What Road & Track does

Road & Track is an American automotive media brand founded in 1947 and published by Hearst Autos, Inc., a subsidiary of Hearst Communications. Headquartered at 300 West 57th Street in New York City, the company operates as part of the Hearst Autos network alongside Car and Driver, sharing resources, technology, and audience infrastructure. The legal entity is Hearst Autos, Inc., and the brand is led by Editor-in-Chief Daniel Pund, who was appointed in 2024.

The brand delivers automotive journalism across a digital-first platform (roadandtrack.com), a monthly print magazine, a daily email newsletter, active social channels (X, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest), and a paid live-events product called R&T Experiences. Core offerings include the All Access membership — which bundles unlimited digital content, print delivery, members-only newsletter, and merchandise discounts — and the R&T Shop, an e-commerce storefront selling enthusiast merchandise and sim racing hardware. The underlying technology is a standard digital publishing and content-management stack with no public APIs or documented AI/ML capabilities.

Road & Track generates revenue through three streams: subscription recurring revenue from All Access memberships and standalone digital subscriptions (via Zinio), display and native advertising on the website and in print, and affiliate marketing commissions from retailer links in its Gear sections. The target customer is automotive enthusiasts interested in sports cars, performance vehicles, motorsports, and car culture. The publication's stated differentiation is its thoroughness on road tests and comparison tests for performance-oriented domestic and imported vehicles.

Name

Road & Track

Legal name

Hearst Autos, Inc.

Website

https://roadandtrack.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Road & Track is a Hearst-owned automotive media brand founded in 1947 that publishes car reviews, motorsport coverage, and car culture journalism across digital, print, newsletter, and live-event channels, monetizing through All Access subscriptions, advertising, and affiliate commerce aimed at enthusiast readers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Media

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive & Transportation Magazines (MPAJAEAI)

Keywords

• Automotive journalism
• Car reviews
• Motorsport coverage
• Automotive media
• Enthusiast content

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: All Access membership providing unlimited digital access, print magazine delivery, members-only newsletter, and exclusive deals on merchandise. Both print and digital subscription options available.
2. Advertising: Display advertising and sponsored content on the website and in the print magazine, featuring automotive brand partnerships and native advertising content.
3. Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing programs where Road & Track earns commissions on products purchased through links to retailer sites, particularly in the Gear and Accessories sections.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Road & Track publishes automotive journalism across digital and print channels for car enthusiasts. The core commercial offering is the All Access Membership, which bundles unlimited access to roadandtrack.com with monthly print magazine delivery, a members-only newsletter, and exclusive deals on merchandise, complemented by R&T Experiences (curated automotive events) and an online gear shop.

Product overview

Road & Track is a digital-first automotive media brand operating as a platform-plus-services model. The core offering centers on Road & Track All Access Membership, which bundles unlimited digital content access (car news, reviews, motorsport coverage, car culture features) with a print magazine subscription, members-only newsletter, and exclusive merchandise deals. Supporting offerings include R&T Experiences (curated automotive events) and the Road & Track Shop (gear and accessories). The brand is published by Hearst Autos, Inc., with editorial leadership under Editor-in-Chief Daniel Pund.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Road & Track All Access Membership Premium subscription offering unlimited digital access to RoadandTrack.com, including car reviews, motorsport news, and car culture content, combined with a print magazine subscription, members-only newsletter, and exclusive deals on R&T and Car and Driver merchandise; targeted at automotive enthusiasts seeking an all-in-one paid content package.
• Road & Track Digital Content Online editorial coverage including car news, reviews, car culture features, motorsport coverage, columns, and video content accessible via the RoadandTrack.com website; targeted at automotive enthusiasts seeking daily automotive journalism.
• Road & Track Print Magazine Monthly print publication featuring automotive reviews, road tests, comparison tests, and in-depth automotive journalism, delivered to subscribers' mailboxes; targeted at print-reading automotive enthusiasts.
• R&T Experiences Curated automotive experiences and events offering members access to exclusive drives, track events, and Road & Track editor interactions; targeted at automotive enthusiast members seeking in-person experiences.
• Road & Track Gear/Shop Merchandise store offering car enthusiast gear, sim racing hardware, accessories, and automotive-themed products for both adult and youth enthusiasts; targeted at the brand's enthusiast audience seeking co-branded merchandise.
• Road & Track Newsletter Daily email newsletter delivering the latest automotive news and best car stories directly to subscribers' inboxes; targeted at automotive enthusiasts who want curated daily news content via email.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hearst AutoscoreOthersRoad & Track is part of Hearst Autos, a division of Hearst Digital Media. Hearst Autos operates Road & Track along with Car and Driver and other automotive publications, sharing resources, technology, and content synergies across the network.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Petrolicious: Video-first automotive enthusiast media focused on car culture, classic and performance vehicles. Targets the same enthusiast demographic as Road & Track, particularly via premium video content, complementing R&T's broader review and motorsport coverage.
• Hagerty Media: Media arm of Hagerty, the classic-car insurance and enthusiast platform. Produces automotive editorial, video, and event coverage aimed at enthusiasts — overlapping with Road & Track's enthusiast segment, particularly around classic, collectible, and motorsport content.

Direct peers

• Autoblog: Long-running automotive news and review site covering new vehicles, industry news, and enthusiast content. Multiple R&T editors (Mike Austin, Zac Palmer) previously worked at Autoblog, indicating direct competitive and audience overlap.
• Evo: UK-based enthusiast automotive publication focused on performance cars and driving experiences. Multiple Road & Track Editors-at-Large (Jethro Bovingdon, Mike Duff) originated at evo, evidencing deep editorial and audience parity.
• Top Gear: Global automotive media brand with magazine, TV show, and digital properties. Targets the same enthusiast and performance-car audience with car reviews, motorsport coverage, and car culture — Road & Track Editor-at-Large Jethro Bovingdon previously hosted the U.S. Top Gear.
• Jalopnik: Digital-first automotive media outlet covering news, reviews, and car culture. Several Road & Track staff (Digital Director Aaron Brown, contributing editor Will Sabel Courtney) previously worked at Jalopnik, reflecting overlapping coverage and audience.
• MotorTrend: Long-established U.S. automotive enthusiast media brand spanning magazine, TV (including road-testing shows), and digital. Directly comparable audience (enthusiasts) and editorial mix (reviews, motorsports, car culture).
• The Drive: Digital automotive media brand covering reviews, news, and enthusiast culture. Shares target audience with Road & Track, and R&T staff (Aaron Brown, Will Sabel Courtney) previously held roles there, signaling direct competitive overlap.
• Autoweek: Automotive enthusiast publication covering reviews, motorsports, and industry news. Several Road & Track editors (Zac Palmer, Emmet White) came from Autoweek, signaling direct editorial and audience overlap.
• Car and Driver: Sister automotive enthusiast publication under Hearst Autos. Directly competes for the same enthusiast audience, advertiser base, and subscription wallet share, with overlapping editorial scope (reviews, news, comparison tests).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RoadandTrack
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/roadandtrack
• Facebookfacebook.com/RoadandTrack
• Instagraminstagram.com/roadandtrack
• Pinterestpinterest.com/roadandtrack
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/road-and-track

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Road & Track