Daniel Patrascu
18,720 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.
Saturn Sale to Complete This Week
29 Sep 2009, 13:24 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The sale of Saturn to Penske may conclude as soon as tomorrow, according to a report published by a US paper. The announcement of the sale is expected to be made as soon as Thursday, as previously hoped by Roger Penske. GM and Penske are trying to ...
Aston Martin, For Sale Sign Looming
29 Sep 2009, 11:39 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Not even one of the most iconic British car manufacturers can't escape the (still) tight grip of the economic crisis. Although apparently spared until now from drastic measures (in terms of product), such as discontinuing models or giving up o...
Spyshots: 2010 BMW X5 Facelift, Less Camo
29 Sep 2009, 10:36 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / As it gets closer to its release date, the facelifted version of the X5 begins to shed its hypnotic clothing and gets scooped more and more often in revealing postures. This time, as you can see, the facelift wears camo only on the taillights, as w...
Hyundai Equus Stretch Edition Released
29 Sep 2009, 10:13 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / South Korean manufacturer Hyundai unveiled today the Equus Stretch Edition, a model featuring a longer wheelbase and several upgrades, both in styling and performance, compared to the regular version. The Stretch Edition is longer than its compet...
GMAC to Start Ally Dealer Rewards
29 Sep 2009, 09:41 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / GMAC Financial Services announced to day that starting October 1, dealers still working with them will be paid bonuses ranging from $50 to $100 for every contract for new and used cars, in an amount to be established based on finance contract volum...
Mercedes Benz Sprinter BlueEFFICIENCY Released
29 Sep 2009, 09:00 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / German manufacturer Mercedes Benz announced today the introduction of the BlueEFFICIENCY for the Sprinter line, meaning not only the addition of a badge behind the B-pillars, but also improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. In terms of ...
China Approves GM-Delphi Deal
29 Sep 2009, 08:58 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / As we reported late last week, the Chinese authorities were beginning to look into the GM-Delphi takeover, in an attempt to see whether the new company to be formed would have resorted to discrimination against other customers in terms of price and...
Holley!, We're Bankrupt Again
29 Sep 2009, 08:00 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / For the second time in two years, aftermarket high-performance carburetors and automotive fuel-injection systems manufacturer Holley Performance Products was forced to file for Chapter 11 protection. The news comes after earlier this year, the Amer...
Spyshots: 2010 Volkswagen Sharan, Less Camo
29 Sep 2009, 07:29 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / One by one, the heavy pieces of camo we presented you in the last set of spyshots come off the next/second generation Volkswagen Sharan, as the yet unknown release date draws ever closer. Unlike what was previously thought, it would appear the new ...
Hyundai Equus Bulletproof, Ready for Korean President
29 Sep 2009, 07:00 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / South Korean manufacturer Hyundai announced yesterday it has completed work on the bulletproof Hyundai Equus, a vehicle intended to be used by president Lee Myung-Bak. The Equus will be the first locally produced vehicle to enter the presidential m...
UK Extends Scrappage Scheme
29 Sep 2009, 06:58 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The British governement decided yesterday afternoon to extend the country's scrappage scheme by providing an additional 100 million pounds in funding for the program. According to the estimations, the money will be enough for some 100,000 more...
Toyota Camry Hybrid Instrument Cluster Sneak Peak
29 Sep 2009, 06:23 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Japanese manufacturer Toyota released yesterday the first photo showing the instrument cluster on their future Camry hybrid. As the manufacturer says, the new Camry is like no other, "and is certainly very different from all other locally prod...
Aptera 2e Final Design Revealed...
28 Sep 2009, 17:10 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / ... and, to be honest, not much has changed. The freakish three-wheeled airplane cockpit turned car is nearing production and, even if it lacks final technical details, it seems to have settled on its final shape. According to what is know so f...
Continental, UK Tire Manufacturer of the Year
28 Sep 2009, 14:47 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Tire manufacturer Continental was named tire manufacturer of the year by the National Tire Distributors Association (NTDA) at the 2009 edition of the Tire and Fast Fit Awards (TAFF). The manufacturer went home with two prizes in all, the other one,...
Sebring, Avenger to Live On. For Now
28 Sep 2009, 14:02 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The recently discussed five-year business plan of American manufacturer Chrysler seems to state the salvation of two models until now targeted for discontinuation: the Chrysler Sebring and the Dodge Avenger. According to insiders talking to Aut...
Ferrari 458 Italia Spider in the Works
28 Sep 2009, 13:30 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Italian manufacturer Ferrari's chairman Luca di Montezemolo let it slip that the company is looking into developing a Spider version of the recently introduced 458 Italia. Although he was unable to say when the Spider version will be introduce...
Porsche to Scrap Magna Contract
28 Sep 2009, 12:35 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Troubles are far from over for Canadian manufacturer Magna, whose bid to take over Opel seems to have brought them more problems than solutions. The latest car manufacturer to threaten to pull out of any affiliation with Magna is Porsche which, acc...
VW, Daimler, Citroen Management Change
28 Sep 2009, 12:32 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / In what may very well be considered as the "autumn restructuring campaign," personnel shuffle and changes seem to have engulfed car manufacturers. The latest from this "transfer" market comes from two German manufacturers, Daiml...
Better Place Expects EVs to Be Cheaper
28 Sep 2009, 10:27 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Recently propelled into the spotlight by both its alliance with French manufacturer Renault and the development of the "one minute battery switch" system, EV solution provider Better Place now says it hopes electric vehicles will eventual...
Bendix Issues Fraud Alert
28 Sep 2009, 09:44 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / It would appear banks and people are not the only ones at risk when it comes to unauthorized use of their names and identities. Active safety systems manufacturer Bendix issued a fraud alert this weekend, warning its customers of a scam which uses ...