Autopresse Switzerland’s only automotive newspaper, *Automobil Revue*, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. That’s the reason for a subtle redesign. «In the past, our newspaper tended to stand out more for
»Their longevity is due to innovation," says Roselien Huisman, who has been
For three years, she has been managing director of Automobil Revue and, respectively, of the
Revue Automobile, which is part of Espace Media. On the 25th,.
When the new magazine hits the market in January, that will certainly be the
It doesn't revolutionize newspaper design, but the graphic and
In addition to updates to the content, interested readers will find both in
who appreciate it in both German-speaking Switzerland and French-speaking Switzerland.
At first glance, the format of the new Automobil Revue stands out.
It is, in half-broadsheet format, slightly smaller than the previous one
A newspaper that has been in circulation since the 1920s
had remained true to the format. The creators also deliberately chose to
has decided not to launch another tabloid, and furthermore
the Touring Club already publishes one. «We want to
»remain Switzerland's only automotive magazine," says Huisman, who is working to
I'm well aware of the title's selling points. The usual
Automotive publications are all magazines, and Huisman is, in fact,
convinced that a newspaper is generally associated with high-quality
is equated with journalism. Previous reader surveys of 4,000
Respondents confirmed their desire for a newspaper.
Compact single-section newspaper
The newspaper has moved away from the cumbersome four-section format
and is presented as a compact single-volume edition with a separate volume of secondhand issues,
Huisman had already done so in 2003 to improve clarity
has introduced. Another important innovation was the reader guidance
changed. Whereas the order of the sections used to be "Current,",
Testing and Technology, Business, Sports—that's how the Testing section is now organized
Now moving forward. This was due to the audience's strong interest in
took into account the tests conducted by *Automobil Revue*, which served as a key element
of the newspaper enjoy a high level of attention. Other sections include
Next up: New Releases, Advice, Business, Drivestyle, and Sports. «The
»We have further expanded our range of guidebooks," says Managing Director Huisman.
It's about car insurance, tire changes, and so on. In the
The magazine section aims to connect more closely with its readers,
by featuring more feature stories and in-depth reports in the paper
... «These can be topics related to the car in the broadest sense
feature stories, but also reports such as one about a day in the
»Opel repair shop in Rüsselsheim," explains Huisman.
The new *Automobil Revue* features new cover fonts and a
A series of lighthearted moments, which contrast with the previously rather text-heavy
counteracts the visual impression in a soothing way. The reader is presented with a series of
offers introductory resources, and there is an increasing focus on infographics and
Shorter articles. Short news items are now featured in the side columns.
displayed. «In the future, we’d also like to give the pictures a more prominent
»Give it importance," says Huisman. At *Automobil Revue*, the plan is to
Therefore, a new photo editorial department will be established in the foreseeable future.
An average newspaper has 36 pages; the one from Western Switzerland
32 pages in total.
AR regularly publishes special issues on topics such as car tuning, convertibles,
Off-road or classic. One issue will be dedicated to the upcoming auto show in
Geneva, where the title's 100th anniversary will be celebrated as part of a
A special exhibition is being celebrated, and, incidentally, the corresponding
Vintage cars will be on display, which in the
played a role in the newspaper's automotive journalism coverage
have. Each time the auto show opens, the AR
Since 1947, an average 600-page catalog featuring all
of all cars produced worldwide, excluding those from China, because there
production is difficult to manage.
Where consumer goods are the subject of journalistic coverage in the media
As interest grows, the question of the
journalistic independence. How independent is the editorial staff of the
Automobil Revue? «We maintain a strict separation between the editorial department
»and publisher," says Roselien Huisman. That's how it all came about
Advertising boycotts by automakers in response to the test reports from the
The test editors did not agree.
Journalist and race car driver
The tests—the editorial team’s core expertise—are therefore a
a time-consuming process. Normally, a car remains there for
After three weeks in the AR garage, it is weighed, remeasured, and then
Fuel economy, acceleration, handling, off-road capability (in the
(gravel pit) and so on. To ensure that the measurement results are as
are indisputable, the atmospheric pressure conditions during the
Test times were taken into account. For both editions, a total of 15
Editors—including one female editor—with high standards, as the example shows
by sports reporter Peter Wyss, who was in Belgium in 2004 for his
Achievements both as a journalist and as the winner of a
was honored at the 24-hour race.
The circulation of AR, 90 percent of which is sold through subscriptions,
is 38,215 in German-speaking Switzerland (reach 5.1%) and in the
Romandie: 18,622 copies (reach: 5.8%). For advertisers, the
Standard rate for black-and-white and four-color printing; no color surcharge applies.
Individual rates have practically disappeared. This means that even for
To ensure that ads from small-scale advertisers remain affordable, ads can be placed up to
can be reduced to 1/32 of a page. The elimination of the
Color surcharges reduce the cost of a four-color page in the combined ad package with the
Western Switzerland edition: 5.7 percent (1/4 page: 17% and 1/8 page:
44%).
René Worni
