What Is the Volkswagen Logo?
The Volkswagen logo is the letter V set above the letter W inside a circle, usually drawn in white lines on blue. It belongs to Volkswagen, the German car brand of the Volkswagen Group, whose company was set up on 28 May 1937 to build a "people's car" and is based in Wolfsburg.
The 2019 version of the roundel covers both Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. The circle with the two letters is available as the Volkswagen logo SVG.
Volkswagen Logo Facts
| Introduced | 1930s; flat redesign September 2019 |
| Symbol | The initials V and W, one above the other, in a circle |
| Logo type | Lettermark: the letters VW in a roundel |
| Earlier mark | The VW initials inside a cogwheel, 1937 to 1939 |
| Owner | Volkswagen AG |
What the Volkswagen Logo Means
The two letters are the initials of the name. Volkswagen joins the German words Volk, people, and Wagen, car, so the logo is a monogram for "people's car".
Volkswagen Logo History
The first version, used from 1937 to 1939, put the VW initials inside a stylised cogwheel with spinning propeller blades. Its shape has been compared to a swastika, and the project belonged to the Nazi German Labour Front, whose own badge was a swastika inside a cog. Volkswagen has said the logo was filed with the patent office for protection in 1938.
After the Second World War the cogwheel was replaced by a plain circle, and that version was submitted for protection in 1948.
Who first drew the letters is disputed. Porsche's newsroom presumes that engineer Franz Xaver Reimspiess designed the Volkswagen logo in 1936, and a Volkswagen chronicle says he was paid a one-off 100 Reichsmarks for it. In 2005 the Austrian graphic designer Nikolai Borg sued Volkswagen in Vienna, saying he had been commissioned to draw the logo on the eve of the war. He asked for recognition, not money.
Before 2019 the logo had a three-dimensional blue-and-white look. At the Frankfurt motor show in September 2019 Volkswagen replaced it with a flat, two-dimensional design, shown alongside the electric ID.3. Chief designer Klaus Bischoff described the new look with the mottos "digital first" and "no filter". Unlike the old badge, the flat logo works in several shades of blue and on coloured backgrounds, and it can be lit up on the cars. The changeover covered 171 markets and was due to finish by mid-2020. Volkswagen also introduced a sound logo and replaced the male voice used in its adverts for decades with a female one.
Volkswagen and Porsche
The two German carmakers share more than a corporate family. Porsche's own records describe the Volkswagen logo and the Porsche crest as the work of the same man, Franz Xaver Reimspiess, who drew the crest in 1952. The marks could hardly look more different: two plain letters for Volkswagen, a detailed coat of arms for Porsche (compare the Porsche logo).
For more brands like Volkswagen, browse our car logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does VW stand for?
Volkswagen, from the German Volk (people) and Wagen (car), so the initials mean "people's car".
Who designed the Volkswagen logo?
It is disputed. Porsche's newsroom attributes it to Franz Xaver Reimspiess, while graphic designer Nikolai Borg claimed it in a 2005 lawsuit.
When did Volkswagen change to a flat logo?
In September 2019, at the Frankfurt motor show, alongside the launch of the electric ID.3.
Why did the Volkswagen logo once have a cogwheel?
The first logo, from 1937 to 1939, put the VW initials inside a cogwheel, a shape that appears to derive from the badge of the German Labour Front, which ran the project.