Small Magazines We Adore

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, June 1, 2004

Byline: Rachem Lehmann-Haupt

Green Car Journal

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Green Car is a quarterly for consumers who are seriously interested in the viability of hybrid cars and alternative fuels. A tasteful design on heavy-weight paper, it covers emissions, efficiency and energy security. Otherwise it reads like a regular car magazine with reviews and test drives. Editor-In-Chief Rob Cogan, formerly of Motor Trend says hydrogen fuel is the real deal, and that the infrastructure to use it will be available in the next 15 to 20 years.

WHY WE LOVE IT: The magazine is so clearly a labor of love. Cogan covered environmental issues for Peterson for 20 years and decided that he wanted to move to Northern California to pursue his "first love: magazines." Green Car is straight-forward and non-judgmental. Cogan's doesn't condemn SUVs. He believes non-polluting cars will catch on if they work for every type of consumer lifestyle.

RECENT ARTICLES: Each issue includes a test drive of a new car like the new 470-hp Mitsubishi Eclipse that has a hybrid engine. Others articles include an interview with Lee Iacocca on the environment, Detroit vs. Japan, the top 25 green cars and guilt-free SUVs.

AD BASE: Mostly cars and ecology: An ad from Honda supporting Earth Day; Toyota Prius; Jean Michael Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society. A page costs $10,900.

VERDICT: It's a big hit at MIT, and with gas heading towards $3 a gallon, its likely to gain wider attention.