Autocar Japan celebrates 100th issue

The September 2011 cover-dated special issue showcases 100 of Autocar’s best road tests chosen from the over 5000 carried out since 1928 with a focus on five of best cars tested of all time; the Jaguar E-Type, the McLaren F1, Morris Mini Minor, Porsche 911 GT3 and the VW Golf.

The 100th issue also contained a supplement re-producing, in full, the first 12-paged issue of The Autocar from 1895, complete with a Japanese translation. The inaugural issue debates the correct term for the new horseless carriage, finally deciding on the magazine’s eponymous title, whilst also covering latest news from the emerging industry in the UK, US and Europe. It also correctly predicts a time which will see “roads monopolised by cycles and autocars and the horse in a state of freedom roaming the trackless plain”, is a slightly off with “the horseless carriage, (powered) with electricity… will at no distant date be a popular vehicle” and directs readers who wish to “take” the magazine to place and order at Messrs W. H. Smith and Son.

Digital editions of both the English and Japanese versions of the first issue can be downloaded at Autocar Japan’s website: autocar-mag.com.

Autocar Japan was launched under licence from Haymarket Media Group by Tokyo based Neko Publishing in June 2003. The Japanese language magazine with a monthly circulation of 30,000 copies is Europe’s only motoring magazine brand with a presence in the market.

Kenji Sasamoto, founder of Neko Publishing said: “We are extremely pleased to have reached this fantastic. It has been a difficult year for Japan and both the automotive and magazine industries and so it especially exciting to be able to publish such a fantastic issue of Autocar Japan to celebrate the 100th issue and to remind readers of all that is great about their passion for cars.“

Edward Marr, Heard of Licensing (Asia) at Haymarket Media Group said: “We are really pleased with the package Neko have produced for the 100th issue of Autocar Japan. Neko Pubishing, lead by Sasamoto-san have been a fantastic partner in Japan and we look forward to issue 200 and beyond.”

Autocar UK the original car weekly is also published in; China, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, India, Indonesia, Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, the Middle East, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. The magazine’s website Autocar.co.uk contains the same mix of news and reviews along with the web’s best motoring videos.