SHERIDAN, WYOMING - December 18, 2025 - Motor Presse Stuttgart is kicking off a year-long anniversary cycle for its flagship automotive media brand auto motor und sport, marking 80 years of publishing with a premium-format XXL issue and a 2026 editorial program designed to deepen reach across print and digital channels.
An anniversary issue designed as a premium brand statement
Motor Presse Stuttgart is launching the jubilee year with an oversized special edition of auto motor und sport featuring a refined additional cover, larger format, and an expanded 232-page scope. The move signals a deliberate positioning strategy: in a fragmented media environment, special-interest publishers are increasingly using premium "event issues" to reinforce brand authority, extend dwell time, and create high-impact inventory for partners.
The anniversary narrative also highlights the title's origin story and category resilience, including the early skepticism captured in the line: "In Deutschland wird es nie wieder so viele Autos geben, dass eine Autozeitschrift nötig wäre."
Test depth as a defensible trust asset for audiences and advertisers
A core pillar of the brand's value proposition remains its testing reputation and editorial expertise-an important differentiator as automotive content competes with social platforms, influencer formats, and OEM-led publishing. The publisher emphasizes the cumulative scale of its test program, positioning it as a long-term credibility engine that sustains reader loyalty and protects advertiser adjacency.
For B2B stakeholders, the message is clear: premium automotive audiences still cluster around trusted editorial signals, and structured testing creates repeatable content "products" that can be packaged across formats and distribution routes.
2026 content roadmap expands into affordability, safety, and health
The anniversary year is structured as a multi-issue program rather than a one-off celebration, with planned highlights in every edition and additional digital-channel activations. The editorial framing points to a broader market reality-mobility is becoming a household economics topic as much as a product category, and media brands are adapting to maintain relevance across new buyer questions.
"Im Jubiläumsjahr 2026 haben wir für jede Ausgabe etwas Besonderes geplant, dazu kommen weitere Story-Highlights und Aktionen unserer Digitalkanäle", sagt auto motor und sport-Chefredakteur Michael Pfeiffer. "Neben unseren klassischen Themenbereichen Test & Technik, Innovationen, Design und Motorsport werden wir uns insbesondere mit Fragen zu bezahlbarer Mobilität sowie Sicherheit und Gesundheit beschäftigen."
Commercial momentum: industry partners lean into the milestone edition
Motor Presse Stuttgart is also positioning the XXL issue as a high-visibility platform for the advertising market, describing strong commercial uptake and creative participation from partners. For automotive and mobility marketers, anniversary editions often provide a rare mix of premium context, high attention, and positive brand sentiment-useful for both performance and reputation-led campaigns.
"Die Resonanz ist überwältigend und zeigt eindrucksvoll, welche Attraktivität und herausragende Reputation die auto motor und sport bei den Lesern wie auch bei unseren Geschäftspartnern gleichermaßen genießt", sagt Markus Eiberger, Board Member und Geschäftsleiter Vermarktung der Motor Presse Stuttgart. "Besonders gefreut hat uns, mit wie viel Leidenschaft und kreativer Energie die Jubiläumsglückwünsche in zahlreichen Anzeigenmotiven verpackt wurden."
What this signals for European special-interest publishing
Strategically, the 80th anniversary activation illustrates how established media houses are re-anchoring value: premium editorial authority, measurable expertise (testing depth), and multi-channel distribution at scale. With the brand reaching a reported monthly audience in the multi-million range across channels, the 2026 program is effectively a year-long retention and monetization play-designed to keep audiences engaged while offering partners consistent, brand-safe visibility.
For advertisers and agency buyers, the key takeaway is not nostalgia-it is the continued commercial relevance of curated, expert-led environments where mobility decisions and technology narratives are still shaped.
Learn more about auto motor und sport and its content channels at https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/.