What MotorAuthority.com does

MotorAuthority.com is a digital automotive editorial publication operating as a wholly-owned property of Internet Brands' automotive group (legal entity MH Sub I, LLC). Founded in 2006 by Viknesh Vijayenthiran and headquartered in El Segundo, California, with editorial presence in Germany, the site focuses exclusively on luxury, performance, and high-performance vehicles. Its editorial product spans daily news, first-drive reviews, spy shots, photo galleries, video content, dedicated auto-show coverage (Geneva, New York, Los Angeles, Frankfurt), and the long-running annual "Best Car To Buy" award program, which has run continuously since at least 2011.

The underlying technology is a web-based content management system and digital publishing platform with no proprietary features disclosed. Content is distributed across the motorauthority.com website, a daily email newsletter, RSS feeds, Instagram, X/Twitter, and YouTube video, with syndication through Nexstar Media's network of 116+ outlets and major publishers including The Washington Post, Yahoo, and Fox News. The publication is sustained by a small editorial team of fewer than 10 staff, led by Editorial Director Martin Padgett, Senior Editor Kirk Bell, co-founder/Editor Viknesh Vijayenthiran, and Senior Producer Joel Feder, with combined automotive journalism experience exceeding 50 years.

The business model is direct-to-consumer media: editorial content is free to all readers, and the site is monetised exclusively through display and video advertising. There is no subscription, paywall, lead-generation, e-commerce, or event revenue disclosed. Customers are audience-side segments (driving enthusiasts, automotive industry members, and in-market luxury/performance consumers) rather than paying B2B clients, and the company operates as a non-public subsidiary with no venture or private equity investment disclosed.

Name

MotorAuthority.com

Legal name

MH Sub I, LLC

Website

https://motorauthority.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MotorAuthority.com is a digital editorial publication owned by Internet Brands that covers luxury and performance vehicles through news, reviews, spy shots, videos, and an annual Best Car To Buy award, monetised via display and video advertising to driving enthusiasts and in-market consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

El Segundo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Display and video advertising revenue from website traffic and readership. The site monetizes through ad placements across its news, review, and video content.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MotorAuthority.com operates a digital automotive media publication that delivers news, reviews, photo galleries, auto show coverage, and buying guides focused on luxury, exotic, and high-performance vehicles. Content is produced for enthusiast consumers researching and tracking high-end cars, with revenue generated primarily through advertising and sponsored placements on the site.

Product overview

Motor Authority is an automotive editorial platform operated by Internet Brands, providing comprehensive coverage of luxury and performance vehicles. The platform offers a unified editorial experience combining news articles, first drive reviews, spy shots, photo galleries, videos, and the annual 'Best Car To Buy' awards program. Content spans auto shows (Geneva, New York, Los Angeles, Frankfurt), vehicle categories including supercars, concept cars, SUVs, hybrids, electric vehicles, and racing. The site delivers content through its main editorial platform, RSS feeds, and daily email newsletters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MotorAuthority.com website Online publication delivering news, reviews, photo galleries, and buying guides focused on luxury, exotic, and high-performance vehicles for auto enthusiasts and prospective buyers.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Internet BrandscoreOthersMotor Authority is an automotive property of Internet Brands, which owns and operates the largest network of car buying and financing resources in North America, including CarsDirect, The Car Connection, Green Car Reports, and Auto Credit Express.

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Edmunds: Major automotive review and car-buying platform with deep editorial content plus pricing/tools. Overlaps with Motor Authority on reviews and in-market consumer content, with broader commerce integration.
• MotorTrend: Major automotive media brand producing reviews, news, and video across performance, luxury, and mainstream vehicles. Directly comparable editorial scope with Motor Authority, plus additional TV and event properties.
• Jalopnik: Enthusiast-focused digital automotive publication with strong news, opinion, and culture coverage. Direct competitor for enthusiast mindshare and OEM display ad spend.
• Carscoops: Digital automotive outlet known for breaking news, spy shots, and enthusiast coverage. Closely comparable to Motor Authority's emphasis on early scoops and luxury/performance vehicle coverage.
• Autoblog: Digital-first automotive publication covering reviews, news, and buying advice. Competes for the same enthusiast and in-market consumer audience and OEM ad budgets as Motor Authority.
• CarBuzz: Digital automotive news and reviews platform with strong enthusiast and luxury coverage. Competes for the same enthusiast reader and OEM advertising dollar as Motor Authority.
• Car and Driver: Long-standing enthusiast automotive publication covering reviews, news, and first drives across performance and luxury segments. Directly comparable to Motor Authority in editorial mission and audience, with significantly larger scale and historical authority.
• Top Speed: Digital enthusiast automotive publication covering performance cars, supercars, and luxury vehicles. Comparable editorial focus on enthusiast content with significant news and review output.
• Green Car Reports: Another Internet Brands automotive property focused on efficiency, EVs, and green technology. Sister site with shared editorial resources and overlapping luxury/performance EV coverage.
• The Car Connection: Sister publication under the same Internet Brands automotive group, covering mainstream and new-vehicle news. Operates from shared parent infrastructure and competes for overlapping OEM display ad spend.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/motorauthority
• Instagraminstagram.com/motorauthority
• Facebookfacebook.com/motorauthority

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 MotorAuthority.com