The International Motor Press Association is the country’s premier organization of automotive journalists and public relations professionals.
IMPA is known for its newsmaking virtual programs featuring influential speakers from all disciplines of the automotive world and timely, informative topics, from the latest automotive products and technologies to current marketing trends and market conditions to motorsports. In addition to featured speakers and panels, each virtual meeting gives members the opportunity to ask compelling questions in a welcoming, professional setting. It’s a great way to update yourself on an important automotive topic in just an hour and gain ideas for new content.
The IMPA Board of Directors is pleased to provide two group driving events for the year, Spring Brake in May and Test Day each fall. In recent years, Test Day has been held at the scenic Bear Mountain State Park in Harriman, New York. Members maneuver exciting, expertly planned road courses, with manufacturers bringing their latest products and providing generous sponsorships. For more information, please visit our Test Day section on this site. In the meantime, members are routinely able to take advantage of their IMPA-derived industry contacts to arrange for individual test drives of new vehicles at other times.
Our May Spring Brake has been an annual ride-and-drive normally also held at Bear Mountain State Park. A significant number of automotive manufacturers have brought their latest products for members to evaluate. It’s been a superb opportunity to network with other members and manufacturers’ representatives, and to drive challenging road courses through the hills overlooking the Hudson River.
A key way that IMPA recognizes journalism excellence is through The Ken Purdy Award. The “Purdy,” as it’s familiarly known, is awarded annually to the person who has produced the year’s most outstanding piece of journalism in the spirit of the late Ken Purdy, the legendary automotive editor, writer and author. To learn more, please visit our Purdy Award section.
Once you are approved to join IMPA, you’ll have a chance to take advantage of all of these benefits, build your industry contacts and gain access to the members-only sections of this website. You’ll find more information on activities such as Test Day and be able to use the digital versions of our complete membership roster and our automotive industry contact list, which contain valuable source information vital to your work. A bound print version of the roster and contact list is also sent each year to those members who submit their paid renewals.
Relatively new to the IMPA website are a Portfolio page accessible to the public, where members can display their recent work; a member-only page of links to manufacturer media sites; and a page of journalistic and writing resources that is especially helpful to freelancers.