Can you spot the difference with Mazda's new logo?

Japanese carmaker Mazda has trademarked a new logo in its home country, but it’s a case of evolution rather than revolution for the brand.

Filed with the Japan Patent Office, the “new” design is a more simplified version of the badge we’ve seen on Mazda vehicles with few changes since 1997, which has featured a pair of wings inside an oval.

The revised logo does without the 3D-effect and silver of the current design though, becoming far more basic in plain black with no raised features, with the wings now lacking any rounded curves.

We have seen a version of this logo before, when it was showcased on the Mazda Arata and EZ-6 concepts in April, though this was a preview of two electric models which will be built in China by the brand’s local joint venture company, Changan Mazda.

The brand has also trademarked a new letter logo in Australia, with all uppercase letters rather than its lowercase branding which has been used for almost half a century.

This too will look familiar, as it’s been used on the badges of its new models for at least five years, and matches up with the font styling on new vehicles such as the CX SUV family.

It’s not yet known when the new badge will start to appear on Mazda’s Australian range.

MORE: Everything Mazda