Car logos with stars: Famous car emblems with stars

Car Logos With Stars

Have you ever noticed just how frequently you see car logos with stars? Though often drawn in a variety of styles, car logos with stars are some of the most common in the automobile industry. Indeed, the star shape is popular throughout the logo design realm.

As one of the most recognizable shapes the star can represent a variety of things.

Some companies choose a star for their logo because they believe it represents the mystery of space, and “reaching” for the heavens. Others believe stars evoke almost celestial connotations, linking a brand’s identity to the infinite wisdom and possibility of the cosmos.

Stars can indicate power and inspire thoughts of exploration. They’re also frequently linked to the concept of quality, fame, and excellence.

Today, we’re going to be looking at some of the most famous car emblems with stars, and why they are, or were so effective. For the purpose of this list, we’re covering both brands with star logos today, and companies with car logos in their past.

Car emblems with stars: The top 14

While the meaning behind a star in a logo may vary depending on who you ask, stars are overwhelmingly positive as a shape. It’s hard to find any negative connotations with stars, which means most car brands can safely use the design without risk of repercussions.

The star image is common with companies all around the globe. However, it’s worth noting the differences between the image of the star in different parts of the world, and for various brands.

As we examine each car symbol with stars below, you may feel some images are more obviously “star shaped” than others.

To ensure this list remains accurate, we’re looking at car logos (past and present) with images described as a “star”.

1. Askam

Askam, sometimes written as “ASKAM” was a Çiftçiler Holdings subsidiary between the years of 1964 and 2015. The company manufactured commercial vehicles and trucks for all manner of use cases.

When the company was originally founded, it was as a jointed venture with the Chrysler brand. Chrysler actually owned 60% of the Askam company, and Askam traded under the name “Chrysler Sanayi” for some time.

The initial models built for the Askam brand frequently used a front cab design created by Chrysler. This cab, in its modified form, continued to appear on Askam vehicles until its bankruptcy. When Chrysler sold its shares in Askam to the local partners (and current owners) of the company, the company began to evolve.

In this car symbol with stars, we see a four-point star shape in blue, with two curved lines creating an oval shape behind it. The blue shade conveys reliability and trustworthiness.

The name “ASKAM” often written in capital letters would also frequently appear on Askam branding, highlighting the strength and durability of the brand in a black, sans-serif font.

2. Berkeley

Defunct due to bankruptcy in 1960, the Berkley car brand from the UK only ran for around 4 years in total. The company was best-known for producing economic microcars with engines derived from motorcycles. The mini sports cars created by Berkeley are highly revered by some collectors.

Berkeley’s first automobile appeared as a result of a collaboration between the designer Lawrence Bond, and the Coachworks factory owned by Charles Panter. The early cars were a massive success, and various derivative models spawned over four years of car production.

The Berkley star car emblem features a large capital “B” in white on a split circle in red and grey. The name Berkley is included with 5 black 5-point stars in a border surrounding the inner circle.

3. Chrysler

Though the star logo is no longer a part of Chrysler’s branding today, it stood with the company for around 50 years. The emblem, known as the “Pentastar”, was a common component of the Chrysler identity, and was originally introduced in 1962.

Chrysler, a company established in 1925, wanted a logo capable of showcasing innovation and growth. Some people also said the “Pentastar” represented five different automobile companies, and the brands of Chrysler: Dodge, Plymouth, Chrysler, Airtemp, and Imperial.

The star logo was chosen from a host of over seven hundred suggestions. Eventually, Chrysler replaced the star logo with something they considered to be sleeker, and more modern.

Learn more about the Chrysler logo here.

4. Durant Motors

Established in 1921 by the former CEO of General Motors, William Durant, Durant Motors was intended to be a full-line automobile manufacturer. The company produced a series of Flint, Star, and Durant brand cars, intended to compete with the price points of companies like Chevrolet and Buick.

Billy Durant even ended up purchasing the luxury car producer Locomobile to help make his company a success. One of the most famous examples of the car symbol with stars in Durant motor’s history was on the “Star Four” car, produced between 1922 and 1928.

The Durant star logo featured a star in shades of light blue, placed in a darker blue circle, with a light blue border. The words “Star”, and “Durant Motors” also appeared on the logo, with red highlights on “Star”. The Durant motors symbol also included a dragon.

5. Englon

Englon is the name of a company purchased by Geely and phased out over time. The Chinese brand replaced the previous “Shanghai Maple” company and attempted to create the classic style of British cars throughout the years.

When Geely fully acquired the London Taxi company in 2014, the Englon emblem became the logo for this business too.

The Englon brand became associated with a number of popular cars over the years, including the Englon SC3, SC6, and SX7. It’s impossible to miss the reference to the heavens in this example of a car logo with stars.

The badge features an inner circle, split down the middle, with a woman in gold on a red background to the right, and a series of stars on a blue background to the left.

The surrounding silver and black border on the Englon logo also features the name of the company, written in a gold handwriting-style font.

6. Facel Vega

Originally introduced in 1939, the Facel Vega brand was a French manufacturer best-known for creating pressed steel components in automobiles. To enhance its efforts in World War 2, the French subcontracting company for military developments (Bronzavia) created the Facel subsidiary in 1939.

When the war had ended in 1945, Facel merged with Metallon and started to make short-run special vehicle bodies for Simca, Panhard, Ford of France, and Delahaye. Around 2,900 cars of all models were hand-built during Facel’s time in the market.

The Facel Vega logo features 6 black stars (all with 5 points), placed within the grey border where “Facel Vega Paris” appears. Within this border is a circle in black and yellow, with the letters “F” and “V” included to represent the name of the brand.

7. JAC

Otherwise known as “Jianghuai Automobile Co.”, JAC was first established in 1964. The JAC motors brand has now become the number one creator of commercial vehicles in China, selling a host of commercial and passenger vehicles across 100 countries.

JAC motors is owned by the Chinese state, and stands as an extremely flexible company, creating a wide selection of city cars, commercial trucks, and more. In the 2000s, the flagship model (the Refine) was quite popular in China.

JAC’s logo used to feature an elegant five-pointed star, similar in style to the Chrysler logo. The star (drawn in the same red as the JAC font), was enclosed in an oval frame. The star was eventually removed with the redesign of the brand identity, but many people still recognize it today.

8. Jeep

If you’ve ever noticed a star on a Jeep before, you’re not alone. Jeep, best known for creating durable vehicles and off-road cars, started using the star logo during the second world war.

Before the hostilities outbreak began, many cars were exported to other countries from the US. When they left production, they received a star logo along with an identification number.

During the second world war, the star was a valuable way to help distinguish enemy vehicles from American ones. The five-pointed star on Jeep tactical cars was assigned to all national “tactical” vehicles at the time. The star was often much larger than a standard car logo.

Today, it’s rare to see a star on a Jeep, unless you add a stencil or sticker yourself. The car symbol with stars you may have seen some years ago featured a simple five-pointed star with a stencilled circular outline.

Learn more about the Jeep logo here.

9. Mercedes Benz

While Mercedes Benz might not be your traditional idea of a car brand with star logo, the three-point symbol within the emblem is usually described as a star. Launched in 1926, Mercedes Benz is one of the best-known and most popular manufacturers of luxury, prestigious cars.

According to stories about the Mercedes Benz logo, the three-point star was chosen because of the unique engines of the Mercedes Benz vehicles. The company’s engines, designed by Gottlieb Daimler, were designed for aviation, cars, and ships.

Some say the trademark actually comes from the merger of two logos, a laurel wreath (now replaced by a circle), and a three-beam star.

Like many car logos over time, the meaning of the Mercedes Benz symbol is open to interpretation. The central three points in the silver circle are still defined as a “star” by the company’s branding and marketing groups.

Learn more about the Mercedes Benz logo here.

10. Pontiac

Pontiac is still among the better-known automobile manufacturers in the United States. Available across Mexico, Canada, and the US through General Motors, Pontiac creates the more expensive selection of Oakland automobiles.

Though production of Pontiac motors has been on hold for some time (Since 2010), Pontiac continues to live on as a registered trademark of GM. The Pontiac logo featured a number of changes over the years, including a Native American profile on a circular background.

The logo we know today features an arrowhead shape in silver and red, with a four-point star in the middle.

The design conveys elegance and precision, thanks to the sleek shape and the pointed edges throughout. Though you might not see this logo as often today, it’s still a memorable example of one of the many car logos with stars.

11. Polestar

Swedish automobile company, Polestar, was established in 1996, by the Volvo Cars’ partner Polestar racing. The company was acquired fully in 2015 by Volvo, and today exists within the “Geely” selection of car manufacturers.

Polestar is best-known for the development of electric performance cars. The company can also provide hardware and engine upgrades for Volvo vehicles. The company’s name reflects in its logo, which features a set of two arrow-style shapes connecting into a four-pointed star.

While some fans of Polestar may argue the logo is more like a pair of boomerangs than a star, many agree the design is actually intended to be a star. The design actually has some similarities with the Citroen logo.

12. Subaru

Another of the best examples of car emblems with stars comes from Subaru. This Japanese automobile company is best-known for producing the boxer engine layout in most vehicles above the 1500 cc measurement.

The all-wheel-drive terrain was first introduced in 1972 and became a standard for mid-sized and smaller cars by 1996.

Subaru originally began in 1953 and is currently the 21st largest automobile producer worldwide. The company produces a host of different vehicle styles to suit a wide variety of needs in the current driving market. The various stars on the Subaru logo are reasonably easy to recognise.

According to experts, the Subaru logo, featuring a blue oval with a chrome border, includes a selection of 6 four-pointed stars for a reason. The use of stars makes sense when you consider “Subaru” is the name of the Taurus constellation in Japan.

The larger star on the left of the logo represents Fuji Heavy Industries, while the five smaller stars represent the subsidiaries.

Learn more about the Subaru logo here.

13. Venucia

Venucia is the car marque of the Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle company. Launched in 2010, the car marque spun off from Dongfeng Nissan in 2020 as a separate company, focused on the production of cars.

In December 2020, however, Dongfeng announced it would be merging Venucia back into the Dongfeng Nissan brand.

When Venucia was originally introduced, it was intended to be a way of selling vehicles developed and designed by the Nissan brand in China, specially for the domestic market. In 2011, the Dongfeng Nissan company announced the first car to be sold under the marque would be a saloon called the D50.

The Venucia logo features a set of three five-pointed stars, overlaid atop each other in varying sizes. According to the brand, the five points of the stars represent the five promises of the company, which include respect for customers, delivering value, ensuring excellence, achieving quality, and following a dream.

14. Western Star

It’s probably no surprise a company with the name “Western Star” would also choose to have a star in its logo. One of the lesser-known car logos with stars in some parts of the world, Western Star sells trucks within the Daimler conglomerate throughout America.

The company is a subsidiary of the Diamler truck company in North America.

The Western Star division was initially launched by the White Motor Company in 1967. Eventually, production was moved to Utah, and the brand was not included in the sale of White Truck’s company to the Volvo brand.

Instead, it was sold to the Nova corporation and Bow Valley Resources. It wasn’t until 2000 when Western Star joined the Daimler brand.

The logo for Western Star features the name of the company in block capital letters (in a sans-serif font). A large W is placed above the name in black with a silver lining. Within the center of the W, you can see a red star with its own silver outline.

The company claims the color palette and choice of a five-point star stand for patriotism, passion, and reliability.

Car emblems with stars

With a little luck we’ve covered all the car emblems with stars here, but if you know of additional options we’ve missed, don’t be afraid to get in touch. As you can see from the examples above, the star car emblem is a common feature within the automobile world.

The versatility and emotional meaning of the star shape makes it an excellent choice for all kinds of logo designs.

The companies mentioned above have chosen various star designs as an expression of the values their brands hold dear, and the specific personality they’re trying to convey to their customers. In many cases, the car symbols with stars will represent ideas of excellence and shooting for the heavens with innovative new ideas.

The car industry is just one example of a vertical with a deep love of the star shape. You can also find the same design used all over the world, in a host of technology, beauty, fashion, and various other companies.

Don’t forget to check out some of the insights into logo history included in our Logofile if you want to learn more about some of your favorite logos.

Now read these:
Which car companies own which car brand?
Famous car brands, their names and logos
The ultimate list of French car brand logos
The 50 best-known car logos with wings
The definitive guide to German car logos
Top American car brands and their logos
Your ultimate guide to Italian car brands
American car companies that went bust
The conclusive guide to British car logos
The essential list of Japanese car logos
A decisive guide to car logos with circles

Fabrik: A branding agency for our times.

Stephen Peate
Creative director
Stephen Peate
Creative director
As Fabrik’s creative director, Stephen oversees complex branding programmes. He advises our clients on their tone of voice, creates logos and visual identities and crafts names for companies, products and services. Writing for Brand Fabrik Stephen reflects his love for logo design and visual identity.

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