What do the V and W in the Volkswagen emblem represent?

The V and W in the Volkswagen emblem represent the name Volkswagen.

The badge places a V above a W inside a circle, creating a compact monogram from the German words “Volks” and “Wagen,” meaning “people’s car.” The letters are arranged so that the lower strokes of the V connect visually with the upper structure of the W.

The emblem was created in the 1930s for the German Volkswagen project. Over the decades, Volkswagen revised the badge’s typeface, proportions, depth, and color treatment, but the two-letter structure remained the central identifying feature.

The mark is sometimes mistaken for an abstract geometric symbol because the letters are tightly interlocked. It is not an abbreviation for Volkswagen Group, the wider corporate group that owns several other automotive brands; it is specifically the initials of Volkswagen’s name.