Winged ‘M’ Will Take Flight on Mazdas

For the second time in six years, Mazda Motor Corp. is changing its emblem in the United States--and this time the official corporate symbol actually has an “M” in it.

The new symbol, a stylized winged M inside a circle, was ordered up “as part of a coordinated effort to enhance the image of the Mazda brand on a global basis,” said officials at Irvine-based Mazda Motor America Inc., the Japanese car company’s U.S. headquarters.

Until now, Mazda has never had a corporate badge, or emblem, in use worldwide. Most other Japanese car companies do--Mitsubishi uses the three-pointed “diamond star” and Toyota uses entwined ovals that form a stylized “T.”

The new Mazda design is supposed to represent creativity, flexibility, resoluteness, gentleness and a sense of mission, says logo designer Rei Yoshimura.

The former symbol, which Mazda described as a flame in a circle, was only used on the company’s cars in the United States and on a few Mazda models in Japan. The company sells cars in more than 80 countries.

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John O’Dell covers major Orange County corporations and manufacturing for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5831 and at john.odell@latimes.com.