Dave McQuilling
Dave McQuilling is a senior automotive writer at AutoNotion who treats cars as a mix of engineering, software, and long-term household economics rather than just machines or status symbols. His coverage focuses on what vehicles cost to own over time, how the technology under the skin actually works, and how industry decisions show up in everyday driving. He brings years of experience test-driving high-performance cars and attending launches and events, then translates that access into clear explanations for non-specialist readers.
Electric cars and the real cost of ownership
McQuilling’s electric-vehicle coverage centers on lifetime cost and practical risk, not just sticker prices or incentives. In his work on battery replacement anxiety, he tackles the common fear of facing a five-figure bill by running long-horizon comparisons against what the same driver would spend on gasoline over two decades. He uses concrete numbers and time frames to show how a dramatic one-off repair risk sits alongside a steady stream of fuel costs, turning an emotional worry into a total-cost-of-ownership calculation. His framing keeps the focus on real decisions a driver has to make over many years, rather than on edge cases or short-term price spikes.
The software and systems inside modern cars
A recurring thread in his AutoNotion work is the invisible software and electronics that now define how a car behaves. In his piece “You Still Use a BlackBerry Every Day. You’re Driving It,” McQuilling shows how BlackBerry’s automotive software underpins key systems in modern vehicles long after the brand disappeared from phone shelves. He explains how this kind of embedded platform shapes safety systems, infotainment, and connectivity, using a familiar consumer-tech name to draw readers into a story about in-car operating systems. That mix of technical detail and plain language is typical of his beat, which often links legacy tech brands, current vehicle features, and the broader shift toward software-defined cars.
From factory lines to global competition
McQuilling also tracks how corporate strategy and manufacturing scale are reshaping the auto industry. In his coverage of Ford’s plan to produce a vehicle every 50 seconds “to counter China,” he connects production-rate targets with competitive pressure from Chinese manufacturers and the need for established brands to retool at speed. He treats volume, supply chains, and factory output as central story elements, not just footnotes to a new model announcement. That focus on throughput and competition positions his work between consumer news and industry analysis, highlighting the strategic choices that sit behind the cars people eventually see in showrooms.
Everyday driving, muscle cars, and lifestyle coverage
Alongside technology and industry pieces, McQuilling writes service journalism aimed at how people actually use their vehicles. His guide to preparing for car camping sets out what drivers will need for a summer trip, framing the car as a basecamp and thinking through comfort, practicality, and safety. He has also written about underrated muscle cars for enthusiast-focused outlets, combining accessible history with clear explanations of why particular models matter to performance fans. That blend of practical advice and enthusiast storytelling allows him to move easily between mainstream readers and dedicated car communities.
AutoNotion highlights that McQuilling has bylines across a range of automotive and technology publications, including Digital Trends, Autoblog, The Manual, SlashGear, The Gentleman Racer, and Guessing Headlights. At lifestyle and tech outlets he focuses on automotive, technology, and food, extending his interest in how machines fit into everyday life. Professional profiles describe him as an experienced automotive and technology journalist with a strong interest in areas such as AR, VR, and AI, which reinforces the depth of his coverage when cars intersect with advanced software and emerging interfaces. Across those platforms, his work keeps returning to a consistent core: explaining what a vehicle really is, what it costs over time, and how the technology and industry behind it shape the experience behind the wheel.
4 more automobile journalists.
Aarian Marshall
Aarian Marshall is a staff writer at WIRED who stands out for covering how cars, software, and policy collide. She writes on transportation systems and cities, from the auto industry to broader mobility systems. Before WIRED, she reported on cities and urban policy for The Atlantic’s CityLab. Her beat runs from electric vehicles, fuel prices, tariffs, and car-buying decisions to autonomous vehicles, robotaxis, and software-defined cars. She reports with a systems view, linking policy shifts, technical failures, and urban life to what happens on streets, in repair shops, and at the pump.
Adrian Leung
Adrian Leung writes engineering-led coverage of Chinese electric vehicles and performance cars for CarNewsChina. He focuses on new energy vehicles, battery systems, powertrains, electric platforms, high-end domestic brands, and track-ready models, and he explains technical details in plain language for non-specialist readers. His reporting treats new models as hardware and systems stories, with precise figures on range, battery capacity, chassis layout, motor outputs, weight, and acceleration. He also covers the Chinese auto industry’s finances and technology roadmap, including sector profits, vehicle volumes, and solid-state battery timelines. His background in Electrical and Computer Engineering shows in the way he writes about vehicle electronics and battery management.
Al Pefley
Al Pefley is a television news reporter for CBS12 News whose work centers on how laws, law enforcement and local decisions shape everyday life for drivers and other residents. He reports in a general assignment role but returns often to transportation, public safety and pocketbook issues, treating driving as a point where policy, disability and policing intersect. His coverage includes driver-focused laws, fuel and tax policy, crime, policing and internal affairs findings, with a consistent focus on accountability and concrete consequences for people’s wallets, safety and trust in institutions. He explains county gas tax debates, campaign positions on teacher pay, property crime and retail theft in short, clear segments. Pefley works primarily on the scene, using live or recorded field reporting and interview-driven pieces to show what happened, why it matters and what comes next.
Aliza Savira
Aliza Savira focuses on the hidden financial costs of owning modern cars, especially how insurance can undermine expected savings. She writes about automobiles for MSN, looking at new technology and electric vehicles through everyday ownership rather than showroom appeal. Her work highlights the gap between promises of cheaper running costs and the full financial picture of owning a vehicle. In electric vehicle coverage, she treats insurance premiums as a key ownership problem that can erode long-term value. She stays close to practical questions drivers face, such as which recurring costs matter most after purchase. She reports on how insurance structures and premium levels interact with new automotive technology. Her beat is consumer-focused automobile reporting, with a clear, utilitarian lens on ownership experience, recurring expenses, and risk, rather than lifestyle or performance.