You’re sitting at a red light, staring at the tailgate in front of you. There it is. A gold or chrome plus sign staring back. Or maybe it’s red. Honestly, most people just call it the car logo plus sign because, let’s be real, that is exactly what it looks like. But if you call it a "plus sign" in front of a die-hard gearhead, they might actually twitch.
It’s a bowtie. Or a Swiss cross. Or maybe a medical emergency symbol.
Depending on where you are in the world and what specific shade of red or gold you’re looking at, that "plus" means something radically different. We see these things every single day, yet the history behind them is a mess of corporate lore, stolen wallpaper designs, and international treaties. It’s kinda wild how a simple geometric shape—two lines crossing at a 90-degree angle—can represent everything from a rugged American pickup truck to a high-end luxury watch or a neutral European nation.
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The Big One: Chevrolet’s Famous Bowtie
When most Americans search for a car logo plus sign, they’re almost certainly talking about Chevrolet. It’s ubiquitous. It’s on the Silverado, the Malibu, and the Corvette (sorta). But here’s the thing: it isn’t technically a plus sign. It’s a "bowtie."
The story of how Billy Durant, the co-founder of Chevrolet, came up with it is legendary because nobody can actually agree on what happened. One version—the one Durant himself liked to tell—is that he saw the pattern on the wallpaper in a French hotel in 1908. He liked it so much he tore a piece off and kept it in his wallet.
But his wife, Catherine, had a different memory. She claimed they were at dinner in 1912 when he saw a design in a newspaper advertisement and exclaimed, "I think this would be a very good emblem for the Chevrolet." Then you’ve got his daughter, Margery, who wrote in her book My Father that he used to doodle nameplates at the dinner table. She thought he sketched it out between courses.
The most likely truth? Researchers actually found an ad for "Coalettes" fuel briettes in a 1911 edition of the Constitution newspaper. The Coalettes logo was a slanted, stylized bowtie that looks almost identical to the Chevy emblem. Durant probably saw it, tweaked it, and birthed one of the most recognizable icons in industrial history. It’s been gold since 2004, but it started out blue, and for a long time, it was just a silver outline.
The Swiss Connection: Alfa Romeo and the Red Cross
If the car logo plus sign you’re looking at is bright red and sitting inside a circle next to a snake eating a human (yes, really), you’re looking at an Alfa Romeo. This one has layers of history that make the Chevy story look like a comic book.
The red cross on the left side of the Alfa Romeo badge is the symbol of Milan. It dates back to the Crusades. It’s often confused with the Red Cross medical symbol, but it actually represents Giovanni Da Rio, who was supposedly the first to climb the walls of Jerusalem and erect a cross during the First Crusade.
Wait.
The snake part is even weirder. That’s the "Biscione," the symbol of the Visconti family who ruled Milan in the 14th century. It shows a giant serpent swallowing a Moorish child. Alfa Romeo has softened the image over the years—now it looks a bit more like a dragon with a man coming out of its mouth—but that red plus sign remains a constant tribute to the brand’s Italian roots.
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Is it a Medical Symbol?
Sometimes you see a literal red car logo plus sign on white backgrounds. This is where things get legally dicey. In the United States and many other countries, the use of the Red Cross symbol is strictly regulated by the Geneva Convention. You can’t just stick a red plus sign on your car company logo because you think it looks "clean."
Johnson & Johnson actually had a massive legal battle with the American Red Cross over this. J&J had been using the symbol since before the American Red Cross was even incorporated. Because of these protections, you rarely see a literal, equilateral red cross in automotive branding unless it’s an actual ambulance or a vehicle specifically designated for humanitarian aid.
The GMC Yukon and the "Plus" Trim
Lately, people have been spotting a different kind of car logo plus sign on the road. Specifically, on GMC vehicles. If you see a GMC Denali and it has a stylized plus sign next to the nameplate, it’s usually denoting the "Ultimate" trim or a specific package.
GMC uses these "plus-style" accents to signify that you’ve spent the big bucks. It’s a visual shorthand for "this isn’t the base model." While it’s not the primary brand logo, it’s becoming a significant part of the visual language for American luxury SUVs.
Why Our Brains See Plus Signs Everywhere
The human brain loves patterns. We are hardwired for "Pareidolia," which is just a fancy way of saying we see faces in clouds and shapes in chrome. A bowtie is a polygon with two parallel sides and four angled sides, but at 65 miles per hour on the interstate, it’s a plus sign.
There’s a psychological comfort to the shape. It represents addition, positivity, and intersection. It’s stable. Unlike a circle which can roll or a triangle which feels "sharp," the cross-shape of these logos suggests a foundation. Whether it’s the ruggedness of a Chevy truck or the heritage of a Milanese racing machine, the geometry conveys a sense of "built-ness" that few other shapes can manage.
Mistakes People Make with These Logos
Let’s clear some things up.
First, Lincoln doesn't have a plus sign. It has a "Lincoln Star." Yes, it’s four-pointed and looks like a skinny cross, but if you call it a plus sign, Lincoln enthusiasts will get very salty. It’s meant to be a celestial body reflecting the brand's "shining" luxury.
Second, the Swiss flag is a white plus on a red field. You’ll see this on Swiss-made products or companies trying to look "premium" or "precise" (like Victorinox or Swatch). In the car world, you don’t see the Swiss cross as a primary logo often, though Hispano-Suiza used to have elements of it in their complex emblems back in the day.
Third, don’t confuse the Chevy bowtie with the Pontiac dart. Pontiac (RIP) had a downward-pointing "V" or arrowhead. From a distance, some people lumped them together as "GM shapes," but they are worlds apart in design philosophy.
How to Tell Them Apart at a Glance
If you’re trying to identify a mystery car by its "plus" logo, follow this quick mental checklist:
- Is it Gold and Thick? That’s a Chevrolet. It’s the "Bowtie."
- Is it Red on the left side of a circle? That’s an Alfa Romeo. It’s the Cross of Milan.
- Is it a thin, silver four-pointed star? That’s a Lincoln.
- Is it a tiny red plus next to "GMC"? That’s a trim level indicator (usually Denali Ultimate).
- Is it a white cross on a blue background? You might be looking at a vintage Subaru emblem (though they’re usually stars/Pleiades) or some very specific European regional badges.
What it Means for the Future of Car Design
As we move into the EV era, logos are changing. They’re becoming "flat." Look at the new Volkswagen or Kia logos—they’re losing the 3D chrome look in favor of simple, 2D lines that look better on a smartphone screen.
The car logo plus sign—specifically the Chevy bowtie—is also evolving. On the new electric Blazer and Silverado, the bowtie is often hollowed out (the "Flowtie") to allow for better airflow and cooling, or it’s illuminated with LEDs. The shape stays the same because the brand equity is worth billions, but the "plus sign" is literally becoming a light fixture.
Actionable Tips for Car Owners and Spotters
If you're trying to replace a missing logo or identify a vehicle, here is what you need to do:
- Measure the "Bar" Width: If you're ordering a replacement for a Chevy, know that the bowtie size changes significantly between a Spark and a 3500 HD. Don't just search for "plus sign logo"; search by your specific VIN.
- Check the Background: If the cross is part of a shield, you're likely looking at a Cadillac (though they've removed the ducks and the "Merlettes" recently) or a Buick.
- Look for Color Shifting: Real Chevy bowties from the early 2000s are notorious for "fading" or getting water trapped behind the plastic, making the gold look like a weird brown. If it looks "off," it’s probably just weather damage, not a rare variant.
- Verify the Orientation: A plus sign is upright. A "saltire" or X-shape is different. If it looks like an X, you're looking at something else entirely, like the old specialized badges for certain Ford performance trims or custom aftermarket grilles.
Understanding these icons helps you navigate the road a bit better. Next time someone asks about that "car with the plus sign," you can tell them it’s actually a wallpaper pattern from a French hotel or a crusader's badge from the streets of Milan. It makes for much better conversation than just talking about gas mileage.