Time Inc.’s Highly Anticipated New Brand, “The Drive,” Debuts Today

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Amid a record-breaking year for US and worldwide car sales, fueled by a
resurgence in purchasing and intent to buy among young adults, Time Inc.
today debuted The Drive (www.thedrive.com),
a new franchise devoted to cars and car culture. Led by a world-class
editorial team, The Drive will be distinctive for its fresh
editorial perspective that is informed by the rapidly changing
automotive landscape. Today’s digital debut is the first step in The
Drive
’s multi-platform rollout. Later this fall, Time Inc. will cut
the ribbon on a state-of-the-art multipurpose showroom located at
Industry City in Brooklyn, NY. The showroom will serve as the backdrop
for The Drive’s video production and under-the-hood style
editorial features, and it will showcase the hottest new cars.


The Drive is the first brand incubated by The Foundry, a content
and creative collective recently organized by Time Inc. to develop new
products and offer next-generation marketing solutions to stand
alongside independent, premium storytelling. This approach represents a
new way of meeting marketers’ stated desire for even more ways to work
with Time Inc. experts from the ground floor in the creative process.

“The launch of The Drive is the culmination of a collaborative
process that leveraged our expertise in creating premium content with
technology and the insight of our marketing partners to build a new Time
Inc. business,” said Mark Ford, Time Inc. Executive Vice President,
Global Advertising. “This is the first of many new businesses that will
be built by The Foundry.”

“I can’t imagine a better time to launch a brand like The Drive,”
says Matt Bean, Time Inc. SVP, Editorial Innovation. “We’re immersing
ourselves in the automotive lifestyle, taking readers along for the ride
as we chronicle everything from frame-up builds in Brooklyn to far-flung
vignettes with cinematic storytelling and visuals.”

The automotive industry is a $3 trillion global behemoth that is in
transition. It touches virtually every aspect of business and culture. The
Drive
is the only site that will cover this transition for both
hard-core enthusiasts and the casual driver. Boasting a staff of
award-winning storytellers, The Drive will report on products and
personalities, pioneers and cutting-edge technology, and it will cover a
broad swath of the business, from the latest news to the most important
launches to analysis of pivotal industry trends.

Last month, Bean and The Drive Editor Mike Guy announced
a dynamic editorial team that combines unparalleled industry expertise
and visionary storytelling with an irreverent, adventurous spirit. On
launch day, viewers can expect Lawrence Ulrich’s incisive dissection of
the great car rivalries and several new car reviews; racing great Mario
Andretti’s first-person piece on the day he won the F1 championship and
lost his best friend; profiles of MLB All-Star pitcher CJ Wilson, who is
an Ayrton Senna fanatic and McLaren customer, and an interview with
Kevin Bacon about cop cars, among many others. The same week,
investigative writer Brett Forrest explores the car shopping underground
in Bahrain, and the site embarks on the best oyster road trip in
America, chases down the best fireworks stand in the world, and sits
down with CEOs of several car companies to discuss everything from their
favorite bespoke shoemaker to the future of autonomous driving. In
addition, The Drive will offer up-to-the-minute news and analysis
with its daily “Drive Wire,” a hosted video version of rip-and-read news
reports and analysis broadcast from the new showroom studio.

“Our working manifesto is that in today’s world, cars equal life,” says
Guy. “Whether the topic is the electronic car space changing the way we
build, power and sell cars; a debate over which crossover you should
buy; or where to go in Sonoma County if you feel a sudden need for a
road trip, along the way, we’re going to disrupt things in our own way.”

The world is hungry for fresh auto coverage, and Time Inc. has a proven
track record of creating compelling content. The Drive will
deliver powerful content to this audience while also developing powerful
marketing solutions for our advertising partners. Launch sponsors for The
Drive
are Volvo, Pennzoil and GM Buy Power Card.

“Cars are an essential part of everyday life, and we believe The Drive’s
approach to storytelling will bring an important, but rarely discussed,
part of daily life into the mainstream discussion, where it belongs,”
said Bodil Eriksson, Executive Vice President of Product, Marketing &
Communication for Volvo Cars of North America. “We look forward to
working with The Drive team in developing stories that define
Volvo and the transformative change happening in both American culture
and the car industry.”

To learn more about The Drive go here,
here,
here
and here.

About Time Inc.

Time Inc. (NYSE:TIME) is one of the world’s leading media companies,
with a monthly global print audience of over 120 million and worldwide
digital properties that attract more than 140 million visitors each
month, including over 60 websites. Our influential brands include
People, Sports Illustrated, InStyle, Time, Real Simple, Southern Living,
Entertainment Weekly, Travel + Leisure, Cooking Light, Fortune and Food
& Wine, as well as more than 50 diverse titles in the United Kingdom,
such as Decanter, Horse & Hound and Wallpaper*. Time Inc. is home to
celebrated franchises and events, including the Fortune 500, Time 100,
People’s Sexiest Man Alive, Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year,
the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, the Essence Festival and the biennial
Fortune Global Forum. Hundreds of thousands of people attend our live
media events every year. We also provide content marketing, targeted
local print and digital advertising programs, branded book publishing
and marketing and support services, including subscription sales
services for magazines and other products, retail distribution and
marketing services and customer service and fulfillment services, for
ourselves and third-party clients, including other magazine publishers.

About Volvo Cars of North America

Volvo Cars of North America, LLC, (VCNA) (www.volvocars.com/us)
is a subsidiary of Volvo Car Group of Gothenburg, Sweden. With a stellar
reputation for safety, the company’s vision is that no one should be
killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by the year 2020. Over the
next three years, Volvo Cars will introduce 14 new cars that are built
around Volvo’s unique idea of luxury, unparalleled safety and
electrification through plug-in hybrid technology. For more information
about Volvo Cars of North America, please refer to the media website at: http://www.media.volvocars.com/us.

Contacts

Time Inc.
Scott Novak, 212 522-2687
scott.novak@timeinc.com

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