In the modern market, it isn't good enough to simply have one product that consumers love. Companies need to build a recognizable brand that will keep customers buying their products. That is why many automakers have begun to create a corporate design language that's often capped off by a signature grill. Automakers then use this grill across multiple models to create a recognizable image. There are many different corporate grills on the market, but we have narrowed the market down to our five favorites on sale today.
The first grill design on our list is the Lexus spindle grill. This is a bold design that looks very different from almost any other grill on the market. The spindle grill is very controversial, but it has definitely changed people's perception of Lexus as a boring brand for older buyers. This grill design took over three years to finalize, and we think that it was the right move for Lexus. That said, the spindle grill works better on its smaller cars. The grills on the large cars like the LS and LX are a bit gaudy.
The Alfa Romeo brand is very fresh to the US market, so it may take a little while before people get aquatinted with the brand's upside-down triangle grill. The grill is actually called the Villa d'Este, and it is meant to resemble a shield. Alfa has created different iterations of this grill throughout the decades, but it continues to be one of the most uniquely shaped and recognizable grills on the market. We particularly love the most modern iteration on the Giulia and Stelvio.
No list of iconic grill designs could be complete without including the BMW kidney grill. The story of this grill design originates from Bruchsal, Germany. There was a bodyshop run by the Ihle brothers who had built a custom, two-seater roadster. This roadster was one of the first cars to have two radiator grills in the shape of kidneys. A BMW designer Franz Fiedler saw the design and incorporated it into the BMW 303. The rest is history, and the BMW brand has used this now-iconic design ever since.
The signature Rolls-Royce grill design might be the most recognizable on the road. No other car has such an imposing grill design and Rolls-Royce is one of the last automakers to still cap off its design with a hood ornament, the beloved Spirit of Ecstasy.
The final grill on our list comes from the most humble beginnings. The trademark Jeep grill dates all the way back to the military vehicles used in World War II. Jeep has used this seven vertical slat design on all of its models, making only minor changes through the years. The Wrangler still looks true to its original military origins, and all of the SUV models have a bit of history built into them.