Cars of the Future
Launched in 2019 by motoring journalist Neil Kennett, Cars of the Future is on a mission: To chart the development of, and encourage sensible debate about, all aspects of self-driving.
Focusing on safety and consumer experience, we cover mainly road-going self-driving vehicles and their role in the connected and automated mobility (CAM) ecosystem.
Company History
2018 Neil Kennett writes his “Autonomous Now” cover story for The Institute of the Motor Industry magazine, and – following a wide range of passionate but often misinformed feedback – identifies an urgent need for a new UK-centric self-driving news source.
2019 Cars of the Future is officially launched. We use Google Alerts to track global self-driving news, highlight key developments and provide a UK perspective. We promote informed opinion, voices of reason in an area plagued by hyperbolic headlines.
2020 Cars of the Future is recognised as a Zenzic CAM Creator. During lockdown for Covid we approach other CAM Creators for interview, leading to a new strand of industry expert long-reads. These prove popular and broaden our content, from ‘cars, cars, cars’ to CAM.
2021 As the pandemic continues, we sign multiple media partnership agreements, notably with Reuters Events. These see Neil moderating high profile panel discussions on ADAS, clean fuel and self-driving. Cars of the Future social numbers continue to climb.
2022 The welcome return of face-to-face meetings and live events post-pandemic. We renew with Reuters for Auto Tech and sign further media partner agreements with London EV Show and MOVE. In April, we publish our first newsletter – the top story is project CAVForth.
2023 Cars of the Future website visitors, newsletter subscribers and social numbers almost double. We renew our partnership with MOVE (which sees Neil host the AV stage), are invited to the Self-Driving APPG, and organise the inaugural Self-driving Industry Awards.
2024 To support Neil again hosting the AV stage at MOVE, we produce our first Cars of the Future magazine. November sees the second annual Self-Driving Industry Awards covered by the BBC, with delegates and locals taking a ride in our Vehicle of the Year, the Ohmio Lift shuttle.
About Neil Kennett
Neil Kennett is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with 20+ years’ experience in the automotive industry. Before going freelance in 2007, he worked in full-time editorial roles for The National Crime Squad, Blake Publishing and The Retail Motor Industry Federation.
With writing credits in The Telegraph, Automotive Management (AM) and Auto Express, among many others, career highlights include his first race report for Autosport (a snowy weekend at Lydden) and being Associate Producer on TV’s Dispatches: Secrets Of Your Car Insurance.
Following a huge response to his 2018 article, Autonomous Now, for The Institute of the Motor Industry, Neil launched Cars of the Future in 2019, saying: “I still love cars and driving. However, I firmly believe that CAM will be utterly transformative. It’s a fascinating area with unique selling points, increasingly distinct from traditional automotive.”
Cars of the Future is a division of Featurebank Ltd.