Eric Tingwall holds degrees in mechanical engineering and journalism, a combination he pursued with a dream of writing about automotive technology. In the 15 years he’s been doing exactly that, his byline has appeared in Car and Driver, The New York Times, and MotorTrend, among other publications. He has cut car parts in half, crashed into a stationary balloon car at 50 mph, played race car driver in a $3 million NASCAR simulator, and driven thousands of different vehicles to tell stories about the state of the auto industry.

In his current role as testing director at MotorTrend, Eric leads a team that tests and evaluates nearly 300 new vehicles every year. That work provides the perfect lens for following the constant evolution of the car, from revolutionary advancements in electrification, automation, and software to the continuous improvement of chassis, internal combustion, and manufacturing technologies.