a day in the life of


D


o you know Jeremy Clarkson?” That is the usually the first question I’m asked when I tell people what I do for a living. Because the curly haired target


of outraged opprobrium/fanboy devotion (delete according to your taste – there seems to be no middle way) is the public face of motoring journalism in Britain, thanks to Top Gear. But the TV show is the tip of the motoring


journalism iceberg, with hundreds of hacks frantically beavering away below the surface. I’ve been a specialist motoring writer for 11


years, which has coincided with upheavals in both the media and the car industry: environmental and safety concerns, a global economic downturn, the rapid growth of the Chinese market and, now, driverless cars. The past few years have been a fascinating time to be a motoring journalist. Then there’s the industry’s reputation for


extravagant spending on promotion. When I started my first full-time job in the motoring media – I kind of fell into a job as managing editor of Channel 4’s 4Car website after a few years combining writing about car design with being production editor at B2B fashion website WGSN – the car industry was still lavishing money on events. Since the recession, this been reined in considerably. There are no longer the Concorde flights or QE2 transatlantic trips that some of the older hands have told me about – but car company hospitality isn’t exactly spartan, either. Little expense is spared when launching a brand new model, for example. Journalists are often flown on charter flights or in business class, stay in five-star hotels and eat at Michelin-starred restaurants. But not all journalists experience that – it’s largely the domain of the road testers, which is a harder job than it appears. The role involves understanding how a car handles and rides, how it fits in to its segment (sports car, city


14 | theJournalist


It’s not all fast cars and being flown to lavish events in exotic places, explains Craig Thomas


car, SUV etc), what its rivals are like, and how it compares to them and the previous generation. But, just as everyone can write but it doesn’t make them a writer, then just because you can drive it doesn’t mean you understand what you’re driving. The best have a mechanical sympathy that I admit I don’t possess: however, I think I make up for that by understanding what car buyers (as opposed to car enthusiasts) want and being able to communicate that. If you don’t get invited to or can’t go to launches, you can still review new cars by borrowing them from PR departments. You phone or email the press fleet administrator, book the car, it’s delivered to you and then picked up when you’ve finished with it (a week is the norm). It’s not cheap for manufacturers – the car usually turns up with a full tank of fuel, has been thoroughly checked and valeted and is fully insured, plus there are costs of depreciation and wear and tear – so they understandably expect something in return in the form of a review. I’ve always had outlets for the cars I borrow and review, so I haven’t owned a car for 10 years: my last car was never driven and cost me a fortune in insurance, parking permits and servicing. The downside is that I’m not a car owner so can’t identify with the many hassles that entails: the upside is that I live with a test car, using it for ordinary, daily journeys. Motoring journalism isn’t just about reviewing


cars, though. The UK car industry turns over £69.5 billion a year and employs almost 800,000 people. In addition to high-profile consumer magazines and websites, there are: publications covering the fleet industry (which accounted for half of the 2.6 million new car sales in Britain last year); specialist magazines covering the mind- bogglingly huge number of consumer niches; automotive business outlets covering the retail industry, distribution or manufacturing; and outlets for design, engineering, motorsport, components … It’s a massive industry, with lots of opportunities for writers with an interest in cars (not to mention vans, lorries, coaches and buses) to make a living. The 2008 crash hit the industry hard and, with ad revenues falling off a cliff, there were many redundancies – including me. A vague idea about eventually going freelance was suddenly enforced.


a motoring correspondent


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