Edmunds.com and <i>Inside Line</i> Bolster Automotive Testing Team, Hire Four More Experts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Edmunds.com and Inside Line Bolster Automotive Testing Team, Hire Four More Experts
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — April 12, 2006 — Edmunds.com, the premier resource for online automotive information, announced today the hiring of four automotive testing experts:
- Dan Edmunds, director of automotive testing
- Jason Kavanagh, engineering editor
- Chris Walton, chief road test editor
- Josh Jacquot, senior road test editor
These four individuals have joined the editorial staff that produces Edmunds.com, the leading automotive Web site for shoppers and consumers, and Inside Line, the free high-speed online magazine for automobile enthusiasts. Each of these Web sites has a monthly audience that far surpasses the combined circulation of the largest print automotive magazines.
"Inside Line enjoyed great success in its first year, and we now look to take it and Edmunds.com onward and upward," said Edmunds.com Editorial Director Kevin Smith. "We anticipate these talented veterans will build our vehicle-testing program to exceed industry standards and consumer expectations."
As Director of Automotive Testing, Dan Edmunds will be spearheading Edmunds.com's efforts to refine its vehicle-testing methods, procedures and equipment. Previously, Dan was the Engineering Manager of the chassis and brake development group at Hyundai America Technical Center, and helped set up its new evaluation lab and proving grounds. Earlier, Dan worked as the Senior Chassis Development Engineer for Toyota's Technical Center.
Dan's three new team members will be working directly with him to develop an overall vehicle-testing philosophy, rigorous new testing procedures, and reporting methods to support the road tests and comparison tests published on Inside Line, and the vehicle evaluations and ratings presented on Edmunds.com.
Jason Kavanagh comes from Honeywell Turbo Technologies where he was Engineering Manager. In that position, he directed product development of Garrett aftermarket turbocharger kits and parts, and managed the department's motorsports participation. As Engineering Editor, he will be assisting in the design and methodology of the testing process and writing test and technical articles.
Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton will be assisting with the development and implementation of testing procedures, writing articles and testing hundreds of vehicles annually. Previously, Chris was the Senior Road Test Editor at Motor Trend where he led the instrumented testing of vehicles, including production vehicles, racecars, trucks and SUVs. Mr. Walton tested over 1,000 vehicles during 10 years at Motor Trend where he served as Road Test Editor, Associate Editor and Editorial Assistant.
Senior Road Test Editor Josh Jacquot will also be helping to develop the testing program, writing articles and performing instrumented testing. Josh was previously the editor at Sport Compact Car magazine, managing the philosophy, direction and production of the magazine through his own writing and photography skills, staff and freelance assignments, editorial planning and budgeting. Josh was with Sport Compact Car for over seven years.
About Edmunds
Edmunds.com is the premier online resource for automotive information. Its comprehensive set of data, tools and services is generated by Edmunds.com Information Solutions and is licensed to third parties and used by over 15,000 cars dealers including 98 of the 100 dealers named to the Ward's Dealer Business "e-Dealer 100" list. Perhaps the most popular consumer product, Edmunds.com True Market Value® pricing, is relied upon by millions of people seeking market-reflective valuations for new and used vehicles. The company also supplies content for the auto sections of NYTimes.com, AOL, CNN.com and About.com; provides weekly data to Automotive News; and delivers monthly data reports to Wall Street analysts. In addition, Edmunds.com publishes Inside Line (), a free high-speed online magazine for auto enthusiasts, and CarSpace (www.carspace.com), an automotive lifestyle social networking Web site for anyone with an interest in automobiles. Edmunds.com was named "Best Car Research Site" by Forbes ASAP, has been selected by consumers as the "Most Useful Web Site" according to every J.D. Power and Associates New Autoshopper.com StudySM, was ranked first in the Survey of Car-Shopping Web Sites by The Wall Street Journal and was rated number one in Keynote's study of third-party automotive web sites. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit.
