James Attwood

James Attwood connects motorsport, the car industry and new forms of mobility, treating racing, road cars and e-mobility as parts of the same ecosystem rather than separate beats. He is associate editor at Autocar, with more than two decades of automotive and motorsport reporting behind him, and his work spans long-form features, long-term tests and interviews with senior figures across the sector. His coverage stands out for the way it ties sporting stories and technical detail to branding, design, and the changing business of how people move.

F1 just got a bit more fashionable

Attwood’s motorsport writing is grounded in years spent on specialist racing titles covering everything from club rallying to international events, and that depth shows in how he approaches Formula 1’s off-track stories. In his coverage of Gucci Racing Alpine, he treats the fashion house’s move into title sponsorship not as a curiosity but as a significant shift in how F1 presents itself, explaining the new team identity, colour scheme and commercial platform in clear, factual terms. He focuses on the intersection of luxury branding and elite sport, spelling out what the deal changes for the team and for the grid, rather than chasing drama or speculation.

That approach makes his F1 work useful when the story hinges on sponsorship, partnerships or image, and when the sporting angle is inseparable from business and culture.

4500 miles in a Volvo EX30

Attwood’s Autocar features and long-term reviews show the same preference for lived experience over headline claims. In his extended Volvo EX30 test he writes from the perspective of someone who has spent thousands of miles with the car, detailing how it fits into everyday life and how its strengths and flaws emerge over time.

He is interested in running costs, usability and the small design and engineering decisions that change how a car feels to use, rather than simply repeating brochure figures. The tone is direct and unforced, and he is willing to admit when his view of a car evolves as he spends more time with it.

That kind of long-term testing and analysis is a recurring strand in his Autocar work, and it supports stories that need more than a first-drive impression or a quick verdict.

My Week In Cars podcast

Attwood extends his reporting beyond the page as a senior editor voice on Autocar’s My Week In Cars podcast, where he interviews designers and industry figures. In conversations with Hot Wheels’ senior design manager he explores the differences between toy-car and real-car design, authenticity, and the importance of how children experience cars.

In another episode with Renault’s head of design he digs into how the marque blends its historic models with new, more conventional products, and how different markets perceive design.

These interviews show a reporter comfortable talking about aesthetics, brand heritage and user experience as much as engineering, and they underline his interest in how design decisions connect with culture and everyday use. When a story involves design leadership, brand strategy or the way people emotionally relate to vehicles, this strand of his work is where he tends to sit.

Move Electric and e-mobility

Attwood’s e-mobility experience comes from a stint running Move Electric, an outlet focused on e-bikes, e-scooters and new transport technologies, and from continued contributions there after returning to Autocar.

That role pushed him beyond traditional car journalism into covering micromobility markets and the business and policy questions around them. His work in this area combines practical understanding of products with a broader view of how they fit into transport systems and consumer choices.

It means that when he writes about electric cars, he does so with an awareness of the wider electrified landscape rather than treating them in isolation. Overall, his track record marks him out as a journalist who joins up motorsport, car culture and e-mobility, and who writes in clear, spare prose that keeps the focus on what deals, designs and technologies actually mean in use.