Chevrolet made big news by announcing that they will be unveiling the new 7th-generation Corvette on January 13, 2013 at the Detroit Auto Show. While no images of the car itself have leaked out yet, Chevy did tease car lovers by revealing the new Corvette logo.

How does this new logo stack up against some of the automotive icons of old?

1. Alfa Romeo:  The cross on the left is said to commemorate the actions of Giovanni Da Rio, the man who was purportedly the first to erect a cross atop Jerusalem’s walls during the first crusade. The serpent on the right resembles a man-eating creature that supposedly frightened the people of Milan in the fifth century.

2. BMW:   People forget that BMW was a well-known producer of aircraft before they jumped into the automotive business.  That’s where its logo comes about: from the illusion of a spinning propeller. Plus, blue and white are the traditional colors of Bavaria, where BMW is based.

3. Ferrari:  Ferrari actually borrowed its logo from Count Francesco Barracca, a pilot in the Italian Air Force. He painted this prancing horse on the sides of his planes. Barracca was shot down in 1918, but not before he attained the status of being known as an asso.

4. Fiat (1899):  Many people don’t know that Fiat is an acronym for the company’s full name: Fabbrica Italiana di Automobli Torino. The automaker’s original logo resembled a piece of parchment on which was engraved the full name.

5. Lamborghini Why has the Italian luxury automaker adopted a charging bull as its logo? Because founder Ferruccio Lamborghini loved bullfights. And he was a Taurus.

6. Peugeot:  Peugeot wasn’t always a car company. In fact, it started out as a manufacturer of saw blades in 1850. That’s how the lion logo came about; it symbolizes the three main qualities of Peugeot’s blades: the flexibility of the blade, the toughness of the teeth, and the speed of the cut.

7. Porsche:  This snazzy logo looks unique and artistic to most viewers. Except for those who live in Stuttgart, Germany where the company is headquartered. Then, it just looks a lot like the Stuttgart coat of arms.

8. Rover:  The maker of Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles wanted to portray a rugged, outdoorsman-type image. So they went with a Viking ship. After all, Vikings were some of the first European outdoorsmen… if you consider pillaging and plundering to be “outdoor activities.”

9. Subaru:  It’s the first automaker which sported a Japanese name. Subaru actually refers to the group of stars known as the Pleiades. The five stars represent the five companies that merged to form Fuji Heavy Industries, which is Subaru’s parent corporation.

10. Toyota:  There are several interpretations for this logo. It’s a symbol of Mars, the Roman god of war. It depicts each of the letters in the brand name. The three ellipses represent three company concepts: the heart of the product, the heart of the customer, and the future’s endless possibilities and advancements. But it is most definitely not a hula-hooping penguin viewed through a ship’s porthole.