What animal is the Impala logo?
The logo depicts an impala, the African antelope famed for its speed and impressive leaps. The question centers on the emblem used with the Impala name, particularly Chevrolet's flagship sedan lineage, which has long used a leaping impala silhouette as its badge.
About the animal: the impala
The impala is a medium-sized antelope native to eastern and southern Africa. It is known for its slender body, long legs, and remarkable leaping ability, which it uses to escape predators and navigate its savanna habitat. Males typically carry lyre-shaped horns, while females do not.
Key facts about the impala help explain why the symbol is associated with speed and elegance in branding.
- Native to eastern and southern Africa, commonly found in savannas and light woodlands.
- Medium-sized with a reddish-brown coat, a distinctive dark stripe along the flank, and, in males, long curved horns up to about 1 meter.
- Incredible leapers, capable of jumps several meters high and long, helping it evade predators.
- Social animals that often move in herds, using alertness and speed as survival strategies.
These traits—speed, agility, and elegance—make the impala a fitting emblem for a car model emphasizing performance and grace.
The Impala logo: what you see
The emblem most people recognize is a stylized silhouette of a leaping impala. It is commonly rendered in chrome or monochrome, designed for quick recognition on a vehicle’s side badge, grille, or trunk emblem and to evoke motion even when stationary.
- A simplified, mid-leap silhouette of an impala, crafted to be recognizable from a distance.
- Typically used as a side badge or badge accent, with variations in color and finish over different model years.
- Designed to convey speed, grace, and forward motion in keeping with the Impala name.
Across generations, the core idea has remained the same: an impala in dynamic motion, signaling performance without sacrificing style.
Evolution and branding of the Impala emblem
Branding observers note that the Impala badge has evolved in styling while preserving its essential identity—the leaping impala. Here is a high-level look at how designers have updated the emblem over time.
- Early badges featured a more detailed, literal rendition of the animal as a chrome or colored emblem on the fenders.
- Mid-era designs softened the lines into a more abstract, streamlined silhouette for modern car styling.
- Contemporary branding often favors a bold, high-contrast silhouette, used consistently across exterior accents and digital branding.
In sum, the logo has shifted in form but kept its core motif: a leaping impala that aligns the vehicle with speed, agility, and performance.
Summary
The animal depicted in the Impala logo is the impala itself, an African antelope. The logo’s form—a leaping silhouette—has endured for decades, evolving in style but staying true to the idea of speed and grace that Chevrolet has associated with the Impala model.
Is the impala a deer or antelope?
An impala, also known as the rooibok, is a medium-sized species of antelope with a reddish-brown coat and white and black markings. Both males and females look very similar, though males are identifiable by their large, twisting horns.
What animal is on the Chevy impala?
He may be common, but he's one very classy antelope. Thanks to Chevrolet, the impala is probably Africa's most recognized antelope. Reddish tan, with white underparts and attractive lyre-shaped horns, the impala is a classic and classy little antelope.
What is the animal on the impala logo?
leaping African antelope
NEW YORK – The Chevrolet Impala has proudly worn the image of the leaping African antelope for which it was named as an emblem in some form since its debut in 1958.
What is the impala logo?
The Impala logo is a leaping African antelope, representing the car model it was named after. The emblem has evolved over time, starting with a design that included crossed flags in 1958, and continuing with a variety of stylized, muscular antelope figures on the exterior and interior of the vehicle. The current design for the 2014 model has a sleek, fast-looking silhouette.
- Initial emblem (1958): The logo featured a leaping impala antelope along with crossed flags.
- Evolution through the years: The emblem has been redesigned several times to match the style of different model years.
- 1962–1967: The impala was often surrounded by a circle and could be found on the front fender or rear quarter panel.
- 1968–1985: The external emblem was removed but continued to be used on interior parts like the horn button and dashboard.
- 1994–1996: The SS (Super Sport) model featured an oval surrounding the impala symbol.
- Modern emblems: More recent designs have a more muscular, sleek, and fast-looking impala, designed to complement the car's modern aesthetic.
