Publisher, Automotive News Group

313-446-1681

For the last decade, KC Crain hasn’t just been maintaining the legacy of his family business. The third generation President and CEO has been expanding Crain Communications reach as the source of trusted information for business professionals. During his tenure, the business-to-business media company has expanded to new digital platforms and added six brands to the portfolio. Crain now delivers news and insights to decision makers in some of the most influential industries in the world, including automotive, advertising, healthcare, finance, and staffing. He also refined and focused the company’s audience-first strategy, tripling subscription revenue since 2016. KC started his career as a reporter at Automotive News and held several jobs within Crain over the last 20 years, which gives him a deep understanding of the unique challenges that running a modern media company presents. He invests in the newsrooms, aligns brand strategies and streamlines operations across the 24 publications, enabling quality content creation, faster product development and sophisticated marketing tactics to keep pace with the evolving needs of the audience. Growing the family business isn’t his only passion. KC is also an active member in the Metro Detroit community, dedicated to improving access to quality education for area youth. As the board chair of the Detroit Children’s Fund, he has helped nearly 100,000 children by helping to raise $50 million for school funding since 2016. He also serves on the boards of the College for Creative Studies and Young Presidents Organization. KC and his wife Ashley, owner and founder of the boutique brokerage Crain Homes, live in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., with their five children. When they aren’t running their businesses, they can be found golfing, skiing, hunting and doing anything that gets them outdoors and active as a family.

Latest from KC Crain

Columns

KC Crain: Approaching a century of Automotive News

Throughout 2025, we will honor our legacy by connecting topics of today with our historical coverage as we look ahead to the next 100 years.

Automakers

Despite chip crisis, Rolls-Royce sails toward record year

Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös tells Automotive News Europe the BMW Group subsidiary is on pace to set a new global sales record and shares how he is protecting the brand's exclusivity.

Executives

David Fischer Sr. on juggling an ambassadorship and a life-changing deal

Fischer, the chairman of Suburban Collection Holdings, talked with Crain Communications CEO KC Crain about the April 2021 sale of his dealerships to Lithia Motors Inc.

Talk From The Top

VOLVO'S HAKAN SAMUELSSON: Expecting record performance despite trade tensions, EV push

Automakers

Volvo CEO expects record performance to continue despite trade tensions, EV push

Volvo Cars expects its success to continue in 2019 after a fifth consecutive year of record vehicle sales in 2018. The automaker, however, faces challenges after a trade dispute between the U.S. and China hit its financial results. CEO Hakan Samuelsson, who is aggressively driving Volvo into the autonomous era, shared his thoughts about the future.

Automakers

Land Rover Defender returns to North America after 21 years

Jaguar Land Rover confirmed U.S. and Canadian dealers will, for the first time in a generation, again be selling the all-new version of the Defender off-road vehicle.

Automakers

Audi's Schot appointed CEO on permanent basis

Audi said marketing expert Bram Schot will become its CEO on Jan. 1, making permanent a role he has held on an interim basis since June. Former BMW purchasing director Markus Duesmann had been expected to take the role, but BMW refused to release him from his contract, German press reports have said.

Newsletters

Audi e-tron GT concept previews Tesla Model S rival

Audi's e-tron GT concept will go into production in 2020 as a rival to the Tesla Model S.

NADA

Dealers' role will keep growing with high-tech products, savvy buyers

NADA is made up of mostly standalone dealers that long ago realized they were much stronger together. This industry association is one of the most powerful groups in America. It gives us great pleasure to congratulate NADA as its odometer hits 100!

China

China: A maturing auto market that still has long road ahead of it

The Chinese market is fascinating, but it shows you how sophisticated our dealers are here in the U.S. If it's like everything else over there, they'll catch up quickly.

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