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HYUNDAI emblems, logos and badges - Origin, Meaning, History

1967～ (*1)	1975～	1982～	1991～	Reference (*2)

【 Origin of Emblem and Logo 】

The HYUNDAI emblem logo is derived from "H" the initial of HYUNDAI and the oval for the earth and its global business expansion. "H" represents two people shaking hands, and there are two theories about the details of these two people. The 1st theory: the two people are representatives of the company's management and employees. The 2nd theory: the two people are the company representative and customer who is satisfied with its product. The reason why the "H" is slanted, is a symbol of the company's positive attitude toward the future.

【 History of Emblem, Logo, and Company 】

In December 1967, Hyundai Motor Company was founded by Chung Se-yung, based on Hyundai Motor Industrial Company founded by his brother Chung Ju-yung in 1946. Its predecessor, the automobile company, was a subcontractor for the US Army Weapons Factory. The establishment of the company was related with Ford's investment, the first car launched in November 1968 was Ford Cortina.
From 1967 to 1975, the first emblem logo consisted of the silhouette of the car side view and "HD", and was used in newspaper advertisements and catalogs. But it was not used for vehicles.
In December 1975, the first emblem logo for the HYUNDAI cars with "HD" drawn on a rectangle was born, and was installed on the front bumper and steering wheel of the new model Pony.
In January 1982, when the next car model Pony2 was released, the "HD" on each part of the vehicle was replaced with the "HYUNDAI" emblem logo in order to raise the awareness of HYUNDAI brands overseas.
The current design has been adopted for mass-produced models since 1991. This emblem logo was first installed on Elantra.