 April 2017.
The stars are traditionally shown in blue and silver. The six stars with the SUBARU name are available as the Subaru logo SVG.
Subaru Logo Facts
| Introduced | 1950s, when Fuji Heavy Industries adopted the Subaru star cluster as its car logo |
| Symbol | Six stars of the Pleiades cluster: one large, five small |
| Logo type | Combination mark: six stars above the SUBARU name |
| Owner | Subaru Corporation |
What the Subaru Logo Means
Subaru is the Japanese name for the Pleiades, a star cluster in the constellation of Taurus. In Japan it is also called Mutsuraboshi, which means six stars. The word subaru itself carries the sense of gathering together or uniting.
Only six of its stars can be seen with the naked eye, which is why the badge shows six rather than the seven of the Seven Sisters.
The stars also tell the company's own story. Fuji Heavy Industries was formed by bringing together six companies with roots in Nakajima Aircraft, and Subaru says it adopted the name to symbolise their merger and unity.
The large star is often described as the company itself, with the five smaller stars standing for the firms that joined it.
Subaru Logo History
The Subaru stars became the company's car logo in the 1950s, soon after Fuji Heavy Industries was founded.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1917 | Chikuhei Nakajima sets up the Aircraft Research Laboratory |
| 1953 | Five companies from that business found Fuji Heavy Industries in July |
| 1954 | Work begins on the P-1 passenger car prototype |
| 1955 | Fuji Heavy Industries acquires and merges with those five companies |
| 1958 | The 360 minicar, which Subaru counts as its first vehicle, already shows six stars |
| 2017 | Fuji Heavy Industries becomes Subaru Corporation on 1 April |
The five founders were among the twelve companies that later grew out of that business.
Kenji Kita, then head of Fuji Heavy Industries, wanted the company to build cars. After asking staff for name ideas and finding none he liked, he chose a Japanese name he said he had been cherishing in his heart: Subaru.
The new company took the Subaru star cluster as the official logo for its cars. The badge of the 360 minicar showed six stars arranged like the Pleiades. After the 2017 renaming, the company and its cars finally shared the name of the six stars.
Subaru and Other Japanese Car Badges
Subaru says it was the first brand to give its vehicles a Japanese name. Its rivals at home built their badges on letters instead:
- the Toyota logo combines two ellipses into a T
- the Honda logo frames an H
Subaru also tried colour variations on its stars, such as the cherry-blossom red badge of its STI performance division in Japan.
For more brands like Subaru, browse our car logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the six stars on the Subaru logo mean?
They show the Pleiades star cluster, called Subaru in Japanese, and stand for the six companies that came together as Fuji Heavy Industries.
Why are there six stars and not seven?
The Pleiades are known as the Seven Sisters, but only six of its stars are visible to the naked eye.
Who named Subaru?
Kenji Kita, then head of Fuji Heavy Industries, chose the name Subaru for the company's cars.
When did Fuji Heavy Industries become Subaru Corporation?
On 1 April 2017.