autoevolution
 

Dan Mihalascu

302  ARTICLES

Personal motto:

"When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting." (Steve McQueen's character from the Le Mans movie, 1971)

editor photo
Fascinated by automobiles since he could barely walk, Dan quickly started dismantling toy cars only to reassemble them (eventually), much to his mother’s despair. After learning how to read, he began collecting piles of car magazines, again driving his mom mad.

Finally, something good came out of his passion as he decided to turn it into a career. Since he was better at writing than changing spark plugs, he chose to study journalism instead of becoming a mechanic - thank God for that! And while most of his college colleagues fantasized about winning the Pulitzer prize, all he wanted was to drive cars and write about them. He started doing that right after graduation when he landed his first job as a car magazine writer.

When his mom thought he finally got settled, Dan started racing and entered his first hill climb event at 26 in a Peugeot 205 GTi. The debut went pretty good but the second race ended with a totaled car. Of course, he blamed that on the poor choice of tires in the wet. Being too fired up and inexperienced to keep a cool head on a damp course never crossed his mind as actually being the problem. While the racing bug never really went out of his system, Dan ended his racing career after two seasons amid financial difficulties and his family’s persistence that motorsport was not worth the risk of dying. Tragically, two of his colleagues lost their lives in crashes during that period.

He never really stopped writing, though. After a long hiatus that saw him work as a writer and editor for several international car news websites, Dan has returned to autoevolution, the place that kick-started his writing career for a global audience more than a decade ago. He has taken up a new role as a coordinating editor, and his obsessive attention to detail and quest for factual accuracy should serve him well in his daily tasks. Unless he spends too much time to find the perfect choice of words, that is.
Peugeot 408 Goes on Sale in China
Peugeot 408 Goes on Sale in China

8 Apr 2010, 13:06 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / After the static presentation to the press and the dealer network that took place in Beijing on January 25, in front of a public of 1,700 guests, Peugeot announced today the commercial launch in China of the 408. Derived from the 308, the 408 is se...

 
Audi A3 Receives Discreet Facelift and New Gasoline Engine
Audi A3 Receives Discreet Facelift and New Gasoline Engine

8 Apr 2010, 12:38 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Audi will premiere at the Leipzig Auto Show this month the facelift of the A3 model. The modifications apply to the entire range: the three-door variant, the Sportback, the Cabriolet and the S3. The facelift also marks the introduction of the new 1...

 
Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz Grow Strong in China
Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz Grow Strong in China

8 Apr 2010, 10:50 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Germany's top three premium carmakers posted strong sales growth in China in the first quarter, meeting demand for luxury vehicles in the world's largest car market. The best results were announced by Audi AG, whose sales in the first qua...

 
Croatian Company Seeks Investors for High-Range Electric Car
Croatian Company Seeks Investors for High-Range Electric Car

8 Apr 2010, 09:29 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Dok-Ing, a Croatian company, seeks awareness in the electric car market with an interesting prototype called XD. Zagreb-based Dok-Ing has already received global recognition with its innovative high-tech products, among which the best known is the ...

 
2011 Audi TT Gets Updated Engine and Mild Facelift
2011 Audi TT Gets Updated Engine and Mild Facelift

8 Apr 2010, 08:53 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / The 2011 model year Audi TT has received a facelift and an updated four-cylinder engine. Both the coupe and the roadster versions get refreshed exteriors and interiors, along with the new 2.0 liter TFSI engine coming from the European version of th...

 
BMW Exports from Spartanburg Factory Exceed 1 Million Units
BMW Exports from Spartanburg Factory Exceed 1 Million Units

8 Apr 2010, 08:00 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / BMW announced today that it has exported over one million vehicles from its South Carolina Spartanburg facility in the first 15 years of existence. Currently, 70 percent of the production is exported to over 120 markets worldwide. In 2009, BMW c...

 
Audi Q7 Gets 3 New V6 Engines and an 8-Speed Auto in Germany
Audi Q7 Gets 3 New V6 Engines and an 8-Speed Auto in Germany

8 Apr 2010, 07:10 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Audi has broadened the choice of engines for its large SUV, three new V6 units plus an eight-speed automatic transmission being offered. The new additions are available only in Germany for the moment, but they will reach the U.S. market as well in ...

 
Diesel Engined Ford Mustang Planned for Europe?
Diesel Engined Ford Mustang Planned for Europe?

7 Apr 2010, 14:44 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Ford is planning to bring the pony car in Europe, as part of its global strategy which states that the same cars should be sold in multiple regions worldwide. Moreover, Chevrolet has announced that it would market the Camaro in Europe in 2011, so F...

 
Toyota Extends U.S. Sales Incentives through May 3rd
Toyota Extends U.S. Sales Incentives through May 3rd

7 Apr 2010, 13:54 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Toyota Motor Corporation has extended broad U.S. sales incentives by a month and widened a maintenance program as the Japanese automaker tries to revive sales after the wave of safety recalls. Toyota offered record incentives in the U.S. in March t...

 
Limited Edition Vauxhall Astra VXR Gets More Equipment for Less Money
Limited Edition Vauxhall Astra VXR Gets More Equipment for Less Money

7 Apr 2010, 13:15 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Vauxhall has released a limited edition of its Astra VXR hot-hatch, dubbed Arctic Edition, of which 500 units will be produced. The Arctic Edition is fitted with equipment worth GBP 1,965 at the price of GBP 720 over the standard VXR. The total pri...

 
BMW Sales in Australia Up 16 Percent
BMW Sales in Australia Up 16 Percent

7 Apr 2010, 10:39 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / BMW Australia has recorded the best first quarter sales result since 2007, reaching 4,316 registrations in the first three months of 2010, which represents an increase of 16 percent as compared to the same period last year. BMW has also posted its...

 
Final Bentley Azure Rolls Off the Assembly Line
Final Bentley Azure Rolls Off the Assembly Line

7 Apr 2010, 09:34 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / UK's Crewe plant produced the last Bentley Azure, the big British luxury four-seater cabriolet. Built entirely by hand and derived from the Arnage saloon, the Azure ends production, leaving the market of super luxury cabriolets to the Rolls-Ro...

 
GM Closes Hummer and Begins Clearance Sale
GM Closes Hummer and Begins Clearance Sale

7 Apr 2010, 08:17 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / General Motors is shutting down its Hummer brand, after failing to find a buyer for the troubled SUV manufacturer. The deal to sell Hummer to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery failed to receive Chinese government approval in February, so...

 
Germany's Car Exports Up 47% in Q1, Domestic Sales Down 23%
Germany's Car Exports Up 47% in Q1, Domestic Sales Down 23%

7 Apr 2010, 07:47 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Germany's Auto Industry Association, the VDA (Verband der Automobilindustrie), announced on Tuesday that the country's car exports have increased by over 50% in March 2010, to more than 419,000 vehicles, over the same period last year. ...

 
BMW M3 GT2 Art Car to Compete in 24 Hours of Le Mans
BMW M3 GT2 Art Car to Compete in 24 Hours of Le Mans

7 Apr 2010, 06:47 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / The 17th BMW art car will compete in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans race, following a tradition started back in 1975, when the first BMW art car was unveiled. In those days, it was a BMW 3.0 CSL that tackled the famous endurance race at Le M...

 
Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG Pimped Out by Vath
Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG Pimped Out by Vath

6 Apr 2010, 14:36 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Vath Automobiltechnik, the German-based aftermarket specialist, has released an exclusive package for the Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG. It involves both the looks and the engine, as the Vath G55 features new, sleeker and unique exterior styling and a powe...

 
Audi Reveals Its Le Mans Contender, the R15 TDI "plus"
Audi Reveals Its Le Mans Contender, the R15 TDI "plus"

6 Apr 2010, 13:40 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Audi has today revealed the revised R15 TDI, the car with which it hopes to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year, claiming back the overall title from Peugeot. After a five-day endurance test at Sebring last month, during which the new car cove...

 
Aston Martin Enters Rapide into the Nurburgring 24 Hour Race
Aston Martin Enters Rapide into the Nurburgring 24 Hour Race

6 Apr 2010, 13:00 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / To underline the sporting pedigree of its latest model, Aston Martin released today photos and information of the race-spec version of the Rapide. The car will meet the racetrack during the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring, on May 15-16, 2010. On...

 
Limited Edition Ford Focus RS500 Sold Out in 12 Hours
Limited Edition Ford Focus RS500 Sold Out in 12 Hours

6 Apr 2010, 12:03 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / The limited edition Ford Focus RS500, of which only 500 units will be produced, has already been sold out. According to the British magazine Autocar, it took enthusiast clients only 12 hours to express their intention of buying the most hardcore Fo...

 
Dacia's Debut in Australia Stalled due to Sourcing Issues
Dacia's Debut in Australia Stalled due to Sourcing Issues

6 Apr 2010, 10:24 UTC · By: Dan Mihalascu / Dacia could enter the Australian market in the future, pending on future product developments and non-European manufacturing sites, writes the Australian website goauto.com.au. Currently, the biggest drawback for Dacia is the absence of right-ha...

 

Stories by Dan Mihalascu