Interview With Andrea Michelle Indy, Australian Car Blogger!

I’m very excited to share my interview with Andrea Michelle Indy, the top Australian car blogger and photographer! I’ve been following Andrea’s work for some years now on Instagram and I adore her style. She produces amazing content with beautiful cars in beautiful places. Her work is very inspiring and a unique perspective on the new car market in Australia.

1. Can you introduce yourself in a couple of sentences to our readers?

Hi, I’m Andrea Michelle Indy and I’m an Australian car blogger, photographer and writer from Melbourne, Australia. Every week I get the opportunity to drive a variety of cars and go on adventures with them. I blog in my spare time, as I have a full-time job in Digital Marketing, working in motorsport events for the Australian Grand Prix and I love it! I love fashion and I am a massive car and technology nerd. I have a huge appreciation for cars, no matter the size, shape, or performance.

2. What is the inspiration behind your blog and Instagram page?

I started blogging back in 2015, originally focusing on technology and fashion. The reason I started my blog and IG page was because I really wanted a career in Digital Marketing, but I was studying a Bachelor of Science at Monash University, and had zero marketing experience. I figured if I started my own projects, I could show potential employers what I am capable of. I managed to get a few internships off the back of this and I have never looked back. At the same time, I was posting about cars but only because of my obsession with them. I never thought in a thousand years that I would get the opportunity to work with them too! Naturally my fashion events started to cross over with cars, and I saw a real opportunity to do something different and create unique content. I put myself out there, and I have never looked back. The first car I ever reviewed and borrowed was the Tesla Model S P90D back in 2016!

3. How did you build your online community?

It has taken a while and involved a lot of unpaid work for brands and heaps of collaborations. I’ve been so fortunate to be supported by the Australian-based manufacturer teams with my photography and work shared on their channels, and even more fortunate to have the support from the global brands. For example, this year ALPINA and BMW global shared my photography on their social media accounts, and just last week I was featured on Porsche’s AG official TikTok account. I think the most important thing is to create content that is unique to you and run with it.

4. Can you give us your perspective on the Australian new car market?

To be honest it is a real weird time to be buying cars in the Australian new car market. The prices are so inflated due to the flow on effect of the pandemic. Demand is high for not only new cars, but also used. Aussie consumers are being forced to wait long lengths of time for new car purchases. It’s a combination of manufacturers being affected by the pandemic, the parts shortages globally, and also just the travel time it takes to get the cars over here.

Here in Australia people love their SUVs and pick-up trucks. Manual car drivers are a dying breed here. In fact, most people I know, including every member of my direct family do not even know how to drive manual. I had to pay for my own manual driving lessons when I was 16 because I really wanted to learn.

Our electric car purchase rates are nowhere near where they should be and we do not have a government that supports it, in fact, the government penalises it with crazy taxes.

Overall, I would say our market is unique, especially in comparison to Europe.

5. Favourite place in Australia for a road trip and what car would you recommend for it?

Haha that is such a difficult question. I love road trips so much I don’t really mind what car I am in! It’s all about the good tunes, the company, scenery and overall journey for me. I think one of my most favourite road trips was one where I took a Land Rover Evoque to Tasmania for a week away. The roads were incredible! I’d love to do that again but perhaps in a Porsche 911 Turbo S.

6. What’s your favourite tech feature to have in the car?

As someone who does a lot of road trips and long commutes, one of my favourite features is adaptive cruise control with stop and go function! Absolute game changer and makes those long trips an absolute breeze. In bumper-to-bumper traffic the stop and go function is incredible and I can’t live without it.

7. How do you see the motor industry evolving in the next five years?

Not to be pessimistic, but I think especially here in Australia, we are going to see less hatchbacks and wagons, which is a real shame. Australians are compromising on driving pleasure, instead opting for SUVs and it will be a great loss. Even now as a result we are seeing car prices massively inflated on things such as compact SUVs, which offer no more practicality than most small hatches but differ because they are slightly higher from the ground and people prefer that.

8. What would be in your dream three car garage?

Another tough question. I think in my dream world I’d have a lot more than three cars, but right now, if I had to choose only three, these would be my choices:

Porsche 911 GT3 in Shark Blue

Aston Martin DBX in Q Paint pastel Elwood Blue

BMW M2 CS (manual) in Hockenheim Silver metallic

If it was five though, I’d also chuck in a Bentley Continental GT and Audi R8 for good measure hehe.

9. What’s your best tip for capturing a great shot for Instagram?

Location! Location! Location! This is so important when you are capturing a shot and doesn’t matter what kind of photo you are taking. For me I absolutely love road trips and nature, so my photography is often focused about this. I think also it is about balance as well. I’m not just capturing the cars – I’m capturing memories.

10. What advice do you have for anyone who would like a career like yours?

Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot do it! Start writing, take photos, and keep learning. I love what I do because I am constantly learning new things on this wild and wacky journey. Do not be afraid to ask for help and don’t be afraid to ask for things. The worst thing that could happen is you might get rejected but the best thing that could happen is that someone says yes.

Finally, it’s not going to be easy but if it’s something you’re passionate about it’ll be worth it.

You’ve got this!!

Follow Andrea on Instagram and check out her blog here.

Thanks to Andrea for taking part in this interview.

Caroline Kidd