Dear MPG Members,

For more than 40 years, the Motor Press Guild has sought to advance automotive journalism and serve as a conduit for the auto industry. As media continues to evolve, we believe that mission is more important than ever.

When the MPG was founded in 1984, the landscape was relatively straightforward. News and information flowed primarily through newspapers, magazines, television, and radio. Journalists relied on access to industry leaders and products. Newsmakers relied on trusted media outlets to reach consumers.

Today, that landscape looks very different.

The internet transformed publishing and distribution, social media transformed consumption, and new technologies like AI continue to reshape how information is created, shared, discovered, and trusted. In addition to traditional journalists, those influencing automotive conversations now include creators, podcasters, videographers, newsletter publishers, and others, all working across an increasingly diverse range of platforms.

In many ways, automotive media has never been more vibrant. It’s also never been more fragmented.

These changes raise an important question: What role should the Motor Press Guild play today and the decades ahead?

Over the past several months, the Board of Directors has been discussing that in depth, examining what the MPG was, is, and can be.

Our conclusion is that the MPG must continue to honor the values that have guided the organization from its inception while adapting to modern realities. To do this, it must evolve from a regional journalist organization into an incubator and accelerator for the broader community shaping automotive storytelling.

That’s not a departure from our stated mission to advance automotive journalism, it’s an extension of it, and one that is long overdue.

The entrepreneurial spirit that has helped redefine automotive media deserves a place in its future. We believe the MPG should reflect the realities of modern automotive communication and that the organization is uniquely positioned to grow a community that welcomes and engages the full spectrum of automotive communicators.

 

From traditional journalists, editors and analysts to digital creators, social media influencers, podcasters, and whatever the next generation of voices defining and redefining how automotive stories are told may be, the MPG can be a place where experienced professionals and emerging creators can learn from one another, build relationships, share opportunities, and help shape the future of the industry.

To achieve this outcome, the Board has developed a multi-step strategic plan that will be introduced in greater detail over the coming months. While the specific initiatives will evolve, the goals are clear:

• Modernize the organization to become an incubator and accelerator for automotive storytellers of all types.
  
• Elevate the MPG's credibility as a trusted and powerful voice.
  
• Broaden membership appeal by delivering exclusive news, strengthening networking and mentorship opportunities, and creating meaningful professional development programs.
  
• Deliver greater value to sponsors and industry partners.
  

Some initiatives will build upon long-standing MPG traditions, while others will reflect the needs of a rapidly changing media environment. Together, they are intended to position the organization for long-term relevance and growth.

This effort won’t be successful because of any one program, event, or communications strategy. It will succeed because of the people who make up this organization.

The collective expertise within the MPG is extraordinary. Our members have reported on, analyzed, documented, marketed, photographed, filmed, and explained the automotive world through every major transformation over the last four decades. As we look ahead, that experience remains one of our greatest assets. At the same time, we want the MPG to be a place where new ideas are welcomed, explored, challenged, and refined.

The first step in your participation is to help us put into sharp focus who we are, your perceptions of the MPG, and what you’d like to get from your membership in the future. Please take a few minutes to update your contact information and fill out this survey by Friday, July 10. Individual responses will not be published.

Quickly following that, we will present engagement opportunities that will help us achieve our goals together.

We look forward to sharing more details in the months ahead, and to building the next chapter of the Motor Press Guild together.

Sincerely, your MPG Board of Directors: