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Sebastian Toma

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Personal motto:

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." - Mike Tyson

Senior Contributor
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Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. He cannot put a finger on what started it all, but it was there, and it grew day by day. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver).

It all started with him pointing at cars on the street and asking what make and model they were. Sebastian couldn't wait to be tall enough to see over their steering wheel and be allowed to drive them.

When was ready to hit the road, Sebastian was left without a potential first car after his family's '72 Mercedes-Benz was rolled by his father. While the early '70s sedan proved unexpectedly safe, Sebastian was left without a ride, so he took various jobs and saved up for an E30 BMW 3 Series. Months later, he got his dream job – writing about cars for a local website while he was getting a bachelor's degree in Journalism.

Fourteen years had passed since Sebastian started writing about cars and motorcycles, and his job took him behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles, as well as through some of the most important local publications.

Just before returning to autoevolution, he was the editor-in-chief of the country's most-read car magazine and its website. Sebastian took on the challenge and started writing for us again, so sit back and enjoy the read!
Fresh Spyshots Show the 2018 BMW X5 Testing at the Nurburgring
Fresh Spyshots Show the 2018 BMW X5 Testing at the Nurburgring

19 Apr 2016, 17:02 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / BMW is developing the fourth generation of the X5, set to launch as a 2018 model. This time, the fully disguised prototype was spotted by our friends at SB-Medien while it was being tested at the Nurburgring. If you had any doubt as to thi...

 
Night Vision Systems Will Have to Switch Sides for Autonomous Cars, Analysts Say
Night Vision Systems Will Have to Switch Sides for Autonomous Cars, Analysts Say

19 Apr 2016, 16:37 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Night Vision technology, the gadget first introduced by premium carmakers like Mercedes-Benz over 15 years ago, will have to change its ways to become useful. While the technology has evolved and is becoming mainstream, the system relies on the ...

 
2017 Tesla Model S Facelift Detailed in Video by Norwegian Customer
2017 Tesla Model S Facelift Detailed in Video by Norwegian Customer

19 Apr 2016, 15:50 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / A Tesla Model S owner named Bjørn Nyland has made a detailed YouTube video of the improvements made by the American company’s electric sedan through the facelift. What initially started as an owner’s diary, as Mr. Nyland has h...

 
Volkswagen Testing a New SUV with Production Body, We Think It's the Crossblue
Volkswagen Testing a New SUV with Production Body, We Think It's the Crossblue

19 Apr 2016, 15:18 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Volkswagen is going through some issues right now, but the company still has to press on with new models. The “CrossBlue” SUV is one of them, and it appears that the German company has completed its development process. The new desig...

 
Volkswagen Inquiry Complicated Because of Codewords Used for Cheating
Volkswagen Inquiry Complicated Because of Codewords Used for Cheating

19 Apr 2016, 14:07 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Volkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal keeps unraveling, as sources from inside the investigation claim that the company was using code words when referring to cheating. The team of 450 investigators is probing through data obtained from more tha...

 
Ford Focus ST Goes Testing at the Nurburgring with Improvised Aero Tweaks
Ford Focus ST Goes Testing at the Nurburgring with Improvised Aero Tweaks

19 Apr 2016, 12:48 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Ford is testing the upcoming generation of the Focus these days, but they have not given up on the ongoing Focus ST. Shortly after the launch of the Focus RS, the most powerful version in the Focus range, it appears that the Focus ST might get s...

 
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Still Interested in Merger, Only Big Carmakers Wanted
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Still Interested in Merger, Only Big Carmakers Wanted

19 Apr 2016, 11:23 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is still on the lookout for a potential merger partner. The Italian-American company’s representatives have mentioned their interest in signing a partnership with another corporation, but no talks have been held in t...

 
Insane Stuntman Jumps Over Speeding Formula E Car, Lives to Brag About It
Insane Stuntman Jumps Over Speeding Formula E Car, Lives to Brag About It

19 Apr 2016, 09:19 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Damien Walters is a famous athlete turned stuntman who has worked in several Hollywood productions in which his talent was put to good use. This time, the British gymnast turned stunt specialist worked with Formula E to achieve a world premiere....

 
Elon Musk Will Receive $1.6 Billion Once Tesla Raises Production to 300K a Year
Elon Musk Will Receive $1.6 Billion Once Tesla Raises Production to 300K a Year

19 Apr 2016, 08:27 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Elon Musk does not have a massive salary and the CEO refuses it anyway, but he is set to receive an important sum of money from his stock options tied to Tesla achievements. Tesla Motors awarded Musk with 5.27 million options tied to milest...

 
Jeep's AWD and 4WD Systems Explained
Jeep's AWD and 4WD Systems Explained

18 Apr 2016, 17:27 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Jeep is a brand known for its off-roaders, and the company has over ten variations of its 4x4 systems in its offering in 2016. The systems that Jeep provides work in different ways and have sketchy names, which often confuse people. For example,...

 
LG Chem Might Build an Automotive Battery Factory in Poland
LG Chem Might Build an Automotive Battery Factory in Poland

18 Apr 2016, 12:33 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / LG Chem, a separate division of the famous South Korean company, is rumored to be planning a massive factory in Poland, which is supposed to build batteries for electric cars. If the name of the company does not ring a bell, we’ll have you...

 
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Is Testing a New SUV, Spyshots Reveal
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Is Testing a New SUV, Spyshots Reveal

18 Apr 2016, 11:29 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is planning to build a pair of SUVs larger than the current Jeep Renegade/Fiat 500X pair. The prototype in the image gallery of this story was spotted by our friends at CarPix, and its size is similar to the Volkswagen ...

 
Ford Is Not Planning an EV with 200-Mile Range, Says It Would Be Too Heavy
Ford Is Not Planning an EV with 200-Mile Range, Says It Would Be Too Heavy

18 Apr 2016, 09:31 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Ford does not want to enter the electric range battle started by its competitors. The Blue Oval will release an updated version of the Focus Electric this fall, which will feature a range of 100 miles (160 km). The ongoing model comes with a ra...

 
Volkswagen Teases New Concept for 2016 Beijing Auto Show, It's Another SUV
Volkswagen Teases New Concept for 2016 Beijing Auto Show, It's Another SUV

18 Apr 2016, 08:32 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Volkswagen has prepared a new concept, which it will showcase at this year’s Beijing Auto Show. The German company published a set of teaser images of their exhibit, along with a sketchy press release in which it provided a few specs. ...

 
JD Power Gets  Acquired by London-Based Buyout Firm for $1.1 Billion
JD Power Gets Acquired by London-Based Buyout Firm for $1.1 Billion

17 Apr 2016, 11:59 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / J.D. Power and Associates, a company famous for its reliability and customer satisfaction surveys, will have a new owner starting this year. XIO Group, a London-based buyout firm, has signed the papers to acquire J.D. Power for $1.1 billion. The...

 
Japanese Supplier of Microchips Disrupts Mitsubishi Production After Earthquake
Japanese Supplier of Microchips Disrupts Mitsubishi Production After Earthquake

17 Apr 2016, 11:13 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Japan was hit by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake this Thursday, which also affected the automotive industry. As we reported on Friday, Toyota and Nissan had to idle production at two plants, but the natural disaster affected other carmakers and suppl...

 
EPA Drops Proposal That Could Have Banned Converting Street Cars for Racing
EPA Drops Proposal That Could Have Banned Converting Street Cars for Racing

16 Apr 2016, 11:47 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / After two months of scrutiny and intense debate, the EPA has decided not to go forward with their controversial proposition which could have led to a country-wide ban on converting street cars for racing use. Thankfully, the Specialty Equipment ...

 
Porsche 911 Might Lose Its Manual Gearbox with Next Generation
Porsche 911 Might Lose Its Manual Gearbox with Next Generation

16 Apr 2016, 10:08 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Porsche might stop making the 911 with a manual gearbox. However, this will not happen shortly. According to Thomas Brandl, Porsche's engineer in charge of the new engine range, explained that developing a new manual gearbox for the 911 wou...

 
General Motors Will Recall 1.04 Million Pickup Trucks for Seatbelt Issue
General Motors Will Recall 1.04 Million Pickup Trucks for Seatbelt Issue

15 Apr 2016, 15:56 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / General Motors will perform a global safety recall for 1.04 million pickup trucks. The voluntary safety recall targets the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 of the 2014 and 2015 model years. GM will repair the seatbelt tensioners of these ...

 
GM Is Under Fire from Global NCAP for Poor Crash Test Results in Latin NCAP
GM Is Under Fire from Global NCAP for Poor Crash Test Results in Latin NCAP

15 Apr 2016, 15:39 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / General Motors' poor crash test results in Latin NCAP tests are being criticized by several organizations. Latin NCAP, the South American equivalent of EuroNCAP and IIHS, has held a meeting in Washington with other members of road safety ag...

 

Stories by Sebastian Toma