Introduction

Friends, if you go to Google and type modified cars in India, you will get top results and on the number plates of the most modified cars you will find, you will see KL written.

Which means that these cars belong to Kerala and modification in Kerala is not limited to cars only. If we look at other types of vehicles, we get to see customization in every vehicle, be it auto, bus or truck.

And for now, we are talking only about outer body customization. Car tuning is also becoming very common in Kerala.

A lot of people are driving sleepers, which means that such cars which They look stock but have had their engines tuned or a lot of the headstock replaced.

And that’s not all, even today, old jeeps are seeing here, restored and with minimal mods, which are highly offroading capable.

Now you must be thinking that there are many other states where modified vehicles are seen, then what is so special about Kerala?

And here another question must be coming to your mind that modification is almost banned in India, then how is all this happening in Kerala?

How Kerala Have So Many Modified Cars And Why Police Can’t Stop Them?

In today’s blog, we are going to discuss this topic in detail and you will know How Kerala Have So Many Modified Cars.

How custom vehicle manufacturing is one of the reasons How Kerala’s prosperity and the Middle East fuel it How due to the highest literacy rate.

Even auto drivers and bus drivers in Kerala have Instagram accounts with thousands of followers And we will also understand in detail how despite modification being banned in India, all this is happening in Kerala.

If we take a particular state and say that maximum modifications are done in vehicles there, then it gives an idea that there will be a lot of vehicles per state there and the same is true in the case of Kerala also.

Vehicle Density and Economic Prosperity in Kerala

If we talk only about size, then Kerala ranks 23rd in terms of surface area in whole India but if we talk about prosperity, then Kerala also ranks 11th in terms of GSDP.

Due to small area and big GSDP, Kerala becomes a state where the density of cars per state is the highest in whole India.

However, if we look at the total number of vehicles per state, Kerala comes at number 8 but if we talk about the percentage of light motor vehicles cars like SUVs and MPVs in comparison to all other vehicles.

Then Kerala is such a state where only 24.2% of the total vehicles are cars as compared to other vehicles and hence in terms of car density.

Kerala comes at the 2nd position in whole India. Goa is at the first position but the total number of vehicles in Goa is also very less because its size is very small.

In terms of car density, the states which come closest to Kerala are Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal and Punjab but excluding Punjab.

If we consider the percentage of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Talking about the reason for the high density of cars there is tourism there, that is, most of the people there use their cars as tourist taxis.

This is a special thing about Kerala, it shows their prosperity and it is also true that if you have money, then only you will be able to make such a car whose customization cost is more than the price of the car.

But just because people have money, it cannot be justified that people will spend so much money on car customization.

The Role of Gulf Countries in Kerala’s Car Culture

My opinion here would be that the impact of the Middle East on the Kerala economy also fuels this entire situation to a great extent.

Many people from Kerala go to Gulf countries for work and many of them are those who People do white collar jobs there whose salaries are very good and such people own very expensive cars.

There and sometimes their siblings or they themselves also want to own such a car in their hometown.

Now for this either they buy an expensive car here or they get the old car customized. Now this culture originated from these places and has spread all over Kerala.

With all the research I have done, I have come to know that it is not necessary that you get to see modified cars only in the city.

You may find that customized cars are common even in small towns and villages of Kerala.

Influence of High Literacy Rate

And the biggest reason for this can be understood from the literacy rate of Kerala.

Kerala is such a state where 97.4% males are literate and 95.2% females are literate which is the highest in the whole of India but here you will say that what does this have to do with customization.

Let us understand this also in India if we talk about modified cars then the cars with unnecessary body kits or the cars destroyed by DC come first and come to mind.

But if we enter the car scene and see then car cultures are followed from different categories all over the world but this car culture is followed in the same way in any other country also.

For example American muscle cars are customized in only one way, no matter in which country they are made, pickup trucks look almost the same all over the world.

And to understand any foreign culture and language, education is required and the same literacy rate is also useful in the case of Kerala.

JDM Culture and Its Popularity in Kerala

What I have personally observed the most in Kerala’s customs jobs is that JDM culture is followed the most here.

The full form of JDM is Japanese Domestic Market, that is, cars that were specifically made for Japan.

But from there, people who make modifications to their cars, that culture is spreading very fast all over the world.

One of the biggest prime examples of this is America, but this thing has also come to India and most of the cars can be seen following this culture in Kerala.

Although cars like Silvia, Supra or S21000 are not seen in India, but in Kerala also, people are installing body kits in their Civics to a great extent, like the ones seen in JDM cars.

Apart from this, the culture of off-road vehicles is also quite famous in Kerala.

People here know well how to upgrade their old cars so that the travel of their suspension is better and the people of Kerala can participate in the off-road events organized there.

Social Media Influence: Instagram Auto Culture

Due to the high literacy rate, the influence of foreign auto culture is visible on the cars and also on the Instagram pages of the people living in Kerala, but these are not limited to cars only.

I have personally seen many owners of autos, buses and trucks who have thousands of followers on Instagram.

I don’t know about the streets, but on Instagram you will get to see such auto-rickshaws from all over the world which are heavily modified and They have been given a very good look.

But you get to see a lot of unnecessary things.

In the case of trucks, I have noticed that those who have Instagram pages are mostly using the new model trucks of the company like Tata Prima and they mostly keep their trucks in stock.

But even if they do make modifications then they have more number of lights or they put stickers.

Bharat Benz trucks are quite popular in Kerala and these trucks can often be seen with Mercedes logos. Now it is not that all the modifications are good, there are also overdone vehicles to be seen in Kerala.

Why Modified Cars Still Exist in Kerala

Now we have understood this entire auto culture of Kerala but now let us talk about how they are able to do this.

Because you must also know that modifications are almost banned in India. Apart from these five things, you cannot legally change anything in your car. Those five things are:

1. Upgrading the tires
2. Changing the color with RTO approval
3. Body wrapping
4. Suspension upgrade
5. Modification for the differently powered

The rules for modifications are quite strict in Kerala as well.

The Kerala Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) is imposing very high fines on modified vehicles. You can find examples of this in thousands of articles on Google.

Now, the question arises here: how there are so many modified cars in Kerala? I’ve read several articles and also meet kerala peoples.

I also spoke to him from where I came to know that modified cars are more common in rural areas of Kerala as compared to cities as there is a risk of high fines in cities.

Conclusion

So friends, to put it simply, Kerala’s modified car culture isn’t just about money.

It’s a combination of many factors—such as high car density, influence from Gulf countries, high literacy rates, and an understanding of global car culture.

That’s why in Kerala, you can find not only modified cars but also custom autos, buses, and trucks.

People here don’t just consider a car a means of transportation, but also an expression of their personality and passion.

Although vehicle modification rules are quite strict in India, and the Kerala MVD also takes strict action against it, enthusiasts still keep their passion alive in one way or another.

And perhaps that is why whenever you search “modified cars in India” on the internet, you see KL written on most of the number plates.

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