Since the invention of the automobile, many car manufacturers have tried their luck at making the most successful car brand. From SUVs to sedans, many have come and gone. One of the many ways these car brands differentiate themselves is by using an S logo.
In this guide, we’ll highlight the most popular and not-so-popular car brands that feature an S emblem. Some of them use the letter S to represent the name of the parent company while others use it to represent the model.
Car Brands With An S Logo
The car brands that have an S logo include Suzuki, Seat, Shacman, Sterling, Singer, Stutz, Squire, Scion, Siata, Saleen, and Studebaker. It’s good to note some of them are defunct. You may, however, see previous models on the streets.
1. Suzuki
Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation that makes cars, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), wheelchairs, outboard marine engines, and small internal combustion engines.
It was established in 1909 by Michio Suzuki. It currently operates in more than 23 countries and has 133 distributors spread across 192 countries. Michio Suzuki named his company after himself.
For the first 50 years, the company used its name as a logo. The S logo that we see today was invented in 1958. It has stayed with the brand until now.
It features a stylized S that is perfectly chopped to give it sharp angles. Its design represents the rich Japanese culture and history. Curved pointed lines are also included to remind customers of the samurai traditions.
The S logo comes in two. The first is in a bright scarlet red that symbolizes the company’s energy, passion, forward progression, and customer-centric approach.
The second is in a unique three-dimensional silver metal that represents determination and loyalty to the company’s roots. Other colors that have been used in the past include black and a deep classic blue. These symbolize stability and professionalism.
The simple and recognizable S logo is now found on all vehicle models made by Suzuki. Some of the most popular models include Suzuki Alto, Swift, Grand Vitara, and Escudo. Many of the car brands that you’ll see with an S logo are probably from Suzuki.
2. Seat
Seat is the largest Spanish automobile manufacturer. It was founded in 1950 by Fiat in partnership with the Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI).
It is currently owned by Volkswagen Group which sells the company’s Seat and Cupra brands in Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
The first Seat logo was made in 1953. It featured dark gray wings and a crest with a red background. It had the words ‘SEAT’ and ‘Licencia Fiat’ in the middle.
This was changed in 1960 to have a round gray-silver glossy badge with a red middle background. The two previous words were retained in the middle.
In 1962, a monochrome logo was introduced that had the word SEAT written in bold and underlined. The logo was simplified in 1969 and changed to a red circle with a gray outline.
The company’s brand name still featured in the middle in bold white lettering. In 1970, it was modified again into a bold yellow inscription with a blue outline. Each letter was spaced to represent progress, energy, and confidence.
The thick stylized ‘S’ that we see today was introduced in 1982. It was a blue bolded letter with several white and blue stripes on the diagonal bar. The number of lines was reduced in 1990 and again in 1999.
The badge changed to a silver S placed on a red background. It was then changed in 2012 to make it sharper and stricter. The stripes were eliminated and a red ‘SEAT’ wordmark was added at the bottom.
The last update happened in 2017. The logo was changed to a clean black S with the same wordmark on a white background. The simplicity exudes the reliability and confidence the company has in all the car brands that bare its S logo.
3. Shacman
Shacman is a brand of trucks made by Chinese vehicle manufacturer Shaanxi Automobile Group Co., Ltd. The parent company was established in 1968 as Shaanxi Automobile Manufacturing Plant.
It specializes in the production of bus chassis, heavy-duty truck axles, as well as medium-sized and heavy-duty trucks. The latter are sold under the Shacman brand name. The logo is made up of a stylized S and Q.
The abbreviation stands for ‘success and quality’ or ‘service and quality.’ It takes the shape of a steering wheel to symbolize the company’s goals as a global service vehicles corporate group.
Other vehicles made by Shaanxi Automobile Group Co., include military off-road vehicles, medium and large coach buses, mini vehicles, Cummins engines, and other vehicle components.
Today, Shacman trucks are sold in more than 100 countries. They are exported to Africa, the Middle East, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia. If you see a truck brand with an S logo, it’s probably a Shacman.
4. Sterling
Sterling Trucks Corporation was a truck manufacturer that sold trucks in America until 2009. It was founded in 1998 by Freightliner after acquiring heavy-truck lines from Ford Motor Company.
It sold trucks in the United States, Canada Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand. Sterling Trucks should not be confused with the Sterling car brand that was marketed by Rover Group from 1987 to 1991.
The brand in question traces its roots back to 1906 when William Sternberg founded Sternberg/Sterling Motor Truck Company. Sternberg sold heavy-duty trucks for construction, military, and commercial purposes.
The Sterling nameplate changed hands severally before becoming dormant. Freightliner picked it up in 1997 when it began building medium and heavy-duty cab chassis vehicles for freight distribution.
The company used a unique logo that featured a silver S badge that appeared squeezed vertically. The S logo was placed on a black background with the wordmark ‘STERLING TRUCKS’ at the bottom.
5. Singer
Singer Motors Limited was a car manufacturing company that started out as a bicycle maker. It was established in 1874 by George Singer and was the first company to make a small economic car that resembled a large vehicle.
Throughout its time, it used one single logo that was never changed. It boasted a bolded sans-serif ‘S’ placed in the middle of a wheel. The wheel was monochrome and old-styled. It had simple straight lines and a circular frame.
This, however, was not the most common logo on Singer’s cars. The brand employed a stretched horizontal banner that had the name ‘Singer’ on it. The lettering was done in white and was framed in a silver element.
Over the years, this was modified to include a wide range of designs. Examples include a bold black script lettering with a leather pattern and a fancy cursive in thin silver lines. The most famous version had a capitalized and curved ‘S’ with a smooth script typeface.
The tail of the letter ‘G’ was elongated to underline the letters ‘E’ and ‘R’. The wordmark could be used on its own in black or as part of a round badge with silver framing. The latter was considered sharper and edgier.
Some of the car brands produced by Singer had an S logo with a burgundy background. Overall, the emblem evoked either royalty and nobility or experience and reputation depending on where it was used.
6. Stutz
Stutz Motor Car Company was a car manufacturer that made high-end sports cars and luxury vehicles back in the early to mid-1900s. It was established by Harry C. Stutz and Henry F. Campbell in 1911.
It was the first manufacturer to make a sports car in America. It began making luxury cars for the wealthy and famous in 1924. Operations seized in 1935 but were revived in 1968.
The company made a comeback as the Stutz Motor Car of America. This time, it produced modern vehicles with a retro look. The brand is still in existence today but hasn’t produced any vehicle since 1995.
The first logo featured the word ‘STUTZ’ in the middle written in white. The background for the lettering included blue wings that extended outside the emblem. Behind that was a round badge with a red middle that was blocked by the wings and wordmark.
The round badge had a white external frame with the word ‘INDIANAPOLIS’ at the top and ‘INDIANA U.S.A’ at the bottom. The logo was then changed to just the letter ‘S’ written in white with a brown background.
It had a brown frame and a black line outside that encased the words ‘Stutz Motor Car of America Inc.’ Later on, the brown color was replaced with white to give the S logo a modern look on cars.
7. Squire
Squire Car Manufacturing Company was founded in the 1930s by 21-year-old Adrian Squire. The young entrepreneur had previously worked at Bentley and MG. The company produced the Squire car, an epitomized version of the Grand Prix Car.
Adrian Squire took advantage of the R1 100 bhp twin-cam engine that was cast aside by Frazer-Nash. He fitted it in his cars which held a reputation for exceptional braking and top speed.
The legacy was, however, short-lived due to financial difficulties. Production ended in 1936 and Squire went to work for Lagonda and the Bristol Aeroplane Company. He died in 1940 during an air raid.
The logo put on Squire cars was a simple ‘S’ placed in the middle of a uniquely shaped vertical rectangle with silver spokes extending from the side. It embodied the classic design of the car and the dreams Squire had with it.
8. Scion
Scion was a car brand founded by Toyota in 2003. The company wanted to build something that was inexpensive, distinctive, sporty, compact, and stylish. It was meant to appeal to the younger generation.
The name Scion means the heir or descendant of a family. It referred to the vehicles and their owners. Toyota offered only a single trim with each model and a non-negotiable based price. It employed aggressive marketing techniques and short product cycles.
This eventually became unsustainable and the brand was shelved in August 2016. Vehicles were rebranded or given the Toyota emblem. The Scion logo had been created by Fresh Machine – a bureau based in California.
The ‘S’ was printed in silver and had shorter terminals. It sat in the middle of the wordmark ‘SCION’ written in a unique custom sans-serif typeface. It had sleek body lines and an oval metallic gray frame.
The emblem represented a strong, elegant, and contemporary visual identity and a future-centric look that was meant to appeal to the younger generation. As one of the most recently defunct car brands, Scion vehicles are probably the second-most popular to feature an S logo.
9. Siata
Siata was a car tuner and manufacturer that operated in Italy. It was established by race car driver Giorgio Ambrosini in 1926. At first, the company made performance parts that were used to tune and modify cars made by Fiat.
It began producing its own sports cars after World War II. This went on until 1970. The company went bankrupt and was sold to Officina Realizzazioni Sarde Automobili (ORSA). All vehicle sales ended in 1975 following the 1973 oil crisis.
Cars made by Siata featured an emblem at the front that had the letter ‘S’ in yellow. The S was bolded and slanted towards the front. It had a gray symbol of a sedan that crossed in the middle.
At the top was the word ‘SIATA’ and at the bottom ‘TORINO’. A dark blue shield with a gray outline enclosed everything to reveal a stylish yet old-school S logo. The emblem was unique and probably the least showy.
10. Saleen
Saleen Automotive, Inc., is a car manufacturer that specializes in high performance automotive parts and sports cars. It was originally established as ‘Saleen Autosport’ in 1983 by a former race car driver.
The first three cars were built the next year. They were all hatchbacks produced in three colors – black, white, and copper glow. The Saleen S7 was introduced in 2000 as the company’s flagship model.
Currently, the brand manufactures the Ford F-150 Saleen Sportruck, Saleen Tesla GTX, Saleen S1, S302 Mustang-based car, and other models. It uses a unique S logo that is dynamically designed to set it apart from other car brands.
The emblem comprises thick red lines that cross from left to right. They are thicker on the left than they are on the right. White lines flow in between the red lines from right to left. They are thicker on the right than they are on the left.
In the middle, the white lines thicken more while the red lines become thin to form the letter S. The wordmark ‘SALEEN’ is placed at the bottom to complete the emblem. This logo has been in use since 1984.
11. Studebaker
Studebaker is a brand that traces its roots in 1736 when the Studebaker family arrived in America. It was formed by five brothers in 1852. It started by making wagons before shifting to automobiles in 1902.
Studebaker built electric cars the same year and moved to gasoline vehicles in 1904. The first fully functional gasoline automobile was manufactured in 1912. For the next 50 years, the brand would be known for its durability, reliability, and quality.
It became defunct in 1967. The logo used on all car brands by Studebaker featured a dynamic silver S that was placed in the middle of a round frame. The frame had two external blue lines. The outer line was thicker than the inner one.
The S divided the emblem into two. One side was colored red and the other blue. This modern version of the logo was used in the 1950s and 1960s. Several other versions had been put to use prior to that.
Conclusion
As seen above, there are plenty of car brands that have an S-shaped logo. Some of them were discontinued a long time ago while others are still with us today. Most car companies that use the S logo have a rich history that spans many years. If you have any more vehicles to add, let me know in the comment section. Meanwhile, here are car brands that have a V-shaped logo, Z-shaped logo, and T-shaped logo.
