Jean Jennings will be in the driver's seat as editor in chief January 1.
Jennings, who started out as a Chrysler auto mechanic before helping launch the publication in the mid-80s with her predecessor chief, David E. Davis, prides herself on the Michigan-based magazine's ability to reel in readers who never knew they even liked cars.
And on the fact that other magazines, such as Architectural Digest's Motoring are so eager to imitate its style.
She's interested in the glamour of the car and pleasing an audience who likes to drive, and likes the journey as much as or more than the destination, to create a "sophisticated, quality automobile enthusiast publication."
The magazine is less centered around the nuts and bolts of car maintenance and more around the lifestyle centered around having a car, such as traveling. People aren't working on their cars these days, Jennings says, so angle your pitch around activities people with cars like to do.
Pitch stories about how people use their cars and automotive trends to her attention or the attention of Executive Editor Mark Gillies by fax to 734/994-1153 or mail to 120 East Liberty Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Automobile reviews are based on what it's like to live with the car, rather than the car's engineering. It's usually a good idea to avoid celebrity pitches.
Jennings says the average reader is "extremely well-educated, 35-ish, making more money and usually owning more cars than the average person."
Another statistic: a surprisingly large percentage of Automobile readers own passports.
For more information, call 734/994-3500 or visit http://www.automobilemag.com.