On my trek into the office today, I was wondering about the Volvo logo origins. Most people associate the circle logo with an arrow pointing to the upper right as the male symbol. My first thoughts: Austin Powers? The artist formerly (or is it currently) known as Prince? It's also the symbol for Mars, but none of these tell the story.
The logo is also the symbol for iron. Iron conveys a sense of strength, along with associations to safety and durability. Iron also has a connection to Volvo's history -- it started out as a ball bearing manufacturer. And the Volvo name itself points back to its ball bearing roots, as it comes from the Latin volvere, which means "roll."
Also part of Volvo's identity is the diagonal band across the grille. As it turns out, that dates back to the first Volvo car, the OV 4 "Jakob." According to most sources, that diagonal band was really just there to hold the logo over the radiator. After continued use, it became a styling element. So there you have your automotive history lesson for the day.
I have the XC60 for the weekend, so let me know if you have any questions about it. I'll be heading down to our Cars and Coffee event on Saturday, but most likely in my old '57 Thunderbird, not the infinitely more comfortable, safe and reliable Volvo.
Mark Takahashi, Associate Editor
stress83 says:
11:04 AM, 12/10/10
Interesting. I thought that perhaps it was so men felt more masculine driving them around [dripping with sarcasm].
ed124c says:
11:19 AM, 12/10/10
I have never before noticed the little arrow sticking out. The diagonal band already makes the front look asymmetrical, and, up close, the arrow must make it look even more, uh, well weird.
prpatal says:
11:33 AM, 12/10/10
The Volvo name plus the iron symbol combines to mean "Rolling Strength".
Simple as that...
ahightower says:
12:09 PM, 12/10/10
If only they could have made the logo a little larger on the new XC60...
jederino says:
05:07 PM, 12/10/10
Thanks for that explanation! I always thought it was a weird symbol, yet I knew "I roll" thanks to Forza3. Now I know that it should be cool and meaningful, or at least that was the intention.
uncanny_man says:
08:36 PM, 12/10/10
Very cool!
70ss454_man says:
11:34 PM, 12/10/10
I always thought it was because Volvo sounds so much like vulva, another term for vagina, that they had to use the male sign to ensure no one got it confused...