There are plenty of car manufacturers out there, and depending on their history and preferences they each have their very own logos to advertise their products.
While most of these are pretty well regarded in the communities, there is a certain logo type that used to be a lot more prominent in the past that appears to be a lot less adored by both the users and the manufacturers.
We’re talking about the dreaded lion symbol, one of the most famous symbols all around the globe. Regardless of whether we’re talking about cars, bikes, cereal or anything in-between, you’re pretty much just bound to find it the apex predator staring you down from their logo.
But, have you noticed just how few actual companies stick to the basic image of a lion nowadays? It’s actually insane when you first notice it but you can’t ignore it afterwards as you realize every company’s trying to divert their image from the typical lion logo and instead go for something similar but not quite.
Just think of this: How many companies use a lion logo for their mainstream image and how many prefer to go for something like a griffin, aka what is essentially just a lion with an eagle’s head on top and of course, the signature wings that it sports.
As time moved on however, a limited amount of car manufacturers have decided to step up against this bias and just go all out, representing their love for the ferocious king of the jungle and in doing so really stand out from the crowd.
In this article we will be talking about all of the car companies that have those aforementioned lion logos while also discussing why there are so few of them out there nowadays and why this bias happens in the first place.
But for now, let’s take a brief break during which we can discuss the exact reasons as to why the image of the lion is so beloved by the people.
What Does the Image of the Lion Represent?
First and foremost, as mentioned previously, the image of the lion always represented royalty. Regardless of whether you’ve ever seen a documentary or not, you probably know the fact that the lion is considered to be the king of the jungle.
Because of this, most companies that use the lion as their sigil end up doing so to represent their elegancy and grace, while not forgetting about their authority as well. Remember, this is the king of the beasts we’re talking about here.
Second of all, the image of the lion immediately gives off a tint of dignity which not a lot of creatures on this planet can say that they have. For example, the cat, for as graceful as it can be, really lacks in that dignity factor that the lion seems completely engulfed in.
In most iterations out there, whenever you see a lion, you see him as the kingly ruler that always knows right from wrong. We can talk all day about different rulers from animated flicks and whatnot, and how the fact that they are lions immediately gives off a sense of dignity.
Third of all, despite the obvious Land of Oz tie in, for the most part, lions are associated with courage. They are the ones battling it out against hundreds of enemies for the sake of upholding the law and the natural balance that is beset by mother nature.
Last but not least, for as kingly and dignified as the image of the lion can be, let’s be honest here, for the most part, lions are quite ruthless and ferocious beasts. They are the apex predators in most iterations out there and this perfectly represents a lot of companies out there nowadays.
So, just to reemphasize all of that, the image of the lion throughout the years has always been consistently represented by honor, strength, royalty and the everlasting leadership that the pack needs to survive.
Why Do People Hate the Image of the Lion?
So, with all of that out of the way, how could anyone actually claim that the image of the lion is depicted with a negative connotation?
Well, whether we’re talking about an overexposure to it, a general change in mind or both, we can’t really say for sure why this happens but we can definitely tell right off the bat that something happened in the past couple of years that caused everyone to suddenly hate the image of the lion.
As more and more companies drift away from this image it becomes pretty redundant to say, but basically the image of the lion appears to be often times compared to the image of a dying industry.
People want something different; people want something that they can remember easily, and while the image of the lion definitely outlived a lot of other logos over the years, it appears to be more of a dying art than anything.
There has even been an attempt to use a similar creature as a logo just so that the company could bring in both the people that liked the image of the lion and those that were fully against it. This is why we have so many companies that have a griffin as their logo.
Just look at Saab, Scania, Iso or Vauxhall, all of them have the same image of a lion with wings and an eagle’s head. This image is pretty much everywhere but recently it’s garnered a lot more attention than most people would like to admit.
Regardless, to put it bluntly, as time moves on, less and less companies have decided to use the image of the lion as their logo. Statistics don’t lie, and yet we have a whole plethora of titans in the industry that continue to showcase their maned beast as the front of their business.
Is it a lack of interest in change or do they just want to stick to what worked before since they can’t accept that the people want something different? Regardless, it’s about time we jumped right into the meat of this article, aka the top car manufacturers out there that still use this image of the lion.
INKAS
In case you didn’t know by now, INKAS Armored Vehicle Manufacturing is one of the leading armored vehicle companies out there and for good reason.
They are known for making both incredible looking cars and incredibly powerful vehicles as well. Regardless of whether you’re looking to buy yourself an executive SUV that you can drive around and not worry about incoming bullets, a luxury sedan or just about any armored car you can think of, they’ve got you covered.
They’ve been at it since 1996, and they’ve literally kept themselves at the top of the game since by literally never selling an unfinished product.
They make most cars that you see politicians and people of influence drive around in when going to a public meetup. Do you remember seeing the pope drive around in that bulletproof car? Yes, that was the work of the INKAS and that’s not even the best car they ever made.
On top of that, the image of the lion is downright perfect for them. As mentioned previously, the image of the lion is meant to represent strength, which is exactly what INKAS is all about.
Besides that, you can also see the fact that the INKAS lion has a sword in his hands, which is meant to be a warning for anyone that dares to mess with the car owner. You already know you’re in trouble when you see the car easily brush off grenades, so you better be running friend.
Holden
While INKAS prefer to use the image of the lion as a sign of power and security, Holden chose to go for a different image of the lion, aka they more so emphasized the pride and royalty part.
Commonly referred to as General Motors-Holden, this is one of the best Australian car manufacturers to this day, which says a lot considering how many big names originated form there.
As you can see right off the bat from their logo alone, they are represented by that beautifully gracious lion and that stone that it keeps under its paw.
Their image came from all the way back in 1928 when they finally decided to get a man by the name of Rayner Hoff to help them rebrand themselves.
But hey, that’s not all there is to this logo. It actually is meant to represent an ancient history which states that before there was anything, before the light had brightened up the darkness, there was but one creature roaming the emptiness, and that was the lion.
The lion actually was the first creature to exist, and the one first creature to create the wheel too. Because of this, the lion is meant to represent the pioneer in the industry, the first to do it and the best at it by far.
Whether you agree with this based on Holden’s preexisting image is up to you, what we can say however is that this is definitely one of our personal favorites from this lineup and for good reason too.
Büssing
Büssing AG was one of the top bus and truck manufacturers in the world a few decades ago. Despite the fact that it had a relatively slow and humble beginning back in 1903, Germany, it quickly caught on and became one of the titans of the industry.
Before long it was actually not just one of the best in the country, but also one of the top European manufacturers around all of Europe. They made some of the best busses and trucks you’ve ever seen and they continue to do so to this day.
Sadly however, the company was completely taken over by MAN AG in 1971 and they slowed down a bit at that point. As mentioned previously, they still make some incredible vehicles, although for the most part they operate under the new logo that represents the “MAN- Büssing” name.
MAN AG
MAN SE is one of the leaders in terms of trucks out there. Do we mean Germany, or Europe? No, we actually mean all around the globe. They are the titans that have controlled the truck industry for a very long time now and they keep on doing it to this day.
Just go outside and take a look at any truck passing you by, the chances of you seeing a MAN truck are astronomically large since they are by far the most popular and high-quality truck manufacturers out there.
They are actually considered to be a part of the Volkswagen Group, although they continue to work autonomously without any actual intervention from them.
Although they started off strong, they definitely picked up a lot of momentum back in 1971 when they bought Büssing AG, in what many have considered to be the best investment they could have made at the time.
The lion on their logo is meant to represent trust and loyalty, as you always know that when you get yourself a MAN truck you get a truck for life.
Proton
Most people don’t realize the fact that Proton have been around for quite some time now, and that is mostly because back in the year 2000 they actually ended up changing their logo to the famous lion logo that they’re sporting today.
This design choice was monumental for them as it instantly attracted a lot of attention to their brand and basically kickstarted their sales like no other.
This also helped them establish their name in the industry, as what started off as just another car manufacturer quickly became one of the top names in the country.
Their lion logo is meant to represent a lion roaring, which is obviously a signal of respect and authority. They are trying to showcase the fact that their speed is unmatched, just like a lion’s roar, which they definitely achieved with their latest automobile showcase.
Regardless, if you’re interested in a lesser known but still top-notch car manufacturer, we would definitely recommend that you go for a PROTON one simply because, although not yet a household name, they still definitely carry their weight just fine and that logo definitely helped them a lot over the years.
Roewe
This tale starts with a complete failure as SAIC was at a complete loss when they attempted to buy out the Rover brand name from BMW around 2005. The reason as to why they failed so hard was because BMW had already sold it off to Ford so they couldn’t do anything about it even if they wanted to.
Regardless, when they saw that they couldn’t get their names on that branding they decided to slightly alter it and instead go for the Roewe name which honestly didn’t hurt them all that much.
The name literally translates to “glorious power” so it’s no wonder that so many people instantly saw it as an even better choice altogether.
But that’s not all, the founder of SAIC stated himself that Roewe was meant to be a derivation from the German word that means “lion”, which explains the logo even more.
But alas, Roewe is pretty much one of the top names in China and what we would refer to as one of the best luxury car manufacturers around the globe.
Peugeot
You already knew it was coming, ladies and gentlemen stand aside because the king of the jungle is here. Peugeot is one of the top vehicle manufacturers around the globe, and by far the biggest name on this list.
It is a French automotive manufacturer that has that famous image of the lion which is meant to represent both strength and safety, as is the case with all of their cars over the years.
They have always been about changing the game and keeping their name above the clouds and they’ve done just that with ease.
When they first went for this logo, it was meant to represent their steel production line, but as they transitioned into the car manufacturing industry, they decided to keep it simply because it continued to relay all that their company was about back then.
Love it or hate it, this is what we would consider to be the top car manufacturer that has a lion as their logo out there today. It’s hard to beat Peugeot though.
Conclusion
So, what we can take from this article is definitely the fact that although the image of the lion continues to bring a lot of traction to the big titan companies out there, the truth is that it appears to be a dying art that slowly yet surely is fading away into nothingness.
We can only hope that more and more companies continue to use the lion logo because honestly it looks amazing and the symbolism behind it is top notch. What do you think about it? Is it overused or would you say it’s a good addition to any household name?
