Heartily recommend, with these caveats:

It is currently Beta. So know you are getting an early access product. It is changing rapidly and your saves probably will not survive. The UI needs some work, and is not as user friendly as it should be. It is also a pretty niche game. If you liked Enlight Software's Capitalism series, you should like this. Don’t like spreadsheets or graphs in games? May not be a game for you.

Why would I recommend it? The developer is the most responsive I have ever seen to input. Not sure how he gets anything done, because he is on the steam forums reading and responding to every post, he is just great.
No other game since the 1994 Detroit has this level of depth in simulating the auto industry. At the same time, it allows players to do ahistorical things, like start an auto company in Shanghai, China in 1900. This ahistorical stuff in sims is where a lot of the fun comes from for me.

This game gets regular updates and is getting better all the time, as it should be with an early access.

Used more than 13 hours this weekend after getting the game and here is my review so far.

If you enjoyed a game in your teens called Detroit, like i did, you will feel home right away in GearCity. Its complex, demanding and very deep. This is not your everyday iOS tycoon app, this is the real deal. If you like games like Capitalism 2 where you have to invest some time to learn the tools of the trade, you will love GearCity!

What a gem this is!

Such a fun game. I jumped in very early, and every few weeks another update drops. This dev works very hard to put out a quality game, and he is always around the forums answering questions and posting updated news.

Now stop reading the reviews, BUY THIS GAME. :)

I really like this game. Though quite slow, I find it quite addicting. It's one of those games that people will either hate or really like, where there isn't much meeting in the middle.

I've been playing GC for quite some time now (especially the beta before the Steam EA release) and would estimate to have accumulated quite a bit more than 500 hrs in total by now. It is therefore safe to assume that I'm quite attached to this project and would recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in the automotive industry, management games and simulations or - better yet - both of these fields!

Of course, the presentation of GC may be considered somewhat old-fashioned or even obsolete by today's usual gamer crowd, but one would honestly have to ask, what could actually be improved? This IS a management simulation after all, should tables and menus be made 'prettier'? Would that add to the player's 'enjoyment'? I certainly believe it does not. Recent games that exhibited at least partial similarities, such as GameDev Tycoon, often feature simplified, cuddly, though arguably 'artsy' looks to mask what is essentially a very hollow gameplay 'husk'. GC is the polar opposite - it may not look like much, but it sure as hell has 'substance' - and that is what finally makes a good game and keeps players coming back. The designed vehicles themselves could surely be improved upon - but remember that this game was not funded at all for a long period of time, so concessions had to be made somewhere. The vehicle design is merely a 'gimmick' in current versions anyway and therefore not of great importance. Most elect to skip the design phase entirely - as this is, I would admit, the only point where the presentation fails and may certainly look 'cheap'. But do not let this keep you away from exploring this wonderful game further.

The gameplay itself, the fidelity of the economic simulation, the extent to which vehicles can be designed and customized are all aspects that other similar games (and probably the gaming industry in general) are severly lacking.
Add to to this the extensive and easy-to-use modding capabilities of the game (Want real company names and compete with Ford and Porsche? No problem, 5 minute job - Want to add new engine types, vehicle categories or your favorite racing series? No problem, done within minutes!) and you've got a real winner on your hands. It should also be mentioned that the games primary developer is almost constantly available on the official forums and open to any and all kinds of suggestions, many of which are actually implemented. Bugs that are reported are also fixed in a matter of days. Having bought a staggering amount of early access games in the past years, I honestly have to say that I have never before seen this type of commitment and responsiveness from any other developer and that alone should suffice as a reason to make this tiny contribution to such an outstanding project that stands out as a modern pinnacle of grown-up and sophisticated gaming in a sea of mediocre and forgettable games.

Recommended 100%.

To say it's splendid is just a start. GearCity has brought back the joy of the classic car company tycoons (in particularly, the excellent Motor City which clearly inspired the creators of this game).

I can't stop playing the game. It brings in all the concepts of car design - gearboxes, engines and chassis designs, coupled with the actual body design - and allows for that in depth nitpicking of details that were sorely missing in those old car company tycoon games. Those who played Motor City will remember how annoying it was to try and figure out what cylinders and how much HP they're looking for at any given time - well, no more. You can create the engine from scratch, define your desired HP, torque, displacement - everything! Then, make sure you get a tranny to match.. don't want a pickup tranny on a sports car engine...
The options are plentiful, the different designs are excellent...

The economic simulation is pretty good. There's hitches and glitchs and sometimes things happen that you're not really sure why (like having a high-quality Sedan selling for an inexpensive price in a high-demand area and getting below mediocre sales) but by and large it works well

The interface acts a little sticky sometimes and that's the only real complaint I have. Other than that, it's the best economic simulation game I've seen in many many years. It has none of the dumbed-down gameplay or cartoonish animation that most econ-sims nowadays seem to have.... I love it.

This is a must-have for someone who likes cars and business sims. Expect a high learning curve, but it's interesting once you learn it. The interface needs a lot of work, but the simulation aspects of the game are pretty robust. This game does not hold your hand. It is not one of those easy Tycoon games.

The developer is active in the forums and claims that this game will be worked on for at least another 6 months. I would like to see what they come up with in that time.

Rating: 1997cc/2.0l

So many reviews of this game refer to Detroit, MotorCity and a couple of other old games but let me try and give you an idea in another way.....

Detroit:Total War.....it has the grand map, individual units (factories, branches etc), troops(employees) and it has that huge feel about it whilst being nothing like it(you can't kill anyone.....yet)!

Car Maker Tycoon....it's a massive tycoon game, as easy or as hard as you want it. Want it really easy? Start in NY or London on Easy Mode. Want it UBER ULTRA IMPOSSIBLY HARD??? OK...but you were warned....start in SE Asia(anywhere'll do it) on HARD mode in 1900...and PRAY!!!!

With a 100% steam committed(just see the HUUUUUUGE number of forum posts and almost(90%) daily updates ) indie developer, a desire to 'get it right' and a pretty decent community too.......

.........What are you reading this for, buddy??

..........WHY am I wasting time writing this when I COULD be developing a new Roadster 2+2 chassis to dominate the Japanese market??? STUPID ME....

Buy it now or I shall sell only SMART CARS....and there's NOTHING smart about that........

This is the definitive Automotive Business Simulation title on the market today. The best part about that? It's STILL in development. This early release title doesn't have the annoying usual craptastic Early Release Curse of rampant bugs and a leftover taste in your mouth wreaking of ''unfinished title'' and ''Lackluster experience''. This is by far the most complete unfinished game I have had the pleasure of playing. When you start your story you have a few optionbs for starting years. Each generation features technology accurately dated to the time period. You control a new start up from scratch, you pick a location, and you basically become the next big thing IF you are smart about it. Create full fledge vehicles from scratch. You are able to design everything from various bodies to low powered engines on through thousand horsepower monstrosities. You are given enough indicators to actively follow trends, set production lines, push and pimp your promotional duties, buy out other companies, play the stock market with other companys, open your company for bids, and even run your own race team. This game IS what an automotive tycoon game should be.

Beautiful.

If you don't give this game a shot ... we can't be friends.

If you like complicated in-depth management sims than there is a lot, a hell of a lot, to like here. However, it is noticeably a small studio-game, there are things you will have to endure to get through to the good bits. The interface is lacking in feedback, you will often wonder what is going on - especially early on. The interface is also a bit too gimmicky for its own good. Although the idea of being in your office and clicking on things there to do stuff is nice, it is also completely inefficient.

If you are prepared to fight through that and you like management games - get this.

Just an absolutely killer game. It does sandbox really REALLY well. Great dev team works very hard to interact with the community. Worth every penny.

GearCity is a automotive tycoon game, dripping with customisation and detailed management functionality. You choose a starting date, a name and logo for your car company, how many competitors you want, and then choose your headquaters from a swathe of global major cities. From there your job is to design and manufacture cars, from designing the chassis, motor, and gearbox to designing its body with as much detail as you want. Once you've mastered the art of designing, manufacturing, and marketing profitable models, the game gives you the freedom to take your company in whichever direction you wish; from designing cheap cars for the masses, to luxury sports and super cars, to even vans and limousines. It's your choice what you produce, how you produce it, and what image your company will have.
The game really excels in its customisation and micromanagement, especially with its R&D interface. If you wanted to design a V2 motor (for no reason), paired with an equally sexy 1-speed gearbox that allows for forward and... nothing, you can do that. If you decided to beat your competition in the 1900's by showing up their 4-6HP compact cars with a 96HP compact car (or pickup truck, just to put salt in their wounds), you can do that too. Alternatively if you feel cheap, uncomfortable, no-power rust-buckets are the way to go, then this game gives you everything you need to make that happen. I personally enjoy developing new powerful motors, excellent chassis, and powerful gearboxes for my line of sports cars, then incorporating this technology into my new sedans whilst developing ever more powerful engines for my next line of sports car.
For an early access game, this game is loaded with engaging gameplay to keep you occupied for hours. The game does get very challenging from 1914 - 1945, as you must face the uncertainty of maintaining a profitable company when Europe decides to blow itself up in WW1, gets depressed in the 1930's, then starts blowing itself up again from 1939. This is where the game could do with some improving in my opinion, as the game forces you to idle production, close down factories and branches, and simply wait out the entire duration of all the conflicts of the first part of the 20th century; whilst hemorrhaging money with little to do. I would love to see the implementation of government contracts (which I believe is coming), to convert your factories to producing vehicles for the war. It currently makes no sense to me that when war breaks out, all factories (in Germany at least) reduce their production to 0. Imagine if Kaiser William II said "Right we're at war! Let's close down all the factories." I'd find the game much more playable if I could develop cheap, useful, and reliable trucks, or maybe tanks to help the war cause. This would give you something to do, rather than wait whilst watching your company bleed to death.
All in all, this game is great! It gives you the tools and creative freedom to live out your dreams as a car manufacturer, designing whatever you've always wanted to. The game is still in early access right now, so there are some bugs to be squashed, and some creases to iron out, but is still remarkably playable, and intensely enjoyable. I am very much looking forward to updates to come! Bring on the war contracts!

The Game isnt yet finished and to me it is lear that it isnt as een though their are good features in the game they are not currently executed to a good standard. it also crashes alot ... however, if you look around this the game is great it has a fantastic concept but clearly needs work ( Alot of it ) at the current state im not sure if i would recommend the game yet but if its on sale i would buy it under 10 pounds as it could become a good game. So im kinda lieing that i would recommend it as im kinda on the fence...

I love this game! It is the rebirth and fusion of great games like Detroit and Motor City! The team that is wotking on this is adding more awesome everyday! I play this game too much, you should too ^_^ This game is worth every stinking bit of money it costs, but don't just take my word for it- go and buy it! Play it! Love it! These are the droids you are looking for! Don dunna dun! Link found The Game of Time! \0/ Buy it and you will be happy - so long as you like games, business, history, cars and AWESOME!

I do not recommand at the moment because it's still very buggy. I understand that this is an Early Access Game but it should'nt be that broken. Need work.

*thx to dev for help

First things first, I definitely recommend this game.

You know how gaming news outlets are pronouncing the doom of the gaming industry, saying that AAA titles are destroying Video Games? This game restores faith. This game has heart and soul that the 12th iteration of some games have never had.

In this game, you take control of a Car Manufacturing Company. You control everything from design to distribution. Your job stops at the dealership door, where you hand over the vehicle for your dealers to sell. Want to make a piece of crap 2 door and sell millions of them for $2.50 each? You can do it. Want to make an uber elite Luxury brand that only sells to the ultra wealthy? You can do that too.

This game is an early release and will only improve given time. Right now, it is playable and good fun at that. It does crash on occasion, but only rarely as the game is very stable. The base foundations are sound and with more polish this could become a massive hit. Even if it doesn't receive massive market share, it will become a cult classic in the years to come. Buy it, support small time devs and support a game that is truly a good idea.

Well i think this game is really unfinished but it's fun if you are a petrol head you might like this but if you want a game in this genre i suggest automation

But this game is good so i recommend this even tho it's a bit overpriced

sorry for my english it is not so perfect

Having played the game already a few days I love this game, it is difficult, not easy to master, challenging, and almost impossible to hack/cheat. (Yes I test out things like this) You have to actually play the game and that is what makes it fun. Yes it is in early access (this review is July 22nd 2014) however it is sitll neat. Also big important thing for me is when I find bugs and report them they take care of them, like super quick. one of the bugs I found they had fixed in less than 24 hours! :-)
I <3 this game and has good devolopers. Support this group and game. *maybe they will add hovercrafts* do it.... :-D

This is the best car management game I've ever seen (among CarBiz, Car tycoon, Detroit, Motor city and others). If you like deep manager simulators, than buy it!)

So, this review is written at the first early access steam launch.

TL;DR:

Playable now. Fun now. Wowed me with the attention to detail. Highly recommend.

It's great. There are a few "rough around the edges" parts, as with any early launch, but you can play the game and have a good time. The basic mechanics work well, and designing the vehicles is fun. Actually, I found this game surprisingly in depth. The anal retentiveness of the developer comes through with the attention to detail. And it's still early access.

Best of all, it works with Wine (and a linux release is coming so you can run it native!).