Meet Karthik, the co-founder of Noto Motor, is on a mission to transform the way car owners experience life on the road. Driven by a passion for enhancing the joy of driving, he is dedicated to creating innovative solutions and fostering a vibrant community for car enthusiasts.
No matter the make or model, Karthik aims to provide car owners with the tools, services, and connections they need to fully enjoy and appreciate their vehicles every day. In addition, Karthik also manages a digital marketing company that specialises in website building, SEO, etc. How did he get started on this journey? Read to find out more.
What inspired you to start a car community tailored for car enthusiasts in Singapore?
I think the reason why we started is because there are very few communities for all types of car enthusiasts across brands. For example, if you own a BMW, there’s a BMW community. If you own a Porsche, there’s a Porsche community. Most communities are brand-specific.
There are very few communities that centre around everybody gathering together regardless of the car brand. For example, if you’re in a BMW club and you sell your BMW, you’re no longer part of the club. So we thought, why not create a space where everybody can come together? It doesn’t matter what car you drive or what brand it is; we can all come together because we are car enthusiasts.
How does your car community differentiate itself from other car groups, especially with a focus on being considerate and responsible on the road?
I think the main differentiating factor is that we welcome everybody. Whether your car is fast or slow, new or retro, EV or petrol, it doesn’t matter to us—as long as you love cars. We are all enthusiasts, and we want everyone to be part of this space.
What makes us different is that we emphasise considerate and responsible behaviour. In our guidelines, we always remind members not to engage in aggressive behavior on the road. When you join this community, you’re expected to be respectful and responsible. It’s more about educating the members, but also, the members self-select.
They understand that our community values respectful car behaviour, not revving or doing reckless stunts. We position ourselves a little differently and attract people who appreciate that environment. That’s how we create a different vibe and ensure we build the right kind of community.
Can you describe some of the key benefits members experience by joining your car community?
I think one of the key benefits is meeting a diverse range of people you wouldn’t typically meet. Like I mentioned, brand-specific communities tend to attract the same crowd. But in our community, members can explore and expand their horizons. Most people don’t stick to one car brand their whole lives—car preferences change over time.
Another benefit is the activities and initiatives we organise. For example, this year we have about 12 drives planned—four overnight trips and eight half-day trips. We drive to locations in Malaysia, have fun, and come back. We also offer brand partnerships. If members need car servicing or workshops, they can access discounts or special packages through our community. Sometimes, servicing might even be free.
We’re building partnerships across F&B and other areas as well, creating a membership program centered around cars.
What makes us different is that we emphasise considerate and responsible behaviour. In our guidelines, we always remind members not to engage in aggressive behavior on the road.
How do you maintain a sense of inclusivity in your community?
As mentioned earlier, we welcome members with a wide variety of car brands. Some of our events and meetups are open to non-drivers who are simply interested in learning. We’re also working to invite more female enthusiasts, who are often underserved or uncomfortable joining traditional car communities. Since we’re online-first, they can meet people online and decide later if they want to attend events.
What is the most rewarding part of running this community, and how do you measure its success?
The most rewarding part is when people tell us our community feels different. That’s exactly what we wanted—something welcoming and respectful. When members say, “Your community is different,” that’s a win for us.
Growth is another measure of success. We reached 700 members within a year, which is pretty fast. Now we’re planning for the next stage of growth by integrating more tech—building a membership system and launching an e-shop. As the community grows and members share positive experiences, that’s the biggest reward.
Looking ahead, how do you envision growing or evolving this community?
I think growth will come from tech and time investment. We created something called Cult Legends—our community is called Cult of Cars, so Legends is like an offline multiplayer game. We have simple activities, or quests, that members can do to earn rewards.
Eventually, we want members to actively participate in experiences and try new things with their cars. The next step is organise more events and experiences to make the community different from others.
Where do you see yourself and what’s your vision for Singapore in the next five years?
I hope this community becomes well-known among car enthusiasts in Singapore. I want us to be the go-to community. Personally, I see myself focusing more on planning and growing the community strategically. We also want to expand into Malaysia because there’s so much we can learn from our neighbours. Malaysian car enthusiasts are more active and drive more frequently, so collaborating and learning from them would be valuable.
In terms of Singapore, I hope to create a community that positively influences road behaviour. Enthusiasts often get a bad reputation, but I want us to show that we can be respectful and responsible drivers. Hopefully, that leads to fewer accidents and safer roads.
Connect with Karthik: Noto Motor, TikTok and LinkedIn.
