NYTimes.com Launches 'DriveTimes' E-Mail Newsletter
NEW YORK--April 23, 2003--NYTimes.com announced today that it has launched "DriveTimes," a weekly e-mail newsletter and editorial feature with industry news and auto reviews from The New York Times. Written in a compendium format, DriveTimes will be both a weekly e-mail and a feature on the autos section of the Web site, with links to top stories from other leading auto publications and Web sites including Edmunds.com, Inc., the premier online consumer resource for automotive information."DriveTimes is an insider's report about cars, the people who design them and the companies that make them," said Leonard M. Apcar, editor in chief of NYTimes.com. "We are confident that it will soon be a must-read for everyone from car buffs to weekend shoppers, manufacturers to dealers. It is a strong complement to our newly-redesigned autos section on NYTimes.com, providing a concise, comprehensive synopsis of authoritative car reviews and product news."
The DriveTimes e-mail debuted on Monday, April 14 to coincide with the New York International Auto Show. This week's issue, available at NYTimes.com/drivetimes, includes "On the Floor at the Auto Show," a multimedia feature with audio narration and photos of the new convertibles, sport coupes, luxury cars and hybrids. A multimedia presentation of the 2003 Geneva Motor Show is also available at www.nytimes.com/packages/html/automobiles/20030307_GENEVA/geneva.html.
DriveTimes also features:
| -- | Articles edited by Times automotive editor James G. Cobb, written expressly for the DriveTimes newsletter and feature |
| -- | Comprehensive car reviews from The New York Times and Edmunds.com |
| -- | Links to articles about cars, car design, automotive technology and industry trends |
| -- | Various advertising opportunities including a "Featured Dealer" position, large ad units and skyscraper ads |
| -- | Direct links to Edmunds.com's True Market Value, a tool to gauge "what others are paying" by using a pricing database that draws upon thousands of transactions dating back to 1990. |
Due to promotions on NYTimes.com's registration page and ads across the site, the subscriber list for DriveTimes has grown rapidly to 30,000 readers in just two weeks. Traffic to the autos section of NYTimes.com also continues to increase. Since its relaunch in January 2003, autos.nytimes.com's page views have increased 200 percent, from 1.5 million page views in January to 4.6 million page views in March.
Video clips of car programming from the Discovery Times Channel, a joint venture between The New York Times Company and Discovery Communications, Inc., are also available at autos.nytimes.com. AMERICAN CAR provides a glimpse behind the scenes of American and Japanese car companies, from the design studio and the test track to the showroom floor and the street. NOWHERE, FAST is a look at how drivers deal with the stress of commuting, and what it will take to unsnarl the nation's roadways. Both programs premiered last night on the Discovery Times Channel and will air throughout the month; consult local listings for time and channel.
About New York Times Digital
New York Times Digital is the digital business unit of The New York Times Company and includes market leaders NYTimes.com and Boston.com, and an archive distribution business. NYTD's mission is to provide a high-quality, worldwide online audience with trusted editorial content from The New York Times and The Boston Globe.
This press release may be found at www.nytdigital.com and www.nytco.com