Hi there! Welcome to to NewCar.news, a new Web site dedicated to covering automotive news, car reviews, features, and more.
My name is Tim Healey and I have been an automotive journalist covering the industry in one way or another since 2007. You can read more about my bio at our About page.
What you can expect from this site is the latest news about the automotive industry, plus car reviews, reviews of automotive-related products, features about the industry, plus opinions, analysis, and whatever else makes sense.
You may have questions. Let take a stab a few.
What Makes You Worth Reading?
Good question. As noted, I have nearly two decades in the business, so I have an idea of how things work — and I know who to ask when I need something answered by someone who is more of an expert than I am. I am a car guy with a journalism background. I know the industry, and I have thoughts. Hopefully, you’ll like them enough to keep coming back.
I test 50-100 cars per year, and before I started working with words I worked in the service mines at a few car dealerships. I’ve also toured more automotive plants than I can count. I’ve had my share of track laps. And I have deep industry contacts.
Why Start A Web Site Now? Isn’t Journalism Dying? Isn’t AI Taking Over?
I left my last gig as managing editor of The Truth About Cars in April. I’ve been freelancing since. I’ve noticed that there’s been less coverage of automotive news recently as long-time platforms undergo a lot of change. Good journalists are out of work. Outlets are pivoting (too heavily, in my opinion) to AI-generated content. Other outlets are still plugging away but covering industry niches.
I don’t believe journalism is dying, but the industry is facing some serious challenges.
That said, I think there’s room for human-written automotive-news content (plus reviews and other relevant content). I also don’t need to chase SEO/AEO/GEO or whatever the latest term is. I will still be doing my other freelance work, and my investment in this site doesn’t require a ton of money. I have no investors to please. My home isn’t collateral. My goal is to make enough money to pay bills, but I can be patient and try to grow this site slowly and sustainably instead of chasing dollars. That will give me — and, if this site grows, anyone else who joins as an editor or writer — freedom to just try to create content that you’ll want to read. Hopefully, you’ll want to come back.
I will still be looking to earn money, of course, so you will see ads. A subscription model could come into being down the pike, it’s too early to know. I’d love to make a full-time income off of this. But I have enough other irons in the fire that it’s not sink or swim. If the site does fail — or if I get another staff gig that requires me to shelve it — well, the amount of time and money sunk in would be minimal.
Will This Site Use AI?
I am not a fan of AI, at least as something to be used to create content. It is a sometimes helpful tool for administrative tasks, back-end work, and the writing process (like creating an outline). I expect AI use will be minimal. I plan to write most words myself, or to have other humans contribute. AI might, emphasis on might, be used to generate low-hanging fruit articles (think small recalls) that I wouldn’t otherwise have time to write. AI may also be used around the margins in human-written articles — maybe Grammarly punches up a sentence or AI makes a headline stronger. What I can promise is that any article with a human byline will be written and edited by a human, and any AI use beyond marginal tweaks of grammar will be disclosed. If an article is generated by AI, it will be disclosed.
What Can The Reader Expect?
The logistics of this, such as post count per day, are still being worked out. Keep in mind, I am just one man, and I have other freelance outlets. Some days may have a heavy post count, others will be light. I am planning on setting this site apart from other news sites by adding a personal take to most stories, if relevant.
Apart from news and reviews, we’ll be covering topics that involve driving, car culture, and, on some occasions, motor racing. Classic cars might get some coverage, too. That exact mix will be sorted out over time.
Longer-term plans could include a podcast, a YouTube page, social-media pages, and more. Stay tuned.
What About Politics?
I will keep my personal politics out of stories when writing news. That said, politics often unavoidably intersect with the auto industry. So, in a news piece, politics will be covered as objectively as possibly. In analysis piece, politics will be examined in terms of how they affect the story. In a clearly-marked opinion piece, that is when myself or the writer will have carte blanche to be ideological or partisan.
Overall, the site will not have a left-, right-, center-, or libertarian viewpoint. That said, there will be no room here (and in our comments) for bigotry, racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, misogyny, or anything of that sort. Nor do we tolerate fascism.
Can I Comment on Stories?
Yes. Unless it becomes impossible to manage, comments will be turned on. A few rules: No personal insults, no bigotry or related “isms” and “phobias” (sexism, homophobia, et cetera), and no spam. We also reserve the right to moderate comments, including the right to delete comments that break rules and also to ban commenters.
How Can I Contact You With Questions, Complaints, or News Tips?
We’ll have an open comments section, and you can also reach me at thealey@newcar.news
