Daniel Patrascu
18,694 ARTICLES
Personal motto:
"I truly believe men and fish can coexist peacefully" – George W. Bush
Following several years off the grid, Daniel is back at autoevolution, and seeing how the great crisis of the past decade made the auto industry boring, he grew bored with it too, so he slowly shifted his focus to custom cars, custom motorcycles, and other weird stuff. He also loves ranting about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
During his time at autoevolution, Daniel put his name on more news articles, coverstories, auto guides, reviews, and editorials than we care count. To slow him down a bit, he was given more responsibilities not long ago, so he is now also in charge with coordinating the editorial team on autoevolution.com.
Long time ago, Daniel also translated Arthur C. Clarke’s novel “The Fountains of Paradise” to Romanian for Paladin Publishing.
Renault-Nissan Alliance Expands to Kita-Kyushu
9 Dec 2009, 12:02 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The number of partnerships signed between the Renault-Nissan Zero Emission Alliance with cities around the world got bigger this week, with the addition of a new Memorandum of understanding between the group and the City of Kita-Kyushu in Japan. ...
2011 Ford Super Duty, Put to Work
9 Dec 2009, 11:23 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / American manufacturer Ford is trying to prove that the "Built Tough" motto which comes with the upcoming Ford Super Duty is not just a saying, but a fact. Several preproduction models have been delivered to selected commercial customers w...
Peugeot 207 Facelift Lands in Australia
9 Dec 2009, 10:33 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / A little over five months after the revealing of the facelifted version of the Peugeot 207, the car is ready to take on the Australian outback, in all four versions - hatch, GTi, CC and Touring. The 207 can be purchased locally starting from AU$22,...
The Painful Conclusion: US to Lose $30Bn on Auto Bailout
9 Dec 2009, 10:09 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The crazy year for the automotive sector will take its toll on US' finances, as the Obama administration is getting ready to admit to Congress a partial defeat and the lose of no less than $30 billion out of the $82 billion pumped in the indus...
Dealer Arbitration Approved
9 Dec 2009, 09:59 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / A piece of legislation allowing dealers affected by closure this year to appeal their terminations was presented yesterday in the US. The arbitration will be funded through a $447 billion year-end spending plan. The plan will allow for a bindin...
Sterling Heights Fate Still in the Air
9 Dec 2009, 09:23 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Despite the exciting title given by American manufacturer Chrysler to its press release regarding the fate of the Sterling Heights assembly plant ("Chrysler Group LLC CEO Sergio Marchionne Statement Regarding Sterling Heights Assembly Plant&qu...
Audi Shows 8.9 Percent Improvement in November
9 Dec 2009, 08:36 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Following the worldwide trend, German carmaker Audi posted its November sales figures, with the numbers showing an 8.9 percent increase in sales over the same month of 2008. In all, Audi sold in November 82,750 cars, while since the beginning of th...
Danica Patrick Will Drive the No. 7 for JR Motorsports
9 Dec 2009, 08:06 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / After almost half a year of speculation, IndyCar driver Danica Patrick confirmed her entry in NASCAR for a limited 2010 and 2011 Nationwide Series seasons. Patrick will be driving JR Motorsports' No. 7, based on a two year contract signed with...
Mercedes Sets Up E-Klasse 4Matic Workshop...
8 Dec 2009, 15:34 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / ... on the Timmelsjoch high alpine road in Austria. And when it says workshop, it means taking the Mercedes E-Klasse, equipped with the 4Matic permanent all-wheel drive, through hell and ice to prove the car can handle it. According to Mercedes...
Saab Hopes to Dodge BAIC Sale
8 Dec 2009, 15:00 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The noose is tightening around Saab's neck, as more and more fervent reports hint its current owner, GM, is in advanced talks with China's largest manufacturer, BAIC, for the sale of certain Saab assets. According to a report surfaced...
Bentley Continental Supersports, Green Luxury
8 Dec 2009, 14:26 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / In perfect sync with the United Nations Climate Change Conference's (COP15) debut in Copenhagen, British carmaker Bentley decided to remind a bit of the feats achieved by its Continental Supersports this year. So, Bentley proudly announce...
COP15 Mercedes E-Klasse Uses Green Diesel
8 Dec 2009, 13:48 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / To emphasize the talks being held during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen, car manufacturers and related industries joined forces to showcase their propositions for the future, in the hope of changing some of the h...
Dacia Duster Official Details and Photos Released
8 Dec 2009, 11:28 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / It's official! The first Romanian SUV to be launched since Renault got its hands on Dacia has been officially unveiled and with it, so did the name: Duster. The SUV will enter production at the Pitesti plant, in Romania, where both the 4x4 and...
Ener1 Gets $20 Million Investment from ITOCHU
8 Dec 2009, 11:23 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The great prospects visible in the lithium-ion battery industry is making more and more companies invest in those whose primary field of activity is the manufacturing of such technologies. So is the case with Japanese trading giant ITOCHU, which ju...
Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena, Ready in 2011
8 Dec 2009, 10:56 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / In what is a premiere for China, German carmaker Mercedes Benz signed a naming rights agreement for the arena under construction in Shanghai, jointly developed by Oriental Pearl Group, AEG and the National Basketball Association (NBA). The aren...
BMW November Sales, Up 11.5 Percent
8 Dec 2009, 10:33 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The road to recovery which began for the automotive industry in September continues, as more and more manufacturers begin posting positive numbers for the month of November. Even if, in November 2008, the crisis began taking its toll and numbers be...
Heuliez Funding On Hold
8 Dec 2009, 10:01 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / French carmaker Heuliez is seeing its future threatened once again by the decision made by France's strategic investment fund (FSI) to postpone its investment because the manufacturer's owner, Bernard Krief Consulting (BKC), doesn't ...
Think City, 1 Year of Ecotaxiing in Trondheim
8 Dec 2009, 09:36 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Norwegian carmaker Think announced today two of its vehicles have been used as electrical taxis in Trondheim for one year now, proving that EVs can be a viable choice for urban public transportation. Of course, the past year was not without challen...
Volvo the Game, 6 Months and 850,000 Players
8 Dec 2009, 09:04 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / In a feat not easily achieved by a carmaker, Volvo's "Volvo - The Game" managed, in just six months, to get downloaded by no less than 850,000 users worldwide, with some 20,000 new player joining in every week. This feat managed to c...
Volkswagen Acquires 49.9 Percent in Porsche
8 Dec 2009, 08:22 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Just as expected last week, after Volkswagen's shareholders approved the capital increase, the German group moved on to its next step towards the integration with Porsche and announced the acquisition of 49.9 percent stake in Porsche AG. V...