MotorTrend Isn’t Dead Yet: Hearst Magazines Takes the Reins

Popular MotorTrend publications will reportedly break free from Warner Bros. Discovery to join forces with the likes of Car and Driver, Road & Track and Autoweek, all operating under the Hearst umbrella.

Around 10 months after Warner Bros. Entertainment canceled the MotorTrend+ streaming service and not even a month after we heard that the Roadkill Show was officially cancelled due to the MotorTrend Production Studio closing, media conglomerate Hearst Magazines announced the acquisition of the MotorTrend Group, originally founded by Robert E. Petersen back in 1949.

As many of our readers already know, the MotorTrend Group was most recently owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and includes a diversified portfolio of automotive digital, direct-to-consumer, social, print and live-event brands. Before the acquisition, Hearst’s portfolio consisted of over 25 brands in the United States spanning across all media platforms to a varied audience. Its accumulative publications are reported to reach approximately 140 million readers and site visitors each month.

The announcement was made by Steven R. Swartz, president and CEO of Hearst; Debi Chirichella, president of Hearst Magazines; and Alex Wellen, CEO and president of MotorTrend Group, whose auto-focused brands include MotorTrend, Hot Rod, Roadkill, Automobile, among others.

The Hearst press release reads:

MotorTrend Group will expand Hearst’s collection of brands for car enthusiasts and buyers providing even more up-to-the-minute content, commerce and community. MotorTrend Group’s vast portfolio embodies car culture from electric vehicles to timeless classic customs, reaching over 30 million users every month. Its robust events business draws approximately 500,000 passionate enthusiasts every year to iconic experiences such as HOT ROD Drag Week, Roadkill Nights and the Japanese Automotive Invitational at Pebble Beach.

“The acquisition of MotorTrend represents a strategic investment in our business — one that enables us to expand our digital offerings, reach an even broader and more diverse community of automobile enthusiasts and bring the most innovative opportunities to the market,” Chirichella said. “We look forward to welcoming MotorTrend Group to our Hearst family as we continue to drive long-term growth across the business.”

 “Over the past 75 years, we have grown MotorTrend into one of the most influential automotive multi-media companies in the world, reaching hundreds of millions of car enthusiasts across all platforms. Joining Hearst, a business I’ve long admired, will ensure that our beloved collection of brands continue to serve and entertain automotive fans for years to come,” Wellen said.

The terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but the MotorTrend brands will reportedly continue to operate out of offices in El Segundo, California and Detroit, Michigan.

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