Volkswagen has used the Frankfurt Motor Show to unveil their redesigned logo.



Looking more retro and simplistic than their previous logo, the new VW badge features a “flat two-dimensional design” which is “clearer and has been reduced to its essential elements.” Volkswagen also said the logo is high flexible and has been designed with digital applications in mind. Speaking of the latter, an illuminated logo will appear on future vehicles.

The changeover kicks off tonight as Volkswagen will illuminate the new logo on their headquarters building in Wolfsburg. It will take a while before the logo is everywhere as the company said the rebranding effort is “one of the largest projects of this type in the industry worldwide.”

It’s easy to understand why as Volkswagen has a presence in 154 different countries. This means the automaker will have to replace approximately 70,000 logos worldwide and including those at roughly 10,000 dealerships and service centers. Despite this massive effort, Volkswagen expects the rebranding to be complete by the middle of next year.

While the logo looks pretty simple, the process of changing the design was highly complex. In particular, Volkswagen said 19 internal teams and 17 external agencies were involved in the project.

Volkswagen also introduced a so-called “sound logo” for the first time. The company says it will “make the Volkswagen brand distinctive in acoustic terms, both in the vehicle and in communications.”

Volkswagen’s Chief Designer Klaus Bischoff played a key role in the development of the new logo and said “In the new brand design, we have created an authentic communications platform for the emotional presentation of e-mobility.”