Daniel Patrascu
18,667 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.
Anteros 2009 Coupe and Roadster Too Expensive Not to Have One
5 Feb 2009, 16:16 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / n2a Motors, the California based custom builder said today it is ready to receive orders for the Corvette based sportscar named Anteros. The models are priced in the $150k+ range, so take a close look at your bank accounts. If you feel you are up t...
Lightweight Gallardo LP 560-4 Ready for Super Trofeo
5 Feb 2009, 14:48 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo took to the 270 km track in Adria, Italy for its latest official testing session this week. The new Super Trofeo race car had extensive tests of braking components and tyres to ensure the car’s speed and...
Clean Mean Garbage Machine
5 Feb 2009, 14:23 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Anyone who thinks garbage becomes useless the moment it's been dropped into the container hasn't been in Huddersfield, United Kingdom. The streets of this small English town are being patrolled by a modified Ford Transit that uses garbage...
Facelifted Clio GT Hatchback to Be Unveiled at Geneva Show
5 Feb 2009, 13:52 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Renault will launch its facelifted compact hatchback Clio GT this March at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. The new addition to the Clio range will keep the features seen on the 2006 Clio III, including cabin space, safety and roadholding. Most of t...
Mission One Sports Bike, Electric at Its Best
5 Feb 2009, 11:12 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / In a world where, besides some talk of hybrid cars, news of hybrid two-wheel vehicles almost never come, a small Californian company managed to built a zero emission motorcycle that not only works, but can compete with pure breed racers. Mission Mo...
Indian Mahindra Q3 Profits - 99 Percent Down
5 Feb 2009, 09:35 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Indian largest SUV and tractor manufacturer worked pro-bono in the third quarter, as the figures of their financial performance showed a 99 percent drop in profits. Net income in the three months ended Dec. 31 dropped to 12 million rupees ($245,000...
Porsche Sales Down, Cayenne Figures Up
5 Feb 2009, 09:08 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The US market brings no surprises in terms of sales reports. This was the case with all car manufacturers and subsidiaries, January 2009 saw Porsche AG continue to move in a difficult market environment in both USA and Canada. The total number ...
PSA Delays Launch of Plug-in Hybrids
5 Feb 2009, 08:55 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The ever growing need to save money and cut costs could result in the delay of PSA's hybrid vehicles launch. The delay could take as long as two years, but will not interfere with the company's plans to develop hybrid cars. Ladimir P...
GAZ 51 Retro Hot Rod, the Russian Style
4 Feb 2009, 17:03 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Using a Cadillac Escalade's platform and the cab of an old 2.5 ton 4x2 pre-war truck, Russian Aleksey Chvokin and his Pemespiba (now called Grand Garage) team took it upon themselves to create what they call the GAZ 51 Hot Rod. The rod idea c...
The Apple in Saab
4 Feb 2009, 16:53 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Saab will soon be out of the General Motors Group and intends to use its newly re gained independence to become the “Apple of car brands”. Saab’s director of Global Brand and Sales, Knut Simonsson says future Saab models will be r...
Toyota and GM in Awe, Kia Announces Increasing US Sales
4 Feb 2009, 14:49 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The first good news of the day comes from Kia Motors America (KMA) who announced today an 3.5 percent increase in sales, compared to the same month of 2008. January 2009 will make it into the history books of the company, as KMA officials say it w...
German Car Sales Fall, but Are Expected to Rise Again
4 Feb 2009, 13:59 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / The new car sales in Germany have fell by 14 percent in January in the domestic market, while exports took a 39 percent plunge, compared to the same period in 2008. Automakers believe this is the third consecutive year in which sales reach record l...
Toyota January Report (US) - Drop It Like It's Hot
4 Feb 2009, 13:29 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / As was to be expected and in line with all other car manufacturers all over the world, Toyota Motor Sales's (TMS) January report shows a 34.9 percent drop for the Toyota Division and a 30.3 decrease for the Lexus Division, compared to the same...
Fiat-Chrysler Alliance - a Good Way, but Not the Only Way
4 Feb 2009, 11:40 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Chrysler says the upcoming alliance with Italian automaker Fiat could be very prosperous, but it is not the only option it has. The company refrained from other comments and made no reference as to what the second option would be, but they admited ...
Why Bangle Left BMW
4 Feb 2009, 10:07 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Bangle's radical design ideas are what might be behind his decision to part ways with BMW. Project i, a concept meant to develop city cars and look into transportation solutions for urban areas, seems to be to blame. According to BMWblog.com, ...
Chrysler January Sales Report: The Steady Way Down
4 Feb 2009, 09:40 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Chrysler LLC made public today its January sales report and things don't look good at all. Having a 55 percent drop in units sold, compared to the same period in 2008, Chrysler's sales are the lowest of all car makers in the US. Total uni...
Chrysler Got Three Offers for Viper
4 Feb 2009, 08:35 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Chrysler received three offers for its Viper business, co-President Jim Press was quoted as saying by CNNMoney.com, but the matter is being look at with “due diligence.” The company first announced its plans to sell the Viper last Augu...
Scania Says "Nej" to Porsche Takeover
3 Feb 2009, 17:36 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Scania officials advised today company's shareholders to decline the takeover offer made by Porsche, under the pretext that the price offered per share is too low. Scania has taken this decision after consulting with Deutsche Bank and Morgan S...
Fiat Sketches Chrylser Alliance Plan
3 Feb 2009, 17:26 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / Fiat plans to finish its review of Chrysler's operations by February 17, in order to help the American counterpart to get a green light with this vital point in the viability report expected by the US Government. The alliance doesn't mean...
Citroen Rebranding - Three Years to Impress the World
3 Feb 2009, 15:52 UTC · By: Daniel Patrascu / In the middle of the survival battle, some car manufacturers find the time to plan for major makeovers. This is the case with Citroen, which announced its global re-branding initiative the same year the company celebrates its 90th anniversary. Re-b...