Which cities have the strongest car cultures? One would assume L.A. because of the 12 month ‘summer car‘ weather and long history of customization. Then there’s Tokyo with it’s unique Kanjozoku, Bosozoku and VIP subcultures. Maybe Maranello, the home of Scuderia Ferrari?
A recent article on the Auto-Trader UK website defined the concept of ‘car-munity’ and used a unique set of metrics to measure the strength of each cities love of cars. For as long as there have been cars, there have been car meets where gearheads can show off their cars, and exchange knowledge and ideas with like-minded people. Car clubs and associations (CAA, AAA, Auto Club) in the early 1900s were based on organizing meets and promoting the motoring culture. Social media has made car culture explode in popularity, giving motorists knowledge about upcoming events.
So, which cities have the strongest ‘car-munity’? to help answer that question, Auto-Trader UK analyzed car events, auto shows and meet-ups in 400+ cities worldwide, then factored in the number of social media posts related to each city and produced a numerical score. Agree or disagree?
The Cities With The Biggest Car-Munity Score
- 1 Austin, USA 98.1%
- 2 Toronto, Canada 95.4%
- 3 Cape Town, South Africa 95.2%
- 4 Turin, Italy 76.1%
- 5 Munich, Germany 68.1%
- 6 London, UK 61%
- 7 Warsaw, Poland 58%
- 8= Frankfurt, Germany 57.1%
- 8= Sydney, Australia 57.1%
- 10 Christchurch, New Zealand 41%
- 11 Edmonton, Canada 39.3%
- 12 Wolverhampton, UK 38.6%
- 13= Geneva, Switzerland 38.1%
- 13= Stuttgart, Germany 38.1%
- 15 Pretoria, South Africa 29.3%
- 16 Madrid, Spain 23%
- 17= Shenzhen, China 22%
- 17= Koto City, Japan 22%
- 19 Naples, Italy 19.1%
- 20 Manila, Philippines 19%
1 Austin, Texas, USA (98.1%)
Austin is known for its vibrant car culture, and leads the global rankings with the highest car-munity score. Home to the Formula 1 race at COTA (Circuit of the Americas) and well known events like the Lonestar Rod & Kustom Round Up, this Texas town stands tall amongst others. Gatherings like Cars & Coffee Austin are exceptionally popular all year round, and classic American cars from the ‘golden age‘ of motoring are just as common on the streets as Porsches, Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
2 Toronto, Ontario Canada (95.4%)
Top spot in Canada, and second worldwide, Toronto is the country’s car capital. The annual IndyCar race on the downtown streets, plus the huge number of custom shops give The Six the edge. A cosmopolitan city, Toronto is often called a ‘melting pot’ and the culture reflects this with events as diverse as the Canadian International AutoShow, traditional shows like Motorama Custom Car show and brand specific meets like the Subaru Hypermeet which bring thousands of people to the city each year. The active online communities share stories from meet-ups at every Tim Horton’s. .
3 Cape Town, South Africa (95.2%)
Cape Town, with a car-munity score of 95.2%, has an active car culture. Regular events like the Cape Town Motor Show and Cars & Coffee Cape Town, the city attract a wide range of vehicles, including classic British cars, high-end supercars, and everything in between. South Africa has its own motorsports discipline called ‘spinning’ which involves performing stunts while hanging out a car being driven in big smoky donuts. Crazy! .
4 Turin, Italy (76.1%)
As the home of Fiat, Turin has a long automotive history including racing and manufacturing. Even today, events such as the Automotoretrò (an exhibition of vintage cars and motorcycles) attracts gearheads from all over Europe. Turin’s appreciation for modern and classic vehicles is shown by the diverse car meet-ups throughout the city, and it’s car culture is well documented on social media: and YouTube videos. It is the heart of Italian motoring.
5 Munich, Germany (68.1%)
Munich, known for being the headquarters of BMW, wraps up the top five cities with the biggest sense of car-munity, with a thriving motor culture centred around German engineering excellence. The Munich Classic Car Show and BMW Welt events are particularly popular, showcasing the latest models as well as classics. Munich’s car meet-ups often focus on precision engineering and high performance, attracting a dedicated following of car enthusiasts who take to social media to highlight the latest gatherings and the impressive vehicles on display.
A surprising list? Cities in Brazil or Japan that were expected to be ‘tops’ didn’t even make the list, at least according to Auto Trader UK. The European cities seem to dominate the list, lead by the Germans with 3 cities in the Top 20. But Germany has a population more than double that of Canada. Therefore, one would have to agree that Canada (with both Toronto and Edmonton in the Top 20) is home to the strongest car-munities, on a per-capita basis.
Yes, a surprising list. Well done, Toronto. I have joined a few car groups in my town on Facebook. There are surely car enthusiasts here but the number is small. This was a fascinating post, Chris.
I guess there’s factors like population, weather / climate, automotive manufacturing history, etc., that determine how car crazy a place is.
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But those South Africans are just plain weird. Spinning is bizzare.
Austin is a bit of a surprise, and the only city in the US of A in the top 20. Good for Toronto.
I kinda get Austin. Warm weather, COTA, but no real automotive history. I would have expected Detroit or Atlanta in the Top 10.
Austin is the liberal hub of Texas. But maybe you can’t breed the love of cars out of Texans, no matter their political persuasions. I have a lot of liberal friends who love cars, but I have more liberal friends who say they loathe cars. What’s one to do?
The only thing I k ow about Austin is what I see in the pre-game show before the F1 race broadcast. So.e ki d of slogan lkke ‘Austin: Keeping it Weird!’
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Texans and truck. Austins love of automobiles. I think its important to convert as many Austinians into gearheads as possible. Like missionaries.
Are Lowrider’s included in the gear head car culture? Lots of them in California and here in New Mexico: https://youtu.be/xzjYll7vD-4
Cool video! We have like 0% lowrider car culture in Toronto.
Back in the 80s and 90s, Española, NM, was considered the lowrider capital of the world. Not anymore, sadly enough.
Lowrider capital. Here in Toronto there are 3 lowriders. Yiu see them at all the shows. Nobody is into that scene here, which I find really sad because lowriders are totally creative and cool.