AutoBeat: Coda
As we close AutoBeat and end it’s associated magazine and newsletter operations, Gardner Business Media remains committed to coverage of the automotive industry.

Gardner Automotive Editor Gary Vasilash
Dear Reader,
In the early spring of 2020 we launched what you are looking at right now, a new and improved version of the AutoBeat website.
Some of you may remember when AutoBeat was something delivered each business day as a fax. Some of you may not have the slightest idea of what a fax is. Things change.
Back in 1934 a magazine was established named Production. As time went on, Production morphed into other titles, including Automotive Production, Automotive Manufacturing & Production, and Automotive Design & Production. In the early spring of 2020 it became AutoBeat. Things change.
Today, as a result of the economic impact of COVID-19, something that wasn’t considered by us in the early spring of 2020, AutoBeat is done. Things change.
There is no more AutoBeat Group. No more AutoBeat Daily, AutoBeat Driver, AutoBeat Magazine, AutoBeatOnline.com. All operations are ended. Things change.
AutoBeat was a brand of Gardner Business Media. According to Rick Kline, Jr., president of the company, “This decision was a difficult one because we have been—and are committed to—coverage of the auto industry.” That won’t change.
Gardner has a portfolio of brands, including Modern Machine Shop, MoldMaking Technology, Production Machining, Additive Manufacturing, Plastics Technology, Products Finishing and CompositesWorld. Part of their coverage includes automotive. That won’t change.
I’ve been with Gardner for 35 years. I am sticking around. That won’t change.
But let’s face it: Things change.
Some for the good. Some for the bad. Some change we create. Some change happens regardless of what we would prefer.
Over the past couple of decades I would like to think that we have made a positive contribution to the conversations in the auto industry, conversations about new technologies, new materials, new vehicles, new strategies and tactics, new legislation, new companies, new equipment, new processes.
That won’t change.

Explore IMTS spark
The Plating Insight Series
Products Finishing Editor Scott Francis hosts the IMTS Spark Plating Insights Series Wednesdays through Dec. 2.
Why Multitasking?
Machine tools that can perform turning, milling and other operations on one platform offer process efficiencies that more and more shops are leveraging to their advantage.
Top Shops
The Gardner Business Intelligence and Modern Machine Shop Top Shops Program is both an honor for the shops chosen annually, and a benchmarking tool for all who participate. See how your business stacks up.
Additive Manufacturing for Production
3D printing may have started out as a rapid prototyping technique, but the machines and materials have matured to the point that production is not only viable, but desirable. Learn the basics of additive manufacturing for production applications.
John Oates Talks Cars and Music
He’s not one of those guys who hits it big and decides he needs a fast car. As he says on this “Autoline After Hours,” when he was a kid he talked his parents into buying a Pontiac GTO
#Audi #Chevrolet #Toyota
NASCAR, Amelia Island Concours and More
A special “Autoline After Hours” with Ray Evernham and Bill Warner
#Porsche #Chevrolet #AutolineAfterHours
Don Walker of Magna Talks About the Industry Now—and In the Future
Don Walker is CEO of Magna, a company that he has been with for 33 years. He’s retiring at the end of 2020 and talks to “Autoline After Hours” about the industry he has been instrumental in
#GeneralMotors #AutolineAfterHours #Magna
What You Should Know About High-Speed Machining
The tools go a whole lot faster—40,000 rpm, perhaps—but the advantage is not parts per hour but in the ability to make precise parts with less induced stress
Revolutionary Hydrogen Storage Tank Design Could Propel H2 Deployment
Rather than storing hydrogen in a large cylindrical tank, Noble Gas has developed a conformal system
#safety
Personal Car Ownership Fends Off Public Transport During Pandemic
EVs gaining acceptance but the pace needs to accelerate
Cooper Standard Shuffles Execs
Couch and Pumphrey to add responsibilities as DeBest departs the company
#people
COVID Exacerbates Supplier/OEM Relations
Improved communications and other best practices advocated
#safety #quality #people
Machining Gummy Materials: A New Use for Sharpies
Organic films help metal removal Purdue researchers discover
Polestar 2 and Clever Lighting Execution
The nights can be long in Scandinavia, so the Polestar 2 designers and engineers have created a lighting system for the EV that automatically handles the darkness
#Volvo #Polestar
John Oates Talks Cars and Music
He’s not one of those guys who hits it big and decides he needs a fast car. As he says on this “Autoline After Hours,” when he was a kid he talked his parents into buying a Pontiac GTO
#AutolineAfterHours #Audi #Porsche
2021 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD
One of the best midsize crossovers—and you’re likely not familiar with it.
#Toyota #Mazda #Ford
Autonomous Vehicles in the Norwegian Winter
A pilot program will start in Oslo during Q1 2021—when there’s plenty of precipitation, including the white fluffy kind
#Toyota
NACTOY Announces 2021 Finalists
These are the vehicles that are among the best introduced this past year
#Land Rover #Ram #Ford