In the words of Ironman and Tony Stark, “Oh, it’s good to be back!”
I feel I’ve come home again. Here I am in the Big Chair at Nzcompany Vehicle magazine after a long seven years of doing all sorts of other stuff, and I reckon I couldn’t have come back at a more exciting time as far as business mobility is concerned. Before I go much further, a big “thank you” to those who kept the Big Chair warm for me in my absence: Damien O’carroll, Mark Baker – I wish you well in your endeavours, and not to forget, the ever-dependable and entrepreneurial Cathy Parker, who has graciously welcomed me back into the fold. Also, to the professionals in the automotive industry, many of whom still recognised me, despite the new ‘Dwayne Johnson’ look I’ve recently adopted, so good to catch up with you all again. Lastly, my thanks to our loyal cadre of readers, who have remained staunch supporters of the magazine and its parent company – Adrenalin Publishing – which celebrates 25 years in automotive publishing this year. 25 years! Well done to Cathy again for achieving this milestone, and here’s to another quarter century; and the excitement it may bring! On then, to what is going on as far as the magazine is concerned. It would be reasonable to expect a few changes with the appointment of a new (well, pre-loved anyway) editor, and yes, they’ll be coming. I’m playing a bit of catch-up presently; but given that my feet are neatly under my desk and I haven’t been called in for a keelhauling (yet), I expect Cathy and I will be getting together soon to set up the magazine for the next 25 years. Yep, I plan to stay this time… Oh, and never miss a chance for a plug: editorship brings with it all sorts of innovations these days, so I will draw your attention to Nzcompany Vehicle’s digital presence. We’re now in the game of making movies about the cars we test, and the powers-that-be think video lenses won’t shatter when I look at them, so I’ve become the digital face of the magazine as well. You can check it out on the http://companyvehicle.co.nz website, if you wanted to put a face to the words you’ll be reading. Mind you, there’s quite a bit of reading to do, and I expect this to continue, given there is so much to talk about. I’ve only been back a month and I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been asked about autonomous cars, electric vehicles, personal mobility, leasing today, fuel prices, free windscreen cover (or lack thereof), who’s doing diesels and why, what’s the story with this new-fangled gadget or that. There’s enough to write a magazine about it all, and… oh wait. I’ve already done that! And that is a nice way to say: welcome to this edition of Nzcompany Vehicle, I hope you enjoy what I’ve done with the place, and yes, there’s more to come. Without any further ado then, I invite you to settle back with a hot beverage, enjoy the read, and I’ll see you either in the next edition or out on the road somewhere.