Mazda has recently trademarked a new logo, ahead of what is possibly a global rebrand.
The updated wing design is not significantly different from the one that Mazda has used since 1997. However, it does feature a move from the previous surround’s ovoid shape to a more circular form. It’s a subtle change.
Perhaps more obvious is the change to the wings that give the logo its M shape. They now have a more uniform line thickness and there’s less of a 3D effect. The logo has a two-dimensional flat appearance now that the shadowing has gone.
This flat logo first appeared on the Mazda Arata, an EV design concept shown by Changan Mazda at Auto China 2024 in April.
The trademarked version of the logo was filed on July 22, 2024 in Japan.
Whether or not the new logo will appear on future vehicles or be reserved for corporate purposes is unclear. Mazda representatives have not yet responded to requests for comment.
This move follows Kia’s significant rebrand in 2021. While Kia’s new logo came in for design criticism there’s no denying the sales success that followed.
Mazda will no doubt be hoping for similar positive outcomes, though its move upmarket with models like CX-60 and CX-90 came at a time when car sales were beginning to slow. And in Australasia sales of the pair have been lukewarm, the firm losing its number two position across the ditch for the first time since 2014.
Here sales are off slightly – 4176 total last year, 1665 for H1 – partly because BT-50 was discontinued in February of this year.
