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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!
Chrysler Enrolls Jim Gaffigan to Star in New Commercial Series for Pacifica
Chrysler Enrolls Jim Gaffigan to Star in New Commercial Series for Pacifica

10 Apr 2016, 12:28 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Chrysler has announced its new advertising campaign for the 2017 Pacifica minivan. Instead of regular actors and a “borrowed” family, Chrysler will employ comedian Jim Gaffigan and his family for the new “Dad Brand.” ...

 
Tesla Model S Update Is Reportedly on the Way, Price Hike May Be Included
Tesla Model S Update Is Reportedly on the Way, Price Hike May Be Included

9 Apr 2016, 13:29 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Tesla might update the Model S with more luxury features and practical elements, company insiders say. The update would come four years after the market rollout of the Model S, so this can be considered a mid-cycle refresh. The carmaker is repor...

 
Paul Walker's Daughter Gets $10.1 Million Settlement, Another Lawsuit Is Pending
Paul Walker's Daughter Gets $10.1 Million Settlement, Another Lawsuit Is Pending

9 Apr 2016, 09:30 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / A settlement of $10.1 million was paid into a trust for Meadow Walker, the daughter of the late Fast&Furious star Paul Walker. Her lawyer points out that this is just a fraction of what the Hollywood actor would have earned had his life not ...

 
Hyundai to Recall 173,000 MY2011 Sonata Units in the USA
Hyundai to Recall 173,000 MY2011 Sonata Units in the USA

8 Apr 2016, 17:12 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Hyundai filed the paperwork for a safety recall in the USA targeting the MY2011 Sonata. An internal investigation following a high number of warranty claims concerning the loss of power steering assistance determined that a circuit board which...

 
Current Mazda3 Won't Get MPS/Speed Version, Company Senior Executive Says
Current Mazda3 Won't Get MPS/Speed Version, Company Senior Executive Says

8 Apr 2016, 16:34 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Mazda’s current compact model, the Mazda3, will not receive an MPS or Speed version. The bad news comes from Masahiro Moro, a senior executive of the Japanese company. In an interview with the Australians at Motoring, he went on to call th...

 
2017 Volkswagen Amarok Spied Testing in Winter Conditions
2017 Volkswagen Amarok Spied Testing in Winter Conditions

8 Apr 2016, 15:56 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Volkswagen engineers have been spotted testing the Amarok facelift in Sweden. Since the Nordic country still has snow in April, it was the perfect opportunity for VW to put those Amarok prototypes to the test. Like other automakers do, the...

 
Uber Will Pay $10 Million Fine for "Misleading Safety Claims"
Uber Will Pay $10 Million Fine for "Misleading Safety Claims"

8 Apr 2016, 15:27 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Uber falls into the spotlight again, and not for something positive. The company that owns the app has agreed to pay a penalty of $10 million to settle a dispute started in 2014. Back then, the American start-up unicorn was sued because they c...

 
Honda Will Recall 143,000 Cars in Japan to Replace Airbags, No Takata Parts
Honda Will Recall 143,000 Cars in Japan to Replace Airbags, No Takata Parts

8 Apr 2016, 14:12 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Honda will replace the airbag inflators on 143,000 vehicles sold in Japan, but none of the affected units have Takata components. According to Misato Fukushima, a spokesperson for Honda, the propellant in the damaged airbag inflators was not sui...

 
Mercedes-Benz Diesel Owners in US Start Class Action Lawsuit Against Carmaker
Mercedes-Benz Diesel Owners in US Start Class Action Lawsuit Against Carmaker

8 Apr 2016, 13:41 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / With the help of US law firm Hagens Berman, a group of owners of Mercedes-Benz diesel-engined vehicles have sued the German company. The unexpected class action lawsuit is based on assumptions made by the customers, who believe that the carmaker...

 
Australian Electricity Giants Want More Incentives Destined for EV Buyers
Australian Electricity Giants Want More Incentives Destined for EV Buyers

8 Apr 2016, 12:13 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Thanks to a partnership between Tesla and two power retailing companies in Australia, customers of electric cars could get deductions of up to $8,000 when purchasing a new EV. Tesla Motors is asking the Australian government and its legislators ...

 
Cruise Ship Will Offer First-Ever Racetrack at Sea, Maiden Voyage in Summer 2017
Cruise Ship Will Offer First-Ever Racetrack at Sea, Maiden Voyage in Summer 2017

8 Apr 2016, 09:49 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Cruise ship operators are constantly in search of more features to attract tourists, and we have just heard of one that offers karting as an optional activity. We are talking about the first ever racetrack at sea, placed on a 168,000-ton cruise ...

 
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabrio Spied While Testing
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabrio Spied While Testing

8 Apr 2016, 08:31 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Mercedes-Benz has recently released the sedan version of the new E-Class, but its engineers are hard at work testing three body versions. You have already seen the E-Class Coupe and the Estate, and now it is time for a closer look at the Cabriol...

 
Daimler Shareholders Fight over Sausages at Meeting, Show What Greed Does to You
Daimler Shareholders Fight over Sausages at Meeting, Show What Greed Does to You

7 Apr 2016, 16:38 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Daimler AG had its annual shareholders meeting this week, and they approved the biggest dividend in their history, but this did not make the headlines because of a silly scandal. As reports note, the German company organized a buffet for its sha...

 
Google Expands Self-Driving Car Testing to Phoenix, Arizona
Google Expands Self-Driving Car Testing to Phoenix, Arizona

7 Apr 2016, 16:04 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Google has taken four of its self-driving cars to Phoenix for the next phase of its testing program. The American tech giant chose Phoenix as the fourth city to test its autonomous vehicles because of the weather in the state of Arizona, as well...

 
Volvo Wants to Run the Biggest Autonomous Driving Experiment in China
Volvo Wants to Run the Biggest Autonomous Driving Experiment in China

7 Apr 2016, 15:37 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Volvo is taking its Drive Me experimental autonomous driving program to another level and wants to start the largest project of this type in China. The Swedish company has already announced it will test a fleet of 100 self-driving cars in Gothen...

 
Hyundai Provides World's First Fuel Cell Vehicle Sharing Service
Hyundai Provides World's First Fuel Cell Vehicle Sharing Service

7 Apr 2016, 14:45 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Hyundai has started a partnership with the Germans at Linde Group to start the BeeZero car sharing program. Unlike other car sharing programs, the new BeeZero scheme will only use hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. BeeZero is the first project of this...

 
Nissan GT-R Breaks World Record for Fastest Drift, Performs One at over 300 km/h
Nissan GT-R Breaks World Record for Fastest Drift, Performs One at over 300 km/h

7 Apr 2016, 13:39 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Nissan is now the proud holder of the Guinness World Record for the fastest drift ever. The record was set in the United Arab Emirates, at the Fujairah International Airport, with a modified Nissan GT-R Nismo. Thanks to the 1,380 HP engine w...

 
Renault Is Enhancing Its Euro 6 Diesels for Lower CO2 and NOx Emissions
Renault Is Enhancing Its Euro 6 Diesels for Lower CO2 and NOx Emissions

7 Apr 2016, 12:07 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Renault has announced they will start manufacturing diesel engines with reduced CO2 and NOx emissions starting this July. The measure will be applied to all Renault factories that produce Euro 6 diesel engines, and it is a voluntary act of the F...

 
Hellcat-Powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Confirmed for July 2017
Hellcat-Powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Confirmed for July 2017

7 Apr 2016, 10:57 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Jeep will borrow the Hellcat engine for a production model which will be called Trackhawk. The information regarding a performance version of the Grand Cherokee with an engine borrowed from Dodge is not new, as the American off-road specialist h...

 
Infiniti QX60 Receives IIHS's Top Safety Pick Plus Award
Infiniti QX60 Receives IIHS's Top Safety Pick Plus Award

7 Apr 2016, 09:32 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / Infiniti’s QX60 crossover now prides itself on an award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, as it has just received the Top Safety Pick+ distinction. The rating was granted to the versions of the recently refreshed MY 2016 In...

 

Stories by Sebastian Toma