MotorWeek celebrates four decades of extraordinary automotive television by taking a look back while delivering advice viewers depend on today

 OWINGS MILLS, MD – MotorWeek, television’s original and longest-running automotive magazine series, marks its milestone 40th season starting in September. During the upcoming season, the series will glance in the rearview mirror to take a look at the cars and the people that have made the show such as success while still keeping a focused eye on the road ahead. Every episode of the 40th anniversary season will be punctuated with archival automotive highlights, some funny and some ironic, but all entertaining and informative. 

MotorWeek’s 40th season premieres on public television stations across the country beginning Saturday, September 12 (check local PBS listings).  Every week, series host and creator John Davis and the MotorWeek team continue their relentless quest to test, evaluate, and understand the insatiable but evolving American appetite for personal transportation, despite major shifts in culture and the global COVID-19 pandemic. 

The new season brings the 2021 model year into focus for viewers. While the automotive industry is still ripe with near-term prospects of cleaner electric and self-driving autonomous vehicles, things are cloudier than ever due to ever-changing car company priorities and by the fact that sales having been negatively impacted by the pandemic. 

“Despite these grey clouds, Americans continue to purchase pickup trucks and SUVs in near-record numbers, even as traditional sedan sales decline,” explains John Davis. “While consumers are interested in learning more about electric vehicles -- and there’s no question that a lot of electrification will be used in all future cars -- buyers are still concerned about their high price, range limitations, and the slow growth in the number of charging stations even along frequently traveled routes. These concerns will continue to make EVs niche vehicles at least for the next few years.”

Complete with updated anniversary open animation and music, the MotorWeek 40th season feature lineup continues with its roster of popular segments including Goss’ Garage, in which Master Technician Pat Goss offers up do-it-yourself car care advice; Lauren Morrison keeps viewers in the know with consumer news and trends in Motor News; daring Over the Edge reporter Greg Carloss turns up the fun with his unique look at the auto world in overdrive; lifestyle reporter Stephanie Hart delivers insights on driving and automotive safety, money-saving advice, and the latest in automotive technology in FYI; Brian Robinson brings his years of motorcycling experience to the Two Wheelin’ segment, reviewing the latest motorcycles on the road; and AutoWorld explores the advancing influence of alternative fuels, electrification, and autonomous driving safety. 

“MotorWeek continues to report the facts that most affect consumers in their wallets,” says Davis. “As always, our reporters help navigate the marketplace and identify genuine trends and best values for drivers and their passengers.”

Through it all, the American car consumer remains in the driver’s seat, armed with MotorWeek’s unbiased evaluations. Season 40 of the series will cover all the new vehicles on any car buyer’s wish list, showcasing the latest technology while measuring each car’s real-world performance, practicality, efficiency, and safety.  From hatchbacks to sport-utility vehicles, exotic performance machines to pickup trucks, MotorWeek’s team of experts buckle into more than 150 vehicles each season. 

Davis says that amid the myriad of highly-anticipated EVs soon to hit our streets, like the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Cybertruck, and Nissan Ariya, the real standout in 2021 is the return of an old school gasoline-powered off-roader, the reborn Ford Bronco.  Now, a brand within a brand, the new Bronco returns with a three-model lineup aimed squarely at competing with the Jeep brand. 

Safety, Davis notes, continues to be a high priority for both carmakers and consumers.  “With younger buyers putting a higher value on advanced safety systems for their new cars, semi-autonomous driving systems like automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring are even more in play. Carmakers that make these systems easily affordable stand to increase market share at the expense of those who don’t.”

With some 17 million new vehicles purchased last year, car buying clearly remains a priority with consumers. MotorWeek continues to offer viewers a vicarious experience from behind the driver’s seat as well as from behind the wheel. At the start of its 40th season, MotorWeek will hit the ignition on a broad variety of all-new models including the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Lexus LC 500 Convertible, Lincoln Navigator, Volkswagen Passat, Ford F-150, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Kia K5, plus a bevy of high-performance cars. Despite soft demand, more and more plug-in electric vehicles are also launching, including the MINI Cooper SE and Mercedes EQC.

MotorWeek is produced and distributed by Maryland Public Television and airs on 90 percent of PBS stations nationwide. With the recent addition of St. Louis, the series can now be seen on public TV stations in all of the nation’s top 25 markets. Viewers can find out which stations air MotorWeek by going to the station listings page on motorweek.org.

Winner of dozens of prestigious automotive journalism awards, MotorWeek is also seen on Discovery’s MotorTrend cable channel, and on the V-me Spanish-language network.

MotorWeek is available for every type of video screen and mobile device with up-to-the-minute automotive news, instantaneous driving impressions, and exclusive videos online at motorweek.org.

Full episodes are available at pbs.org/motorweek, and can be streamed through PBS Living on Amazon Prime. Individual roadtests and feature segments are posted daily on MotorWeek’s YouTube Channel, youtube.com/motorweek, now with more than two million views per month. Viewers can also follow MotorWeek on Facebook and Twitter as well as download complete shows on iTunes.

MotorWeek is nationally sponsored by RockAuto.com. 

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