The company was founded in 1954 and was originally called “Ha Dong-hwan Motor Company”. Later, in 1977, the name was changed to “Dong-A Motor” and, finally, in 1988 was accepted the name “SsangYong Motor” which is used till nowadays.
Meaning and History
The name of the company is translated from Korean as “two dragons”. In Korean culture, it is believed that two dragons are two elements of yin and yang, balancing each other in space and allowing harmony in everything. Therefore, for Koreans, it is a symbol of balance, perfection, and perfection.
1954 – 1963
At first, the corporation did not have any symbols at all: in 1954 this enterprise was founded as an assembly shop at the American military plant. The most that could be seen on the hood of the trucks from the Korean manufacturer is the serial number and the white five-pointed star.
1963 – 1979
In 1963 the company decided to take a trivial step: the national symbol of South Korea, the yin-yang sign, was used as an emblem, the upper half of which is blue with a red dot, and the lower part is red with a blue dot. On the sides was an ornament known as “soyombo”.
1979- 1988
The logo was a rectangular die with a word inside. There was a blue square with a white pattern inside at the beginning of the text box.
1988 – 1989
The logo consisted of two parts. The first part resembled a skid mark. It was blue in color, and the brand name was written on it in white letters. The word in Korean written in black font came next.
1989 – 1992
In 1989 the emblem was completely changed and represents two rings connected to each other and placed in a large oval. Interesting, that there was an idea to use the image of two dragons, each of which is entwined with its “neighbor” tail.
1992 – 1997
It was a schematic black and white logo consisting of a circle and two ellipses inside. The ellipses were located in the center of the circle, diagonally, touching the sides.
1997 – 2001
A more conservative and at the same time sophisticated look was presented in 1997. The round emblem is now the main element with the name printed in smaller, different font underneath. The whole emblem now uses a blue and white color palette with the red seen in the logos for almost ten years being gone. The new font looks very similar to Helvetica Bold or Swiss 721 Bold.
2001 – 2023
The latest update of the logo happened in 1992. Now badge represents the image of two dragon wings, which form an open ring. It symbolizes freedom, movement, and growth, which is simple and elegant at the same time.
2023 – now
The year 2023 marked a new era for the SsangYong company, which is now known as KG Mobility. There is a little bit of SsangYong logo history in the new brand image as it features a colorful arrow above the inscription, which has been seen in several early versions of the SsangYong logo. Those who are familiar with the KG Group will instantly recognize that it is a logo used by this group. The name itself is done in a purple color and features a traditional, sans-serif typeface with all uppercase letters.
Emblem and Symbol
SsangYong Motor is now one of the four largest auto manufacturers in South Korea. Its emblem is quite simple and influential like other car badges. Two dragons are the emblem of harmonious development and self-sufficiency. Thus, the manufacturer shows: we do not need outsiders – we ourselves can do everything we need.
