Daniel Patrascu
18,723 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.
Mercedes SLS AMG, 2010 F1 Safety Car
3 Nov 2009, 08:52 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The arrival onto the market of the new Mercedes Benz SLS AMG, exciting as it was for high-performance Merc lovers, is nothing to the prospects of seeing it every other Sunday or so on F1 circuits around the world. As the official F1 safety car... ...
Toyota Tundra Turns Hot Rod for SEMA
3 Nov 2009, 08:07 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Who says a car needs to be American to become a hot rod? Apparently, no one, as Japanese carmaker Toyota took a Texas-built Tundra (so, its American after all!) and turned it into a hot rod. Or at least this is what they say it is... Sure, the T...
Toyota Prius Aerius, Aemulus to Star at SEMA
3 Nov 2009, 07:43 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Japanese carmaker Toyota will present two new interpretations of its Prius hybrid at the 2009 SEMA Show, after it unveiled them at the EMA annual awards on October 25, the Aerius and the Aemulus. The two will not turn production, but are only a mea...
Toyota Mails Warning Letters on Deadly Floor Mats
3 Nov 2009, 07:17 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Japanese carmaker Toyota, together with its luxury division Lexus, announced today it began issuing and mailing owners of vehicles affected concerning the floor mats problem, stressing that there is no problem with the vehicles themselves, but with...
Hyundai ix35 to Hit Australia in Early 2010
2 Nov 2009, 17:31 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / South Korean manufacturer Hyundai is examining the best date for the new ix35 to be released in Australia, as the avalanche of new models to go Down Under poses difficulties for the carmaker. According to GoAuto, Hyundai may go for the launch of th...
Nissan Working on Tata Nano Rival
2 Nov 2009, 15:44 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / A somewhat disturbing news surfaced today about Japanese manufacturer Nissan working on a Tata Nano challenger (if such a thing is even possible). Not quite up Nissan's alley, we might say, but the carmaker is reportedly getting ready to relea...
Ford Kuga, Fiesta, May Come from the Americas
2 Nov 2009, 14:28 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / After posting a surprising $1 billion profit for Q3, American manufacturer Ford is trying to get over the enthusiasm and find a way to keep the numbers up. One way to do so, Allan Mulally, the company's CEO says, may be to export American-buil...
Ford Posts $1 Billion Net Income for Q3
2 Nov 2009, 13:47 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / In a somewhat surprising move, American carmaker Ford posted today an $1 billion net income for the third quarter of 2009, bringing the company's hope level to a new all time high: Ford hopes to be "solidly profitable" next year. ...
VW Sings New Global Labor Charter with Workers
2 Nov 2009, 13:13 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / German carmaker Volkswagen announced late last week it has signed a new Global Labor Charter with the International Metalworkers' Federation and VW employee representatives from 60 locations in 15 countries. The signing took place during the G...
GM Recalls 53,000 Cobalt, Saturn Ion, Pontiac G5
2 Nov 2009, 11:59 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / American manufacturer GM announced today it is recalling around 53,000 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt and 2007 Saturn Ion and Pontiac G5 vehicles, sold in the states of Arizona, Texas, California, Florida and Nevada, due to a problem with the plastic supply...
Subaru Liberty Exiga Wagon Launched in Australia
2 Nov 2009, 11:14 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Subaru announced today the release of the Liberty Exiga Wagon (aka Subaru Exiga) in Australia, bringing with it a six-seater configuration and a 2.5l engine. The wagon, priced from AU$37,490, is available in dealerships starting today. “L...
Nissan to Cover UK VAT Increase
2 Nov 2009, 10:43 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / As all of Britain braces for Government’s higher rate of VAT, scheduled to come into effect from the beginning of next year, Japanese manufacturer Nissan says it is ready to cover the VAT difference to allow its customers not to loose any mon...
Skoda Posts Q3 Profit
2 Nov 2009, 10:20 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Czech carmaker Skoda posted today its financial results for the third quarter of 2009, with numbers showing a 6.5 percent increase in vehicles sold than in the same period of 2008 (174,984 versus 164,258). From the beginning of the year, Skoda repo...
Ford to Close STAP, CAW Agrees on Contract
2 Nov 2009, 09:55 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / As the American manufacturer is getting ready to face a humiliating defeat in front of the UAW, Ford gets its hopes up that the situation will not repeat itself in Canada. Ford and the CAW announced today they have agreed to changes to the national...
Ford Contract, Rejected by the UAW
2 Nov 2009, 09:54 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / What became apparent last week turned into certainty over the weekend, as Ford's UAW workers overwhelmingly rejected the proposed contract changes. Even if the final votes are expected today, sources talking for Reuters claim the contract has ...
Spyshots: 2011 BMW 5 Series
2 Nov 2009, 09:16 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / After several months of absence, the next generation 5 Series, scheduled for release sometimes in 2010, has been once again caught testing. Not much has changed since July, when the first batch pf photos surfaced, nor has any additional information...
Jamie McMurray Wins at Talladega
2 Nov 2009, 08:19 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / An eventful Cup Series race at the Talladega Superspeedway concluded on Sunday with the first win since 2007 for Jamie McMurray, who managed to snatch victory (after an ugly race, as some might call it) after a 13-car wreck off Turn 4 led to the si...
Saturn, End of a Different Kind of Car Company
2 Nov 2009, 07:59 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Rarely in the automotive industry has a punch-line characterized the philosophy behind a brand better than the tag line chosen by Saturn's advertising people in its early days. Although aware that the phrase has been used and over used, espec...
Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV Joins Cincinnati PD
2 Nov 2009, 07:58 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The American arm of Japanese carmaker Toyota announced it will provide two Highlander Hybrid SUVs for the Cincinnati Police Department. The cars will abandon their role as off-roaders and become K-9 units, fitted with all is required to accommodate...
50th Anniversary Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept New Photos
2 Nov 2009, 07:44 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / American manufacturer GM and its Chevrolet brand released over the weekend a bunch of photos showing an anniversary version of the Stingray concept, first presented this year at the Chicago Auto Show. Some of you might know it as Sideswipe... Th...