Automobile (magazine)

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Automobile
Auto Mag.JPG
The June 2008 cover of Automobile featuring a Pontiac Solstice and a Volkswagen Scirocco
EditorMike Floyd
Categories Automobile magazine
FrequencyMonthly/10 issues per year [1]
Total circulation278,238 (2016)
Founder David E. Davis
First issueApril 1986 (1986-04)
Final issueFebruary 2020 (2020-02)
Company Motor Trend Group
CountryUnited States
Based in Los Angeles
Language American English
Website www.automobilemag.com
ISSN 0894-3583
OCLC 31735584

Automobile was an American automobile magazine published from 1986 to 2020. It was founded in 1986 by a group of former Car and Driver employees, led by David E. Davis with support from Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, [2] [3] using the credo No Boring Cars. [4]

Contents

Automobile positioned itself more broadly than the other automotive publications, an editorial theme expanded by editor David E. Davis: the magazine de-emphasized instrumented tests and elaborate technical data, instead offering subjective, experiential reports; providing in-depth review of older cars with its Collectible Classics series; and offering styling analysis with its column by former General Motors designer Robert Cumberford. [5]

In 1991, the magazine was acquired by K-III Communications (now Rent Group). [6] In 2007, the publication was acquired by Source Interlink (later TEN: The Enthusiast Network). [7] In 2017, it became part of Discovery Communications. [8]

In December 2019, Discovery's subsidiary TEN Publishing announced the discontinuation of Automobile. [9] Its final issue was dated February 2020.

Awards

Automobile of the Year

From 1990 to 2014, Automobile awarded their "Automobile of the Year" to one car annually. [10]

Automobile All-Stars

In 2015, Automobile replaced their "Automobile of the Year" award with the "Automobile All-Stars", naming multiple cars on the list annually.

Design of the Year

References

  1. Floyd, Mike (June 15, 2017). "Automobile Magazine Gets Bigger, Bolder, Better". Automobile. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  2. Grimes, William (March 28, 2011). "David Davis Jr. Dies at 80". The New York Times . Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  3. "Auto magazine founder David E. Davis Jr. dies". The San Diego Union-Tribune. March 28, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  4. "David E. Davis, Jr., Automotive Journalism's "Hemingway on Wheels," Is Dead". Insideline.com. March 28, 2011. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  5. "Top 10 National Automotive Magazines". Cision. June 26, 2013. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  6. "K-III Bid Wins Murdoch Mags". Variety. April 29, 1991. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  7. "Source Interlink to buy Primedia unit for $1.2 bln". Reuters. August 7, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  8. "Discovery Communications Partners With TEN Network For Auto Portfolio". Deadline. August 3, 2017. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  9. "Exclusive: TEN Publishing Is Shuttering 19 Car Magazines". Folio. December 6, 2019. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  10. "25 Years of Automobile of the Year". Automobile. November 18, 2013. Archived from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  11. "2015 Automobile All-Stars". Automobile. January 1, 2015. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  12. St. Antoine, Arthur (March 22, 2016). "2016 Automobile All-Stars: The Winners". Automobile. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  13. "2017 Automobile All-Stars: The Winners". Automobile. March 11, 2017. Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  14. "2018 Automobile All-Stars: The Winners". Automobile. March 10, 2018. Archived from the original on January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.