Daniel Patrascu
18,641 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.
Ford Recalls 4.5 Million Vehicles
14 Oct 2009, 08:20 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / A minor issue with a cruise control switch may force American manufacturer Ford to recall some 4.5 million vehicles in the years to come. The same issue is already responsible for the recall of some 12 million vehicles in the last ten years, making...
No. 16 Con-way Freight Mustang Unveiled
14 Oct 2009, 07:59 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / As announced back in July, Ford is getting ready to enter NASCAR series next, after going through all the NASCAR submission and approval process. The next step towards the entry was taken this week, as the manufacturer unveiled one of the Mustangs ...
Chevrolet Aveo Improves Mileage at MPG Marathon
14 Oct 2009, 07:17 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Way later than the other carmakers attending the event, American manufacturer GM announced yesterday what their participant Aveo was up to, during the slow-speed race. Steered by the youngest driver which took part in the Marathon, 17-year-old Joe ...
Road Trains, Multi-Wheeled Freaks
14 Oct 2009, 07:02 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / If you ever thought that being overtaken on a highway by a speeding truck is a spooky experience, you haven't met these monsters. Whereas trucks are a common sight on European, American or Asian roads, in Australia the story goes a little diff...
GM Is Getting Ready for 2011 Cruze and Volt
14 Oct 2009, 06:57 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / American manufacturer GM announced today it is beginning to tool up its Flint area manufacturing plants in order for them to be ready to receive the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and Volt models in 2011. The four plants which will be involved in the manufac...
Increased Taxes, More Speed Cameras for UK Motorists
13 Oct 2009, 11:06 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Driving a car may become very expensive in the not so distant future, and we are not talking fuel (or electricity, for that matter) prices alone. The UK government's climate change committee is reportedly planning to propose a national road pr...
Chinese Auto Boom, to Slow Down in 2010
13 Oct 2009, 11:01 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The 2009 record interest the Chinese market has manifested towards the auto industry may be just a passing miracle, and may end as soon as next year. At least this is what analysts believe, as they think the drive behind the ever increasing sales w...
Navteq Transport, Point Addressing Available on Oracle Platform
13 Oct 2009, 10:08 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Navigation solution provider Navteq announced today that its Transport application is now available for Oracle Database as well. Transport, a system used by trucks and other large vehicles, will be paired with Point Addressing, the second solution...
Schwarzenegger Vetoes Low Income Auto Insurance
13 Oct 2009, 09:34 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger opposed yesterday the Low Cost Auto Insurance program for low-income families, using his veto right, against the full support of the State Assembly. The bill would have extended the current program, schedul...
Gemballa GT 750 Aero 3 Kit, Cayenne's Red Entrails
13 Oct 2009, 09:05 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / If you are somewhat used to the way Gemballa bulks up Porsche vehicles in general and Cayennes in particular, then you may enjoy their latest release, the GT 750 Aero 3 Sport Exclusive package. Until your eyes meet the interior of the beast, that i...
Hummer-Tengzhong Deal Still Raises Eyebrows
13 Oct 2009, 08:30 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The recently announced definitive agreement between American manufacturer GM and non-automotive Chinese company Tengzhong has reignited the dispute over whether this is the best solution possible for the American brand. As in the past, the general ...
Mayor Bing May Give Up on the Bing Group
13 Oct 2009, 07:50 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Detroit's Mayor Dave Bing is facing the same difficult economic environment as the car manufacturers in his city are facing. Owner of the Bing Group, a company specializing in steel stamping and processing for the automotive industry, the mayo...
TomTom FollowMe for Aussie Toyota
13 Oct 2009, 07:28 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Navigation solution provider TomTom has developed, together with Toyota Australia, somewhat similar with the one developed for Toyota Europe. Called FollowMe, the new application is both a navigation tool and communication/entertainment gadget. ...
Full Color HUD for Future Bimmers
13 Oct 2009, 07:14 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / When the first head up display (HUD) systems appeared, less than a decade ago, many were amazed and few adopted the technology. Whereas it remains more convenient that the usual gauge cluster, the head-up display didn't catch on as it should a...
Elektromotive to Start smart Trial
12 Oct 2009, 14:36 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / German manufacturer Daimler and recharging solution provider Elektromotive announced today they will begin testing of the smart electric vehicle in the UK over a period of four years. Aside from providing Daimler with the badly needed feedback, Ele...
Ford Breaks 10 Percent European Market Share
12 Oct 2009, 14:05 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / American manufacturer Ford announced today it has managed to achieve over 10 percent market share in Europe in September (in its 19 main markets), establishing a new best month for the brand since September 2001. To "blame' for this achie...
Audi R8 Spyder UK Pricing Released
12 Oct 2009, 12:56 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Taking advantage of the opening of the company's biggest center, located in the UK, German manufacturer Audi released pricing for their newest addition to the R8 range, the Spyder. The open top sportscar will have a starting price in the count...
Suppliers Ask More Money from the US
12 Oct 2009, 12:35 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / With the financial crisis easing, yet still far away from being over, American parts suppliers have begun asking the US government for additional aid. And even if some may argue more financial backing is not needed, this year alone saw several big ...
Tengzhong Wants Hummer Deal Over by 2010
12 Oct 2009, 10:45 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Even if the final agreement between American manufacturer GM and Chinese company Tengzhong has been signed this week, the challenge is not over for neither of them. The painstaking buy of Hummer is hoped by the Chinese to last at most until early 2...
2010 Lexus LS 460 Facelift Details and Prices
12 Oct 2009, 09:48 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Japanese manufacturer Lexus announced over the weekend the availability and pricing for both the 2010 Lexus LS 460 and GS. As we already told you, the GS is priced starting from $45,000, while the LS 460 will have a starting price of $64,680, while...