Sunday Star Times Revs up Motoring Content

10 December 2004

Sunday Star Times Revs up Motoring Content in a Joint Venture with Autocar Magazine

A joint venture between the country’s largest newspaper, the Sunday Star-Times and the country’s most prestigious motor vehicle magazine, Autocar, will deliver in-depth, quality motoring reporting to more than 684,000 Sunday Star-Times readers throughout New Zealand.

Autocar Sunday will launch in the December 19th edition of the Sunday Star-Times.

Every week, Autocar Sunday will deliver a minimum of 6 broadsheet pages of comprehensive motoring coverage put together by the experienced Autocar editorial team, led by managing editor, Mark Petch and editor-in-chief, Paul Owen.

Road tests, the latest launches, industry news, comparative vehicle statistics and in depth profiles will be interspersed with bite-sized pieces, providing readers with current and relevant information so they can make informed choices about their next vehicle purchase. Autocar Sunday will also cover motorcycles and relevant motor sport stories when appropriate.

Fairfax New Zealand’s chief executive officer, Brian Evans, said that the new venture is an exciting project that will benefit the industry and readers alike.

“Over 150,000 Sunday Star-Times readers have purchased a vehicle in the past year, and more than 40% of our readers are interested in motor sport or vehicle maintenance. Therefore we are excited about the prospect of taking a premium brand such as Autocar and bringing it to a much wider audience through the Sunday Star-Times.

More…1/2 Autocar’s managing editor, Mark Petch said that the motoring industry is experiencing tremendous growth, with record new, used and commercial vehicle imports.

“With the explosion of choice in terms of cars on offer, buyers are becoming more discerning in their purchases, and Autocar magazine has long encouraged this,” said Mr Petch. “Through Autocar Sunday we have a unique opportunity to deliver interesting, useful and very up-to-date information to the masses.

“Buying a car is no longer a male dominated area, with an ever increasing number of females now purchasing vehicles on their own account. This trend has been evident in Autocar magazine’s readership with one in every five readers now female. We want to make sure through Autocar Sunday we continue to cater to this important market.”

The introduction of Autocar Sunday has been welcomed by Mark Gilbert, managing director of BMW New Zealand.

“The New Zealand car market is more competitive than ever. This means the customer has a depth of choice almost unparalleled in the world. As always, the car remains one of the most significant purchases any consumer will make in their lifetime. More than ever, this also means there is a need for incisive, informed coverage. I believe Autocar Sunday will bring valuable insight to current automotive coverage.”

ENDS

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