Meet the Northern Group’s Newest Member: David “Auto Bears” Thomas
The Northern Group’s membership list continues to grow with a third new member this calendar year, as David Thomas has been accepted into our ranks.
David is something of a poacher turned gamekeeper, having previously worked in car sales — for Kia, Skoda, and Vauxhall — before moving into the world of motoring journalism. He created a YouTube channel, Auto Bears, in 2016 to combine his love of cars with a photography hobby into a side career.
At time of writing, Auto Bears has just under 10,000 subscribers and more than three million views across a little over 100 videos covering the full spread of the motor industry’s offerings. Chances are you will have bumped into David at some point in the last six years, at SMMT events and car launches.
In addition to being new to the Group, David is new to the region too! He’s recently moved from Milton Keynes up to Lincolnshire, near to Blyton Park, meaning he has a solid claim towards being the south-easternmost member in the Group.
Along with Annabelle and Ben Quirk of Planetauto — who also manage the Northern Group’s own YouTube channel — David becomes the third member with a dedicated video focus in just over a year. That follows a change to the Group’s Constitution in July 2021 to open membership criteria to “new media”.
We’re looking forward to seeing David at Northern Group events soon! If, like David, you’d like to be considered for membership too, contact Group chairman Andy Harris and membership secretary Frederic Manby for an application form.
