DETROIT — Keith Crain, who has led Automotive News for more than four decades, has been elected to the Automotive Hall of Fame.
Crain will join Volkswagen AG Chairman Ferdinand Piech, customer satisfaction pioneer J. David Power and late designer Alex Tremulis as 2014 inductees, the Hall of Fame said in a statement today. They will be honored at the organization's annual induction ceremony on July 24.
Crain became publisher and editorial director of Automotive News in 1971, when the then-46-year-old paper was purchased by Crain Communications Inc.
Plastics News also is part of Crain Communications.
The company had six publications when it bought Automotive News. Crain, who is also chairman of Crain Communications, now leads a corporation with 27 publications and more than 800 employees worldwide.
In addition to his role at Automotive News, Crain is editor-in-chief of Autoweek magazine and Crain's Detroit Business. The Hall of Fame said he would also be recognized for his leadership role with civic and industry organizations.
More than 800 individuals have been honored by the Hall of Fame since its founding in 1939.