“More than any other country,” Lyndon B. Johnson once said of America, “ours is an automobile society.” He wasn’t exaggerating: Americans own more cars per capita than the citizens of any other nation. More than any other technology, the automobile has shaped America’s economy, infrastructure, climate, culture, and identity. From Motown to Tesla, from “On the Road” to “The Fast and the Furious,” nothing captures our all-American obsession with speed, freedom, and individuality like the vehicles we drive.
Explore the United States of Automobiles
• Check out the cars your neighbors love most
• What our rides reveal about our politics
• Cars used to be really colorful. What happened?
To provide a comprehensive road map of America’s automotive psyche, Business Insider took a close look at what’s actually on the road today. Combing through 1.7 million listings on CarGurus, we analyzed thousands of makes and models in three key areas: geographic location, political preference, and color. The result is an illuminating — and interactive — guide to what drives America. Where is your car most popular? What do your neighbors drive? Which rides are most Republican or Democratic? And why does it seem as if every vehicle on the road today is either white, black, or gray?
Which car brands dominate which states?
More than anything, the data confirms a deeply American trait: We are what we drive. No other choice we make as consumers conveys more…
