Auto Magazine

Auto Magazine is an Israeli automotive publication founded in 1986. It reports on the vehicle market, publishes news and road tests, and offers professional opinions on new cars and developments in transportation. What began as a monthly print magazine grew into a broader media group with annual catalogs, a digital publication, television content and an active presence on social platforms.

Founding and editorial purpose

The magazine was established in 1986 by Roni Aharonovitch, who also served as its editor from 1986 to 1993. Its editorial offices were formerly in Giv'atayim and are now in Petah Tikva. Over the decades, Auto has combined the roles of news source, consumer guide and specialist automotive publication during a period when private vehicles became central to everyday life and household spending in Israel.

Its core work is to make information about the automotive sector available to the public. Coverage ranges from news and industry developments to evaluations and road tests of new vehicles. By comparing models and explaining their practical characteristics, the magazine connects manufacturers, importers, professionals and drivers while helping readers make informed decisions.

Catalogs and specialist publications

The Auto Magazine Group developed an annual Auto Catalog, originally published at the beginning of each model year and, in later years, around the middle of the model year. The catalog extended the publication's role beyond periodic journalism, serving as a reference work that gathered information about vehicles available in Israel.

From November 2001 through January 2010, the group also published Auto Off-Road, a supplement devoted to off-road vehicles and driving. Together, the monthly magazine, catalog and supplement created a continuing record of the models, technologies and consumer concerns that shaped Israel's automotive market.

Digital and television expansion

The Auto website was first established in the late 1990s. It subsequently underwent several redesigns and technical updates, including a major version launched in February 2018 and a substantial technological and design update reported in September 2025. The digital platform enabled the editorial team to publish news, tests and video material more frequently than a monthly print cycle allowed.

Beginning in 2014, Auto collaborated with Keshet. The partnership included a regular filmed road-test segment on the evening program Hai BaLayla. The road tests later became an independent program on Channel 12, with two different tests broadcast each week and repeat broadcasts during the week. This brought Auto's automotive journalism to viewers who might not read the print magazine or visit the website.

Auto also supplies automotive content to the Mako and N12 websites. Its activity on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram has extended the brand's reach to audiences who prefer video, short updates and social platforms. In this way, the publication illustrates how specialist journalism can adapt its reporting to changing media habits without abandoning its central editorial subject.

Business and management

Tal Hamo became the company's chief executive in 2007 and also held a 20 percent stake in the company. After the competing magazine Hגה closed in October 2012, an agreement arranged for Auto to be distributed to former readers of that publication. The cooperation later expanded when Auto joined allmag, a digital magazine platform launched by Moto Communications in December 2012.

In November 2021, Direct Finance, a company specializing in loans for vehicle purchases, acquired 80 percent of Auto Magazine for 20 million Israeli shekels. In May 2022, Auto's management under Tal Hamo announced the appointment of Ohad Elgob as editor-in-chief of the magazine and website, replacing Danny Fromchenko. Journalists and presenters including Danny Fromchenko, Eli Shauli, Yoel Flerman, Yoel Schwartz, Guy Gyor and Ben Hasson have worked with the magazine and its related platforms at different times.

A record of Israeli technological and consumer life

Auto Magazine is not a Jewish institution and does not publish primarily about Jewish heritage. Its significance to an Israeli heritage archive lies elsewhere: it documents a practical and influential part of modern life. Cars, road safety, vehicle technology and transportation choices affect families, workplaces and communities, and Auto has spent decades explaining those subjects to the public.

The publication's history also records the transformation of Israeli media itself—from monthly print journalism and annual reference catalogs to websites, television programs and social video. Its longevity provides a useful window into changing consumer expectations, technological development and the ways Israelis receive specialized information.

Why Auto Magazine belongs in Moreshet

Auto Magazine merits inclusion in Moreshet because its long-running work documents everyday Israeli life through the history of mobility, technology and consumer journalism. Founded in 1986, it has continued to interpret the vehicle market for the public while adapting its format to new media. Its catalogs, road tests, website and television work form a sustained record of how transportation has been discussed and experienced in Israel.

For Moreshet.com, the magazine is therefore valuable not as a symbol of Jewish heritage in itself, but as part of the broader social and media history of the State of Israel. Preserving the story of Auto Magazine helps future readers understand the institutions, technologies and forms of communication that shaped ordinary Israeli lives.