Motor Trend is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, and designated the first Car of the Year , also in 1949.
30-749: Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles published Motor Trend until 1998, when it was sold to British publisher EMAP , who then sold the former Petersen magazines to Primedia in 2001. Motor Trend bears the tagline "The Magazine for a Motoring World". As of 2019 it is published by Motor Trend Group . It has a monthly circulation of over one million. Publication was monthly but changed to quarterly in 2024. The contents of Motor Trend magazines are divided up into sections, or departments. Motor Trend magazine provides its readers with written "road tests" of vehicles. These road tests are published in each issue and are meant to give readers information about
60-702: A private equity fund for $ 450 million which, in 1999, sold it for $ 2 billion to publisher EMAP . In 2001 it was sold to Primedia . In 2007 Primedia's enthusiast publications, including all the once-Petersen titles, were again sold to Source Interlink, controlled by Ron Burkle . In 1999 Petersen bought Sports Afield from Hearst Corporation and he sold it in 2002 to the owners of Safari Press . He died on March 23, 2007, at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California , of complications from neuroendocrine cancer . Margie Petersen died on November 25, 2011. An avid hunter and collector, Petersen had amassed
90-537: A certified used car program, beginning with dealers in Atlanta, Georgia and Cincinnati, Ohio . As explained in their press release, the program is powered by EasyCare. Petersen Publishing Company Robert Einar " Pete " Petersen (September 10, 1926 – March 23, 2007) was an American publisher who founded the Petersen Automotive Museum in 1994. Robert Einar "Pete" Petersen
120-525: A deal with the Bonnier Corporation in May 2013, where they sold Dirt Rider, Motorcyclist, Sport Rider, Motorcycle Cruiser, Hot Bike, Baggers, Super Streetbike, Street Chopper and ATV Rider, whereas they bought Sound + Vision and the suite of TransWorld brands. On August 19, 2013, GrindMedia announced that production of Skateboarder will cease on October 15, 2013. The Skateboarder announcement
150-495: A fleet of long-term test cars at their headquarters in Los Angeles, California . The majority of the Motor Trend editors are each assigned a car, and their duty is to drive that car on a daily basis and report on what's happening. Each month, one to two new vehicles are added to the fleet, to replace the one to two vehicles leaving the fleet. Each long-term test lasts approximately one calendar year . Not every vehicle receives
180-426: A printed update each month, though the vehicles are still there. This section is typically located towards the end of the magazine. Other types of articles are sometimes featured in the Motor Trend magazine . There is typically one special feature per month. For example, in one issue of the magazine, there may be a special feature about Motor Trend ' s "Real MPG" testing. For these tests, Motor Trend measures
210-481: A section of Motor Trend itself. It became the stand-alone publication Truck Trend in 1997. Truck Trend magazine ceased production in December 2019, as one of the nineteen magazines that Motor Trend Group ceased publication during that month. Motor Trend Classic included articles about significant classic cars from around the world made during the last 60 years. A total of 23 issues were produced. The first run
240-569: A sizable collection featuring hundreds of unique and historically significant antique and modern firearms. Following Petersen's death, in following with his wishes, Petersen's widow donated a 400-piece portion of his extensive collection to the National Rifle Association's National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, VA. Among his collection the work of firearm engraver Richard Roy of Connecticut Shotgun are displayed. In addition, he
270-665: A successful debut, the magazine continued to sell out and grow in readership. By mid-1949, monthly sales exceeded 50,000 copies. Starting from this, Petersen built his publishing empire on automotive-themed publications, including Car Craft , Rod & Custom , Sports Car Graphic , and Motor Trend . He also published CARtoons , Guns & Ammo , SPORT , Motorcyclist , Motor Life , Hunting , Mountain Biker , Photographic , Teen , Tiger Beat , and Sassy Magazine , 4 Wheel and Off Road In 1996, Petersen sold his company Petersen Publishing Company to
300-454: A year. After being laid off during staff cuts, Petersen and other ex-MGM staff started Hollywood Publicity Associates , a consulting firm. In the summer of 1947, the company was commissioned to publicize an exhibition of hot rods held the following winter. While working to promote the exhibition, Petersen realized that there were no media specific to hot rods or hot-rodding. Seeing an opportunity, Petersen and Robert Lindsay, another member of
330-632: Is 158 million. In 2013, the company signed a deal with the Bonnier Corporation , where they sold Dirt Rider , Motorcyclist , Sport Rider , Motorcycle Cruiser , Hot Bike , Baggers , Super Streetbike , Street Chopper , and ATV Rider , and they bought Sound + Vision and the TransWorld franchise. In 2015, NBC Sports shuttered its action sports division, and sold the Dew Tour to TEN. On August 17 of that same year, TEN launched its subscription video on demand service Motor Trend OnDemand, which
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#1732772294031360-467: Is the owner of the only three Parker Invincibles ever produced by Parker Bros. He married Margie McNally in 1963 and had two sons who died in a 1975 plane crash. They resided in a mansion located at 625 Mountain drive in Beverly Hills, California , formerly owned by actors Harry Joe Brown and Sally Eilers . It was designed by architect Paul R. Williams and built from 1937 to 1938. He
390-481: Is to create a larger, multi-platform presence for the company's brands, with a particular emphasis on direct-to-consumer streaming products. On April 10, 2018, it was announced that the company had been renamed Motor Trend Group effective immediately, and that Velocity would be rebranded under the Motor Trend name later in the year. In 2017, TEN sold the AMA EnduroCross Championship to
420-547: The Bonnier Motorcycle Group . TEN also sold Baseball America and Slam . In March 2018, TEN sold Sound & Vision and Stereophile , along with related magazines and websites, to AVTech Media Ltd. In February 2019, TEN sold its adventure sports portfolio to American Media . In December 2019, the company announced that 19 of the 22 magazines published by the company would be discontinued that month, including Automobile . Source Interlink
450-581: The Golden Wheels Award for a while in the 1970s and having given rise to Truck of the Year and Import Car of the Year , as well as SUV of the Year . Nevertheless, it is still coveted by manufacturers and is usually covered by the mainstream press as the most important distinction awarded in the American auto industry. The magazine releases a special edition every September and October listing
480-475: The "real-world" fuel economy of a vehicle in a number of conditions, and then compares their results to the EPA estimated fuel economy that manufacturers provide dealerships, who then provide it to their customers. One of the earliest and most enduring of the magazine's creations was its Car of the Year award, given almost continuously since 1949, although the phrase itself would not become entrenched until well into
510-466: The 1950s. It predates the European Car of the Year award begun in 1964. The first winner was the 1949 Cadillac , which featured an innovative overhead valve V8 engine ; while the company initially turned down the award from the brand new magazine, it now proudly references its COTY wins in publicity materials. The award has gone through several splits and permutations over the years, being called
540-526: The acquisition of a majority stake in TEN by Discovery Communications , it was announced that its U.S. cable channel Velocity would rebrand as Motor Trend Network later in the year. In Italy , the channel Motor Trend began broadcasting on April 29, 2018 at 6:00 am with the Car Crash TV in place of Focus , whose brand has meanwhile passed into the hands of Mediaset . In 2009, Motor Trend introduced
570-409: The featured vehicle, certain aspects of the vehicle, and what the readers can expect if the featured vehicle is purchased. There are two main types of Motor Trend vehicle comparisons. Regular comparisons usually compare two to three vehicles, looking at what each is like to own, drive, etc. On Motor Trend' s YouTube channel (titled "MotorTrend Channel"), Motor Trend puts up their best comparison of
600-712: The inability of Source Interlink Distribution to pay $ 19 million in revenues owed for second quarter 2014 sales and $ 7 million for sales booked in previous quarters. The publishing arm would be rebranded under the umbrella of TEN: The Enthusiast Network after shuttering several Source Interlink Media titles, including Popular Hot Rodding , Rod & Custom , High Performance Pontiac , Custom Classic Trucks , 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility , Mud Life , 5.0 Mustangs and Super Fords , Modified Mustangs & Fords , Camaro Performers , GM High-Tech Performance , Import Tuner , and Honda Tuning . In addition to editorial staff, there were further layoffs in art and production staff that
630-615: The latest new vehicles. The September issue looks at the latest cars ( sedans , coupes , etc.) for the next coming calendar year , whilst in October the magazine looks at off-roaders , MPVs and sport-utility vehicles (SUVs). Truck Trend magazine presented features and the latest news about the truck, SUV, and crossover segments. Additionally, the Readers' Rides section allowed readers to post images and information about their own vehicles. Truck Trend began in 1995 as "Truck Trends,"
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#1732772294031660-643: The month on a series called "Head 2 Head," featuring MotorTrend editors comparing cars on YouTube. "Big Test" comparisons typically feature anywhere from five to seven vehicles, all being compared against each other. In a way, a vehicle comparison is like a large road test featuring many vehicles, rather than just one. The Trend provides readers with the latest what's happening in the automotive industry. This section may feature news about manufacturers, recalls, etc. "Newcomers" (recently redesigned or all-new models), along with short informative articles about them, can also be found in this section. Motor Trend keeps
690-498: The promotion team for the exhibition, left Hollywood Publicity Associates that autumn and began development of Hot Rod magazine. The first issue of the magazine, with a run of 5,000 copies, was released to coincide with the Los Angeles Hot Rod Exhibition, the show Petersen and Lindsay were initially contracted to publicize. The founders sold the copies of the magazine at the steps of the exhibition. After
720-556: The service, adding coverage of motorsports competitions such as Blancpain GT Series , Pirelli World Challenge , Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters , V8 Supercars , British Touring Car Championship , TCR International Series , FIA European Formula 3 Championship , European Le Mans Series , Australasian Safari , Motoamerica , Endurance FIM World Championship , Motocross World Championship , AMA EnduroCross Championship , and FIM SuperEnduro World Championship . In April 2018, following
750-662: Was an American magazine publishing and logistics company. It owned Source Interlink Distribution and Motor Trend Group . It maintained a strong position in automotive and action sports media, publishing a variety of magazines including Motor Trend , Hot Rod , and the Transworld titles. In September 2012, it was announced that Source Interlink Media (SIM) made a strategic investment in San Francisco technology company CoverHound to power its insurance searches. Through its GrindMedia action sports division, SIM signed
780-602: Was born on September 10, 1926, in East Los Angeles, California . He was of Danish descent. He learned about cars from helping his father, a truck mechanic. After graduating from Barstow High School , he served in the Army Air Corps in World War II . After the war, Petersen left Barstow, California , for Los Angeles and found work at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), becoming a publicist there within
810-581: Was eight issues: two undated issues in 2005, and six additional bimonthly issues in 2006. Several years later the title was relaunched, and that second run was fifteen issues: quarterly from Spring 2010 through Spring 2013, then a combined Spring/Fall 2013 issue, with the final Summer 2014 issue appearing a year later. Motor Trend On Demand is an online television service. It features television series from Motor Trend , Automobile Magazine , Hot Rod , Super Street and Four Wheeler , such as Roadkill . In 2015, TEN bought Torque.TV and integrated it into
840-519: Was followed by the closure of other publications, such as Modified , Mini Truckin ', Bound By Ink , GEEK , and Law of Attraction , in January 2014. Former Skateboarder editor-in-chief Jamie Owens was announced as the new editor-in-chief of TransWorld SKATEboarding in October 2013. On May 29, 2014, Source Interlink CEO Michael L. Sullivan announced that its distribution arm would soon cease operations. Time, Inc. had withdrawn its business over
870-865: Was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2013. Motor Trend Group Motor Trend Group, LLC , formerly known as Source Interlink Media and TEN: The Enthusiast Network , is a media company that specializes in enthusiast brands, such as Motor Trend , Hot Rod , and Roadkill . Headquartered in El Segundo, California , it is a subsidiary of the TNT Sports division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The company's network of brands includes more than 60 publications, 100 websites, Motor Trend's Video on Demand channel, branded and licensed products, live events and competitions, as well as TV and radio programs. TEN's total audience
900-482: Was the first SVOD service aimed at automotive enthusiasts. TEN CEO Scott Dickey described this community as "underserved and starved for premium video content" while positioning the SVOD service as "The Netflix for Gearheads." On August 3, 2017, Discovery Communications announced it would acquire a majority stake in TEN, and contribute its automotive-oriented cable network Velocity into the company. The venture's goals
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