It’s another sad day for automotive journalism. After almost 70 years, it appears Autoweek has shut down. A post from a longtime writer for the publication recently stated that it shut down, “effective immediately,” marking the end of one of the industry’s most established outlets.
The Autopian reported the story after receiving a statement from Autoweek’s parent company, Hearst, which said the publication would “join the Motor Trend family of brands.” It also promised that it would continue publishing original content, though it’s unclear how that will look under the Motor Trend banner.
Hearst Corporation owns Car and Driver and Road and Track, and it recently acquired Motor Trend. Autoweek had a relatively heavy focus on motorsport and racing, so that could be where it lands in the Hearst portfolio going forward, but the disappearance of the Autoweek name is a significant loss in the automotive media landscape.
Autoweek had six full-time employees, only two of whom moved to Motor Trend. The other four were laid off. Originally a print magazine, the company shifted to an online-only format in 2019, losing much of its luster in the process. I worked for Autoweek back in 2023, and I’m sad to see it go, even if it had fallen far from its former glory in recent years.
[Images: Premio Stock via Shutterstock.com, Ford]
