How Cheesecake Labs helped CRU to custom‑build an app for car enthusiasts
Building a high‑octane hub for the automotive community.
With an estimated 18 million car enthusiasts in the US alone and millions more around the world, the automotive community is larger than ever. But there’s no straightforward way for them to connect and celebrate their shared passion. The plan? To build CRU, a one-stop automotive social media app that lets users:
Communicate
Showcase their cars
Discover and organize events
Stay connected at rallies via GPS
Get help from suppliers and service providers
All in just a few taps!
This highly complex mobile application needed a solid technical framework, so CRU tapped Cheesecake Labs to bring their vision to life and deliver a multifunctional app ready for hyper-scale growth.
Revving up for growth.
Over 9.7K users engaging with the mobile app.
Achieved a remarkable 4.8 rating on the Apple Store, with users' endorsement: "A must for true car enthusiasts looking for a seamless platform to connect and DRIVE new events with like minds."
Shifting gears from concept to reality.
By combining four key features — social networking, event management, GPS, and chat — CRU aims to replace fragmented social media platforms, websites, and forums, becoming a one-stop shop for facilitating interactions within the car community.
But to prove the concept's viability and attract investment, CRU had to be more than just an idea. It needed to stand up to real-world use and lay the groundwork for organic growth.
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Working under the hood.
With a vision this bold, CRU needed a team that could understand this vision, design it, and translate complex requirements into a stable app. That’s why they chose Cheesecake Labs to steer the project. Our involvement spanned UI/UX design, social features, and integrations with external libraries and services.
We customized a technology stack to meet the app’s complex requirements, choosing React Native for cross-platform versatility, TypeScript for enhanced maintainability, and NodeJS for a scalable backend. We also used Forest for flexible data handling and Firebase for superior analytics and messaging, helping boost user engagement and real-time communication.
The result was a robust app that seamlessly integrated all four of the planned features:
Social networking: CRU users can create personal profiles and share pictures/videos of their cars, plus information on specs and modifications.
Event management: With RSVP, ticket systems, and many other event-management features, the app makes it easy to organize real-world car shows and rallies.
GPS: CRU lets users see each other on the road, facilitating road trips and rallies. The state-of-the-art GPS rally system provides real-time updates, lead car visibility, and automatic route changes.
Chat: Private and group chat functionalities enable easy access to maintenance and repair advice, referrals, and business opportunities, connecting suppliers and service providers with car enthusiasts.
Revving up for growth.
Cheesecake Labs’ app development expertise helped put CRU in the fast lane. Shortly after launching, CRU has:
An active community of 9.7K users (and quickly growing!)
600+ events organized in 15 different countries
5.7K cars registered from 80 different brands
The app also attracted lots of interest at recent automotive events like Gumball 3000 and McLaren Experience Parade 2023. Off to a great start and fully scalable, CRU is ready to grow at full throttle.
Talk to us about your projectCheesecake Labs was very professional — they completed deliverables on time and communicated clearly and consistently to ensure both parties were always on the same page. They also followed an organized workflow.
Mika Bohgan
Founder & Director
