Dennis, the international media group behind Auto Express, evo and Carbuyer, has acquired market leading social media brand Car Throttle. As Dennis continues to build an end-to-end automotive business in the UK, this marks the latest significant investment in the automotive space. 

Car Throttle, founded in 2009 by Adnan Ebrahim, is a market leader on social media with over 14 million car enthusiast followers and 2.5 billion video views amassed on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram last year. It also owns the fast-growing motorsport brand, WTF1, which has over 1 million followers and a keen audience of F1 drivers and racing fans. The company, with offices in London and New York, is well known for its viral videos and high social engagement, and works with brands to produce and distribute content on social platforms. 

Pete Wootton, Chief Digital Officer, Dennis, said: “Car Throttle is an exciting business that we have been tracking for some time. Its unrivalled social audience coupled with the team’s strong  expertise and capabilities in social engagement, provide some perfect synergies to our Automotive brands. Combining Dennis’ engaged audience and expertise with Car Throttle’s scale and experience in working with large social campaigns, will provide us with unparalleled reach in this market.”

Car Throttle has pioneered a social-first approach to brand marketing and its current clients include Red Bull, Mercedes-Benz, Michelin, McLaren and Shell.  The business creates and distributes engaging car and motorsport content and works closely with advertisers looking to reach this valuable audience.  The brand is best known for its popular YouTube channel which has over 2.4 million subscribers and regularly features celebrity guests from the world of automotive.  The site has evolved into a vibrant community serving millions of users who follow the brand on its major social media platforms.

Adnan Ebrahim, Founder and CEO of Car Throttle, said: “We’re extremely excited to be joining the Dennis family. Not only does Dennis have deep expertise in our core automotive market, but its significant resources will allow us to continue growing our strong content agency business and to serve even more clients with the best social media marketing solutions.”

Car Throttle was represented in the transaction by JEGI | CLARITY and assisted by the London law office of Dorsey & Whitney. Dennis was represented by Simons Muirhead and Burton and Grant Thornton.