Yema Logo

Yema Brand Overview

Yema Auto traced its roots to a cluster of small repair factories in Chengdu, Sichuan, that had built the Jinding bus and light Yema and Bailu off-road vehicles since the late 1980s. In September 2002 the Chengdu municipal government approved a merger of these plants under Sichuan Fulin Industrial Group, and the reorganized company began building vehicles under the Yema name that year, the founding date the brand itself recognizes.

The company changed its corporate name twice as it grew: to Sichuan Automobile Industry Group in 2006, then, after a 2011 restructuring into a joint-stock company, to Sichuan Yema Automobile Co., Ltd. in April 2015. Through the 2010s it built SUVs and MPVs such as the Spica, T70 and T80, alongside vans and buses, from its Chengdu headquarters and a second plant in nearby Mianyang.

Yema’s Chinese name, 野马, means wild horse, the same nickname Chinese buyers had long used for the Ford Mustang. Because Yema had registered the trademark in 1986, two decades before Ford filed for it in China, the company sued Ford in 2016 for trademark infringement. In 2018 the Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court ruled in Yema’s favor, ordering Ford China to pay 1 million yuan in damages and publish a statement acknowledging the infringement.

In January 2019 the Shandong low-speed electric vehicle maker Levdeo bought Yema for about 1.45 billion yuan, intending to build electric cars on Yema’s existing platforms under a new Letin brand. The plan did not survive Levdeo’s own troubles. Levdeo declared bankruptcy in May 2023, and Yema, dragged down with its parent, was twice petitioned into bankruptcy review that year and never resumed normal production.

Yema Logo Meaning

Yema’s badge never tried to draw a literal horse, which is unusual for a brand whose name means wild horse in Chinese. Instead the company used an abstract monogram built from the initials Y and M, and later a plain wordmark, leaving the animal imagery to the name alone. When Yema redesigned its emblem in 2019, Chinese trade press noted that the new mark moved even further from any equine reference, apparently to avoid comparisons with other brands that use a running horse.

Yema Logo History and Evolution

2002-2014: The Oval Monogram

Yema’s first badge as a carmaker was a wide oval ring enclosing an angular shape formed from the stacked letters Y and M, sitting above a plain YEMA AUTO wordmark. It appeared as a chrome grille and tailgate badge on the company’s early models, including the F10 wagon and F99 SUV, and remained in use through the brand’s first decade of passenger-vehicle production.

• Design: horizontal oval outline around an interlocking Y and M monogram, with a separate wordmark below
• Colors: chrome or black on the vehicle badge, black on white in print
• Changes: first Yema Auto emblem, replacing the plate and script badges used on its predecessor light vehicles
• Context: used while the company was still Sichuan Automobile Industry Group, before it adopted Yema as its formal corporate name

2014: The YEMA Wordmark

At the Chengdu Motor Show in 2014, Yema showed a new badge alongside its new T70 compact SUV: a bold YEMA wordmark in block capitals with a small red chevron pointing forward, meant to suggest the brand always moving ahead. Chinese coverage described it as part of a broader relaunch of the Yema image, and the company formally renamed itself Sichuan Yema Automobile the following year. No image is confirmed for this era; the wordmark is documented only in period photographs of the T70’s grille.

2019-2023: The Xingmang Star Wing Emblem

On 10 October 2019, less than a year after Levdeo took control, Yema unveiled a new emblem called Xingmang, or Star Wing, for its new-energy vehicle line, Yema NEV. The flat, diamond-shaped mark is built from four pointed wings around a small central Y, which the company said represented its new-energy foundation, with the four wings standing for technology, consumers, dealer partnerships and supplier development. Some observers noted the shape’s resemblance to a Mercedes-Benz star turned upside down, though Yema described it as representing radiating starlight. The mark also appeared on wheel centers of Yema’s electric models before the brand ceased operations in 2023.

FAQ

What does the name Yema mean?

Yema is the pinyin spelling of 野马, the Chinese word for wild horse. Chinese drivers had already used the same word informally as a nickname for the Ford Mustang, which set up Yema’s later trademark dispute with Ford.

Who owns Yema Auto?

The Shandong electric vehicle maker Levdeo acquired Yema in January 2019. Levdeo declared bankruptcy in May 2023, and Yema, its subsidiary, followed it into bankruptcy proceedings the same year.

Is Yema Auto still in business?

No. Yema was petitioned into bankruptcy review twice in 2023 after its parent company Levdeo collapsed, and it has not built vehicles since.

Did Yema really sue Ford over the Mustang name?

Yes. Yema registered the yema trademark in 1986. In 2018 a Chengdu court ruled that Ford China had infringed it and ordered Ford to pay 1 million yuan in damages and issue a public statement.

What cars did Yema make?

Yema built compact SUVs and MPVs including the Spica, T70, T80 and the F-series, along with commercial vans and buses, before shifting toward electric models under its NEV sub-brand.