John Dinkel

R&T Illustrated AutoDictionary and others on Mazda

John Dinkel earned BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and is an automotive industry expert with over 40 years experience. His areas of expertise include engineering, journalism, testing and analysis, product development, product planning, advertising, marketing, website development and content, internet automotive retailing and public relations. 
Most recently he has been a consultant to privately-held companies specializing in the commercialization of alternative automotive powertrain vehicles/technologies, the importation of Chinese vehicles into North America, an automotive crowdfunding site called FundingGarage and an automotive retail website.

Motivo specializes in developing new products for complex engineering problems.

Dinkel was a competitive race driver for the Bakeracing Corvette team (two SCCA Championships), worked directly with Goodyear in the development of the Gatorback tire for showroom stock racing and developed the first computerized road testing equipment in the automotive industry. Dinkel was Editor of Road & Track, one of the most popular consumer automobile magazines in America, developed some of the earliest Internet-based automotive material and helped create an automotive website. Dinkel is author of the Road & Track Illustrated Automotive Dictionary and has written three books on Mazda and a comprehensive history of Toyota. He is a member of SAE, SCCA, Road Racing Drivers Club and the Motor Press Guild, serving as this organization’s president in 1991. Dinkel is also a regular contributor to the SAE’s Automotive Engineering magazine and a variety of automotive magazines and websites, including, www.SAE.org and http://wheelstv.tv.