Automobile Magazine Celebrates 20 Years in Automotive Journalism
ANN ARBOR, Mich.--March 31, 2006--| April Anniversary Issue Designates the Most Significant Cars, Events, People and Places of the Last 20 Years |
PRIMEDIA Inc.'s AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE marks its 20th Anniversary as America's leading automotive lifestyle publication by reaffirming the philosophy that has earned it more editorial awards than any other major automotive publication: "Eat, Breathe, Drive."
The April 2006 issue celebrates twenty years of the magazine's devotion to automotive adventure and the editorial approach that AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE used to create a new blueprint for car magazines. AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE continues to focus on taking interesting cars to interesting places, and meeting interesting people along the way. True to the magazine's entertaining, thoughtful, and provocative style aimed at enthusiasts who love cars and the lifestyle of fine driving, the April issue offers both an automotive retrospective of the last two decades and a view of the future:
-- 20 Great Cars: The most significant cars of the past twenty years
-- 20-Year Lows: Hindsight is a beautiful thing; low points for the industry
-- 20 Roads You'll Love: All of the best roads, from Alaska to South Africa
-- Power Players: Twenty men who shaped our world
On newsstands now, must-reads in the April issue also include features on the cars of the future, the new phenomenon of car sharing and the vehicle every passionate automotive enthusiast can identify with: the most famous car in the world, James Bond's original Aston Martin.
A New Kind of Car Magazine
"AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE changed car magazines and the way people, including the folks who build them, think about cars," said Editor-in-Chief Jean Jennings, who has been with the publication since the beginning, signing on as its first Executive Editor. "Our belief from day one has been that we wanted the magazine to be as beautiful as the cars we covered. AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE was and continues to be about a fresh vision for car culture in America."
Founded in 1986 by the dean of automotive journalists, David E. Davis, Jr., AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE shifted the ground for auto writers and offered a critical new perspective for an industry that had become moribund following the oil shocks and inflation crises of the 1970's. Davis said that when AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE was first published, American roadways were crowded with a generation of cars that had sacrificed performance and drivability to fuel economy.
"When we first started," said Davis, "We talked about the kinds of cars we wanted to grace the pages of our new magazine. Our mantra was, 'No boring cars,' and we meant what we said. We didn't want to have boring cars in our magazine, we didn't think that manufacturers should build boring cars, and we didn't want our readers to drive boring cars."
According to Publisher Brad Gerber, the April 2006 issue continues another great tradition at the magazine, which has pushed the envelope for other car magazines not just with great journalism, but also the look and feel of the magazine itself.
"Just as the very first issue offered a new vision of what an automotive magazine should be with its content, design and construction, the 20th Anniversary issue of AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE is yet another evolution of the entire concept," said Gerber. "The anniversary issue is a different and exciting book, with heavier upgraded paper stock that really gives the magazine distinction for readers and advertisers."
Gerber added that the magazine will continue to evolve in the short term. "We will continue to keep doing what we have to do to be the premier magazine in our industry," he said.
About AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE
AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE, a PRIMEDIA publication, was founded in 1986 by veteran automotive journalist David E. Davis, Jr., and has a circulation of 551,000 and a total readership of 3.9 million. Recipient of more editorial awards than any other major automotive publication, AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE is designed to appeal to the interests of passionate automotive enthusiasts. Its diverse editorial mix includes behind-the-wheel experiences in the world's most fascinating cars, as well as personalities, travel, destinations, automotive art, vintage cars, and industry trends.
