ooooIYKYK, ISSUE #0005
It’s been a rollercoaster of a week when it comes to automotive journalism and me. On one hand, I’m hitting my creative and investigative stride with features focusing on the long-lost Audi RS 001 mid-engine quattro prototype, analyzing rumors of a new TT hinted at in the press following comments from Audi’s CEO at the annual press conference, indexing a ton of officially licensed and outlaw Lego Audi MOC kits, or deep diving into Audi motorsport activities around the world, not to mention adding a master motorsport calendar.
This week I was also chatting with a contact at Audi. He’d come on as a Founding Subscriber to the ooooIYKYK Substack Newsletter and I thanked him saying, “You’re too generous.”
His response: “I need to be more active at supporting the publications I like. Did you see, The Car Connection, Motor Authority and Green Car Reports are ceasing publishing?” For those who don’t follow automotive journalism, it’s worth noting the significance of the loss. The Car Connection was one of the first automotive news websites, while Motor Authority arrived during the inception of the blog era and Green Car Reports, a more recent launch, was helping tackle the challenge of the EV shift. Their team was comprised of not just a talented team, but one that was extremely objective and fair.
Unfortunately, paid human staff are expensive. These sites are owned by Internet Brands, the same company that bought AudiWorld.com and other forum websites. They’re one of two large companies that purchased most of the automotive discussion forums out there, with their chief competitor in that space being Vertical Scope who purchased my own former sites VWvortex.com, Fourtitude.com and Swedespeed.com in 2015, along with quattroWorld.com and hundreds of other forums.
Years ago, VerticalScope shut down my Audi site Fourtitude, redirecting it to VWvortex. They’d come in seeking forums, which were redundant on that site since VWvortex shared the same discussion network. In the meantime, over ten years of Audi-focused news and features plus a well-used gallery with thousands of photos that the Audi design team was known to use as a resource, largely disappeared.
Click on over to quattroWorld and its last news story was published in 2020. VWvortex has no blog whatsoever, with a few links posted by Vertical Scope’s in-market consumer website AutoGuide. Click on these and there just another forum post asking what your favorite car podcast is, what your favorite road is, or a sponsored post on How to Choose the Right Portable Jump Starter… sigh.
Audiworld is in a little bit better shape. There, forums are at the top and editorial content is pushed below the fold. Audi news and features can be found and dated as of this writing up to last week before those other staff were let go, though this admittedly includes a Top 10 List (Top 10 Most Painful Moments of Audi Ownership if you’re curious), and another paid post entitled “What Will Trump Mean for Personal Wealth” that links to the Financial Times. Inhale deeply…. sigh with emphasis.
When I moved on from the space in 2015, I stepped into a contractor role at Audi Club North America in 2016 where I first published their print publication quattro Magazine, then later became their Executive Director, taking on some of their online publishing as well. The magazine was the focus, and we put most creative effort into that.
Why’s this happening? Contributor written content was always expensive, even before business managers and marketing staff got the idea to replace talented writers with cheap content. Back then that meant user-generated content like forums. Today, it means rewriting other people’s stories with AI tools like Chat GPT. In the end, it’s all about overhead and clicks… clicks that deliver an ad, which is directly correlated to income. It’s why manipulative titles are salacious or takes on the competition/opposition are catty if not rude.
During that time, another friend at Audi, this time at Audi Tradition in Germany, shared with me that, while they get a lot of magazines coming into their offices in Ingostadt, quattro Magazine was the favorite and the one he looked most forward to. If the talented team that work in that building looked forward to my work, then I figure that’s just about the ultimate test.
During my time at Audi Club, Audi stopped supporting the organization. Where Audi of America was once a generous benefactor to the enthusiast space, funding driving programs, motorsport programs, hospitality programs, inclusion of brand-focused outlets in launches and corporate activities, and sponsoring the club to the tune of a significant chunk of its annual budget, this all shrunk and eventually disappeared in that time. Audi still supports the club in certain capacities that don’t involve funding. I know the remaining efforts are appreciated, but the club but those remaining efforts aren’t enough to help cultivate the club to an even higher level befitting a brand that aspires to be credible in the premium and passion-driven space.
I have to admit, that lack of support from the manufacturer was burning me out at Audi Club. I’d stepped down from the Executive Director position so I could focus on the magazine. Then, late last year, the club decided they had to make a change. And, like those writers this week, I found myself being cut loose. The reality is, they couldn’t afford me already, and they certainly couldn’t afford me while still focusing on other priorities they need to pursue in order to grow and thrive while doing so without support from the brand.
I get it. Priorities change, and so do business models. Even still, this week was a timely reminder that we have to be intentional if we want things to stick around. Thoughtful retention is a lot easier than letting things disappear and having to rebuild anew. The resources in automotive journalism lost this week with the shuttering of those websites are the evidence. If we don’t support what we love, we can’t count on it being around in the future.
So this is my reminder to you all. If you find creators or organizations online that support you, don’t just click on them or like their content and expect them to stick around.
BE INTENTIONAL. SHOW THEM. PROVE IT. FUND IT. MAKE IT WORK.
IF YOU SEE THE VALUE OF WHAT I’M DOING HERE, BECOME A PAYING SUBCRIBER. Also FOLLOW THE @ooooIYKYK SOCIAL CHANNELS ON FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, OR INSTAGRAM. SHARE THIS CONTENT AND THIS WEBSITE ON SOCIAL MEDIA OR WITH YOUR AUDI-PASSIONATE NETWORK.
IF YOU VALUE WHAT AUDI CLUB DOES FOR THE COMMUNITY, or think they should be spending more on something like events, driving schools or editorial, then JOIN THE CLUB, let them know and get involved. They can exist without that funding from Audi, but they need you to join and take an active part, not just hang out on their Facebook page.
IF YOU ARE A BUSINESS OR AUDI DEALER, BECOME A SPONSOR @ooooIYKYK BY EMAILING ME HERE. AND/OR SPONSOR AUDI CLUB BY EMAILING THEM HERE.
IF YOU WISH AUDI WOULD BUILD MORE AVANTS OR RS CARS, then BUY A NEW AVANT OR RS CAR versus the ubiquitous SUVs, EVs, or other highly leasable and forgettable appliance models. Audi won’t bring the cars we say we demand unless we show them it’s a worthy investment, and buying used doesn’t move the needle in this calculus.
THIS LAST ONE IS FOR YOU AUDI. If you believe in or see the value of passion for your brand, and say you value fans or aficionados who don’t see your products as just another car or passing fad, don’t just say it. SHOW IT THROUGH INVESTMENT OF MONEY, EFFORT OR BOTH. Maybe ooooIYKYK isn’t your bag. Maybe I’m being too transparent in my call to action here, and if I am then I will have to live with that. Somebody needs to say this though.
SUPPORT THIS COMMUNITY. Sponsor, advertise and include brand-focused outlets in media programming, outlets such as Audi Club or ooooIYKYK. Be present at automotive community events at various levels of the enthusiast spectrum from Monterey to Long Roof Rally. Upright programs that speak to this community such as overseas delivery, motorsport experiences or driving experiences. None of these programs are likely the most easy to pencil, not the biggest followings nor the most bodies through the door. They’re expensive, but they still matter. They fuel brand loyalty, and in hard years like 2024 when sales are down or 2025 when you roll out new products you hope people love, brand loyalty matters most of all. Without it, you’re just another appliance manufacturer, and most appliance owners quickly forget about how awesome that Sub Zero is so long as it keeps working.
The brand loyal don’t forget, looking back at the car admiringly every time they walk away from it or telling their friends. And should it break, they tend to have patience and forgive, understanding that love isn’t about switching out the moment times get rough.
Whatever spoken priorities may be, your time and budgets are what speaks here, which means having teams of staff and cars at Hollywood awards shows speaks volumes when nothing is allotted for enthusiasts.
NEXT UP: THIS WEEK’S NEWS & FEATURES
DON’T MISS: UPCOMING EVENTS
03.23 – F1 Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai International Circuit – INFO
03.23 – Audi Club Northwest: Son of quattroFest HPDE 2025, Shelton, WA – INFO
03.27 – Audi Pensacola Red Carpet Launch of All-New Audi Q6, Pensacola, FL – INFO
03.28 – Adui Club Kansas City: Ladies Day Out, Kansas City, MO – INFO
03.28 – Audi Club Southern California & Audi Club Golden Gate Spring HPDE at Buttonwillow, CA – INFO
03.28-30 – Audi Club Georgia: Going Coastal, Savannah, GA – INFO
03.28-30 – GT America Race at Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, CA – INFO
03.29 – Audi Club Eastern P: Cars n Cheesesteaks, Philadelphia, PA – INFO
03.29 – Audi Club Northeast (NEQ) Stable Energies Spring Fling, Saddle Brook, NJ – INFO
03.29 – Audi Club Western PA: Karting at Full Throttle Adrenaline Park + Dinner, Monroeville, PA – INFO
ALL WEEK – People’s Champ: The Impact of Ken Block at The Petersen Museum, CA – INFO
Know of an Audi-themed event that hasn’t been included? Drop a note in the comments below or via a PM to one of our @ooooIYKYK social channels.
FOUR RINGS PS.
Here’s something extra – a 5120 x 2880 pixel wallpaper of an Audi RS 001 rendering created by @4Rings.AI and used in this week’s lead story. Enjoy.
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1.) Tell your friends.
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