Daniel Patrascu
18,688 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.
VW to Open Automotive Innovation Lab at Stanford
26 Oct 2009, 12:38 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / German manufacturer Volkswagen announced it will open an Automotive Innovation Lab (VAIL) at Stanford University last weekend. The new facility, still under construction, "will provide about 750 square meters of space for research teams from t...
Honda to Switch to Larger Hybrids
26 Oct 2009, 11:26 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Honda's unfortunate experience with the Accord hybrid may push the Japanese manufacturer into turning its attention of developing larger hybrid systems for its vehicles. Whereas the single motor used on the Accord didn't prove to be such ...
NADA Pushes for Single National Fuel Economy Standard
26 Oct 2009, 10:50 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Leaving aside for a moment the battle between its dealers and American manufacturers Chrysler and GM, the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) testified at a hearing on Friday and asked for a single national standard in fuel economy and ...
Bridgestone Closes Plants in Australia, New Zealand
26 Oct 2009, 09:58 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Tire manufacturer Bridgestone is getting ready to close several tire making facilities in Australia and New Zealand, as a result of the competition which has made "tire manufacturing in Australia and New Zealand increasingly difficult to the p...
Nissan Recalls 164,000 Rogue on Steering Gear Issue
26 Oct 2009, 09:31 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The somewhat abundant number of recalls in the US this year will grow in the following months with some 164,000 2008-2009 Nissan Rogue models, being sent to servicing due to a screw in the steering wheels housing. The faulty screw, as the Natio...
NHTSA Looking Into Honda Odyssey Brake Problems
26 Oct 2009, 09:10 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Another Japanese manufacturer fell under the spotlight last week in the US, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is reportedly looking into a potential brake issue with Honda's 2007-2008 Odyssey models. So far, the...
Need For Speed Rocks the Charts
26 Oct 2009, 08:41 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Thanks a 100,000,000! That about sums up what you are about to read here. 16 years after the release of the first version and 13 releases later, EA can sit back, relax and proudly say they have achieved something few game developers can claim: sell...
Thousands Take a Shot at Naming Volt Color
26 Oct 2009, 07:54 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The announcement made by American manufacturer GM that it is looking for a name for the default color to be used on the upcoming Volt PHEV has stirred an immense success, with some 1,800 entries registered in the first four hours since it was made....
Fisker to Build Karma in Wilmington, Delaware
26 Oct 2009, 07:36 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Although nothing is official yet, it would appear the place where the next Karma sports PHEV will be built is a former GM plant in Wilmington, Delaware. The rumor is reinforced by a Reuters report claiming that on Tuesday, US Vice President Joe Bid...
Nissan Launched Rogue Krom Edition
25 Oct 2009, 20:56 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Japanese carmaker Nissan released the 2010 Nissan Rogue Krom Edition, completing its Krom specialty vehicle lineup, scheduled to go on sale in December 2009. The limited production Rogue Krom edition is available in both front-wheel and all-wheel d...
1948 Vincent Rapide V-twin Sold for £57,600
25 Oct 2009, 20:55 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The third major collectors' motorcycle sale of 2009 ended successfully for Bonhams, as 74 percent of the lots sold, raising a total of £981,638. The highlight of this event, however, was a 1948 Vincent Rapide v-twin famously ridden by Ar...
Ford Oakville, Idled Due to Parts Shortage
25 Oct 2009, 20:52 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / American manufacturer’s Ford Oakville, Ontario, assembly plant will be idled next week due to shortage of parts caused by labor violence at Ford’s Indian supplier. The supplier in question, Rico Auto Industries, makes transmission part...
2011 Infiniti M to Feature Forest Air
25 Oct 2009, 20:51 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Japanese manufacturer Infiniti keeps on releasing details on their upcoming M, set to debut next spring across the world. After letting us know about the engine, the price and so on, it is now time to take a look at what Infiniti calls Forest Air....
How OnStar Stolen Vehicle Assistance Works
23 Oct 2009, 14:33 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / If there is one thing that annoys drivers even more than congested traffic or police officer, that's having their car stolen. In fact, we are quite sure a driver who finds himself staring at an empty parking spot would like nothing better than...
GM Increases Stake in Daewoo
23 Oct 2009, 13:19 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / American manufacturer's GM stake in South Korean carmaker Daewoo increased from 51 to 70.1 percent as a result of the $412 million rights offer to which GM was the only subscriber. As a result, Korean Development Bank's (KDB) stake decrea...
Good Bye, Land Rover Defender
23 Oct 2009, 12:59 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The world of off-roaders will get smaller and sadder in 2013, the year by when the Land Rover Defender will be discontinued. The main reason behind its demise is, as Land Rover told GoAuto News, the need for stricter safety and emission regulation ...
Police Cars, One Century of Chasing Crime
23 Oct 2009, 12:09 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / One could say that after over a century of chasing crime in an organized form, police should have caught up with it by now. Yet, no matter the means, man power or techniques used to combat crime, law enforcement agencies have never really managed t...
Tata Nano Is On Fire
23 Oct 2009, 10:22 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / And we are not talking about sales figures and orders...The cheapest car in the world is facing its first possible major problem less than six months since its launch. According to a report by just-auto.com, Nanos across India began catching fire, ...
NADA to Help Dealers Shift to GMAC
23 Oct 2009, 09:24 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Following the announcement made yesterday by the US Treasury Department that the former financial arm of Chrysler, Chrysler Financial, will be closed by the end of 2011, the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) announced it will try and n...
Dodge Challenger Plum Crazy Details and Photos
23 Oct 2009, 09:20 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / If you are a bit of a nostalgic and have missed seeing a very purple (we think it's purple, we're not good with colors...) Dodge Challenger on your street, than Chrysler's latest is just what you were waiting for. The American ma...