A new global study from premium automotive retailer Stratstone has revealed that London tops the list of the world’s most luxury car-obsessed cities.
By analysing Google search volumes for 14 luxury and hypercar brands across 50 of the world’s richest cities, the research has also crowned Porsche as the world’s favourite luxury car brand.
While national pride often dictates which manufacturers are most popular in their home countries, the study revealed some surprise results for Porsche and relative newcomer Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) which buck this trend.
The World’s Most Car-Obsessed Cities
Upon assessing more than 3.6 million monthly searches on Google, London leads the pack with a staggering 270,220 monthly searches for luxury car brands.
Paris & Île-de-France (259,200) and Milan & Lombardy (233,380) round out the top three cities most obsessed with luxury cars, with the trio of European locations known for their automotive heritage and affluence. There are plenty of luxury car enthusiasts across North America too. New York City (217,200) and Los Angeles (129,300) both make the top ten to represent the USA, as does the Canadian city of Toronto (108,500).
Australia is another hotbed for fans of luxury cars, evident by Sydney (155,440) and Melbourne (131,210) both securing spots high in the list, while Mumbai (129,940) stands out as the most car-obsessed city in not only India, but all of Asia.
The complete top ten most luxury car-obsessed cities across the globe in Stratstone’s study are as follows:
London – 270,220
Paris & Île-de-France – 259,200
Milan & Lombardy – 233,380
New York City – 217,200
Sydney – 155,440
Melbourne – 131,210
Mumbai – 129,940
Los Angeles – 129,300
Madrid – 122,980
Toronto – 108,500
The World’s Favourite Luxury Car Brands
With almost 689,000 searches a month on Google across the 50 wealthiest cities, Porsche certainly dominates when it comes to the global appetite for luxury cars.
There are many reasons why the German manufacturer is so popular. The brand has motorsport heritage, catches the eye with the sleek design of its cars, and has plenty of versatility across both its petrol and electric models.
The bold, high-performance design of the cars manufactured by Lamborghini helps the Italian manufacturer to claim second place in Stratstone’s list of the world’s most searched-for luxury car brands, with more than 484,000 monthly searches. Ferrari then takes third spot with over 428,000 searches, thanks in part to its iconic Italian pedigree as well as the brand’s prominent presence in Formula 1.
It is fair to say that iconic and established motoring brands dominate the top ten favourite luxury car brands, with instantly recognisable names like McLaren and Aston Martin among those making the cut too.
However, GMA ranking fourth overall with 354,500 searches does also highlight a growing global curiosity around niche hypercar marques. In fact, this relative newcomer in the luxury car market ranks first in overall searches in cities like New York, Sydney, and Melbourne, suggesting a growing appetite for innovation and exclusivity in the luxury car space.
The following is the full top ten most searched luxury car brands according to Stratstone’s research:
Porsche – 688,800
Lamborghini – 484,030
Ferrari – 428,570
GMA – 354,500
McLaren – 296,030
Aston Martin – 268,970
Rolls-Royce – 253,740
Maserati – 210,150
Bugatti – 198,770
Bentley – 185,800
Brand Dominance & Interest Across Cities
Patriotism is a key theme when looking into both search trends city by city, as well as where the world’s top supercar brands attract the most interest.
Lamborghini is the top searched for luxury car brand in the Italian capital of Rome, for instance, while Ferrari also remains a national favourite in Italy by topping the rankings in Milan.
British car enthusiasts appear to have pride in homegrown brands too, with London the top city across the world for monthly search volume of the British brands Bentley, McLaren and Rolls-Royce. Furthermore, Paris & Île-de-France is the city with the highest monthly search volume of the French manufacturer Bugatti and Stockholm records the same accolade but this time regarding Swedish brand Koenigsegg.
Interestingly, Porsche may have been bestowed the title of the world’s favourite luxury brand according to Stratstone’s study. However, not one German city features within the top five cities which search for the manufacturer by monthly search volume.
Commenting on the overall findings of the research, a Stratstone spokesperson said: “Luxury cars have long been a symbol of status, style and performance, but interest in these vehicles varies significantly across the world. This data shows where supercars dominate public imagination, and gives a fascinating insight into global automotive culture, from heritage brands like Ferrari and Porsche to rising stars like Rimac.”
