The Subaru logo isn’t just a neat design penned by a graphic artist merely just to look nice, it actually acts as a visual guide of how and when the automaker was established. Start with the name: Subaru means “unite” in Japanese, and that’s our first clue. See, back in 1953, five companies merged to form Fuji Heavy Industries — now dubbed Subaru Corporation — and Subaru became the car-making arm of the new outfit. That merger is written into the badge itself, with the five smaller stars representing the original companies. That big central star in the middle? That one represents Subaru itself.
There’s more to it than that, though. The design is modeled on the Pleiades, a star cluster also known as the Seven Sisters. Subaru also refers to this star cluster, in addition to meaning unite, so it works on multiple levels. Subaru didn’t just overlook that seventh star either, as it’s generally too faint to be seen with the naked eye, and so it simply didn’t need to be featured on the logo. Plus, that would be one star too many to represent the initial merger, too.
There’s more symbolism layered in too, as those stars are arranged in a way that subtly forms an “S,” tying the cosmic reference back to the brand name. The colors are no accident either. Blue conveys trust, dependability, and Subaru’s obsession with reliability, while silver accents stand in for quality and advanced engineering — all of that being a part of Subaru’s brand identity all along. The Pleiades have long been associated with the seasons, renewal, and cycles of growth, themes Subaru leans on when it talks about constant innovation and engineering progress.
