 | |
 Cover of the 75th anniversary issue (Summer 2024) | |
| Editor-in-Chief | Edward Loh[1] |
|---|---|
| Categories | Automobile magazine |
| Frequency | Quarterly (print) Monthly (Digital) |
| Total circulation (June 2022) | 553,838[2] |
| First issue | September 1949; 75 years ago (1949-09) |
| Company | Motor Trend Group (Hearst Communications) |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | El Segundo, California, U.S. |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 0027-2094 |
Motor Trend is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949,[3] and designated the firstCar of the Year, also in 1949.[4][5]
Petersen Publishing Company inLos Angeles publishedMotor Trend until 1998, when it was sold to British publisherEMAP, who then sold the former Petersen magazines toPrimedia in 2001.Motor Trend bears the tagline "The Magazine for a Motoring World". As of 2024 it is published byMotor Trend Group. It has a monthly circulation of over one million.[6]
Publication was monthly but changed to quarterly in 2024.[7]
In December 2024,Hearst Communications acquiredMotor Trend Group and most its assets includingMotor Trend fromWarner Bros. Discovery.[8]
The contents ofMotor 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 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 ofMotor Trend vehicle comparisons. Regular comparisons usually compare two to three vehicles, looking at what each is like to own, drive, etc. OnMotor Trend's YouTube channel (titled "MotorTrend Channel"),Motor Trend puts up their best comparison of the month on a series called "Head 2 Head," featuringMotorTrend 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 a fleet of long-term test cars at their headquarters inLos Angeles, California. The majority of theMotor 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 onecalendar year. Not every vehicle receives 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 theMotor Trendmagazine. There is typically one special feature per month. For example, in one issue of the magazine, there may be a special feature aboutMotor Trend's "Real MPG" testing. For these tests,Motor Trend measures the "real-world" fuel economy of a vehicle in a number of conditions, and then compares their results to theEPA 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 itsCar of the Year award, given almost continuously since 1949,[4][5] although the phrase itself would not become entrenched until well into the 1950s. It predates theEuropean Car of the Year award begun in 1964.
The first winner was the 1949Cadillac, which featured an innovative overhead valveV8 engine; while the company initially turned down the award from the brand new magazine, it now proudly references its COTY wins in publicity materials.[9][10] The award has gone through several splits and permutations over the years, being called theGolden Wheels Award for a while in the 1970s and having given rise toTruck of the Year andImport Car of the Year, as well asSUV 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 the latest new vehicles. The September issue looks at the latest cars (sedans,coupes, etc.) for the next comingcalendar year, whilst in October the magazine looks atoff-roaders,MPVs andsport-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.[11]Truck Trend began in 1995 as "Truck Trends," a section of Motor Trend itself. It became the stand-alone publicationTruck Trend in 1997.Truck Trend magazine ceased production in December 2019, as one of the nineteen magazines thatMotor Trend Group ceased publication during that month.[12]
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 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 fromMotor Trend,Automobile Magazine,Hot Rod,Super Street andFour Wheeler, such asRoadkill. In 2015, TEN bought Torque.TV and integrated it into the service, adding coverage of motorsports competitions such asBlancpain 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, andFIM SuperEnduro World Championship.
In April 2018, following the acquisition of a majority stake in TEN byDiscovery Communications, it was announced that its U.S. cable channel Velocity would rebrand asMotor Trend Network later in the year.[13][14][15]
InItaly, the channelMotor Trend began broadcasting on April 29, 2018 at 6:00 am with theCar Crash TV in place ofFocus, whose brand has meanwhile passed into the hands ofMediaset.[16]
In 2009,Motor Trend introduced a certified used car program,[17] beginning with dealers inAtlanta, Georgia andCincinnati, Ohio. As explained in their press release, the program is powered by EasyCare.
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