The Automotive Industry Matters (AIM) team of Trevor Dawson-Grove and Mike Woodgate bring an unparalleled perspective to reporting, analysing and commenting on the Australian and world car industry.

The team combines a long history of car industry reporting with policy making and corporate experience to bring a unique perspective to news and comment.

Trevor and Mike met in 1979 when Trevor left the Australian Financial Review to concentrate full time on the AIM Newsletter and Mike joined the AFR to take over from Trevor as national car industry writer. For the next several years, Trevor and Mike were frequently covering major automotive industry and government policy events for their respective publications.

Trevor continued to publish and build the AIM Newsletter while Mike moved into car industry policy development within the Victorian government in the lead up to the landmark Button post-1984 car plan, and then moved into corporate affairs, strategy and corporate governance within the private sector.

Trevor Dawson-Grove

Trevor Dawson-Grove founded the AIM Newsletter in 1967 and quickly developed a reputation within the Australian car industry for his insightful and sometimes irreverent reporting on major industry news.

With his background in daily journalism in metropolitan newspapers and then the Australian Financial Review, Trevor brought a focussed and objective approach to reporting on a key part of the Australian economy.

He quickly developed an extensive base of senior level industry contacts in Australia and throughout the world that enabled AIM to break new ground in car industry reporting, with stories and analysis that shone a light on critical areas of industry competition and company operations.

In 1979, Trevor left the Australian Financial Review to concentrate full time on developing the fortnightly AIM newsletter, building both its readership base and influence in the industry.

During the 1980s, the AIM Newsletter was a “must read” by industry executives and politicians during the transformation of the Australian car industry in the era of the Hawke government under Industry Minister, John Button.

The newsletter continued to go from strength to strength in the following decades, in the 1990s taking on an electronic format, and then later becoming AIM Online.

In 2008, Trevor looked to retirement and in December 2008 the fortnightly newsletter ceased publication.

But the events and intrigues of the industry lured him back, and in 2010 Trevor joined with Mike to re-launch Automotive Industry Matters as a website providing insightful news and comment on the industry.

Mike Woodgate

Mike Woodgate began reporting on the car industry in the 1970s at Radio Australia and The Australian, before moving to the Australian Financial Review in 1979 as the AFR’s national car industry writer.

With his background in economics, Mike focussed on key areas of industry structure, competition and economics, car company performance and government policy.

Mike’s senior-level contacts in government and the industry provided a unique insight into the sometimes-turbulent industry policy development process during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Combined with his economics background, this enabled Mike to provide critical assessments of industry developments and government policy.

In 1982, Mike moved to the Victorian Government’s Industry Department to manage a small team developing automotive industry policy and assistance programs, and as part of this he was involved at close hand in deliberations on the proposed post-1984 car plan.

When the shape of the post-1984 Button plan was finalised, Mike moved on to other areas of industry policy and program development, including involvement in the Button Plan for textiles clothing footwear.

After completing a Masters of Business Administration degree in the late 1980s, Mike moved back into the private sector and worked in a range of senior positions in strategy, corporate affairs and corporate governance, working in industries as diverse as venture capital, strategy and investor relations consulting, and aviation and defence simulation.

Mike continued to take a keen interest in automotive industry policy, and in late 2009, began work with Trevor on the re-launch of AIM.

As well as his involvement in AIM, Mike also heads his own corporate affairs, policy and governance consultancy, Stratum Associates (www.stratum.net.au).