Tudor Raiciu
136 ARTICLES
Favorite “game” quote: “War... war never changes” (He's also an avid Fallout fan, as you might have guessed)
Hummer Ran Out of Fans, Autoevolution Poll Reveals
12 Jun 2009, 14:58 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / Hummer's fan list is definitely not what it used to be in the old days. At least that's what we are to understand from our latest poll results. Curious to see our readers' reaction to the news that Chinese Tengzhong is mulling over ...
The Porsche Wars: Porsche Negotiating a Stake with Qatar
9 Jun 2009, 11:00 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / The ongoing Porsche-Volkswagen saga continues today with a confirmation of Middle East involvement. We reported in May that Lower Saxony had opened the doors to all those who wanted a piece of the action and now news agency Reuters writes that Por...
IIHS Gives Volkswagen CC Top Safety Pick
9 Jun 2009, 08:41 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / Americans pondering the purchase of a Volkswagen CC and worried about safety should rest assured as this model has received the highest ranking from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for 2009. "The TOP SAFETY PICK award from...
Autoevolution Users See Jenson Button as Championship Winner
5 Jun 2009, 15:09 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / Jenson Button's unbelievable evolution in F1's 2009 season made us wonder if there are any surprises left or if we should all already congratulate the Brit. We thought about it and then we realized it would be wiser to ask you about it. ...
Donington Park's Owners Reach Deal with Leaseholder
5 Jun 2009, 13:54 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / There's light at the end of tunnel after all for the British GP, as landowners Wheatcroft & Son Ltd have reached an amicable agreement with Leaseholder Simon Gillett's Donington Ventures Leisure Limited (DVLL). "This is anoth...
History of the Wheel
2 Jun 2009, 15:15 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / Steam engines were instrumental during the First Industrial Revolution, but similar to the wheel, the steam engine was invented long before mass adoption. The wheel, however, is older still. One could further argue that wheels changed the world in ...
Chrysler's Lee Iacocca to Have His Pension and Car Taken Away
1 Jun 2009, 15:22 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / Once rumored as the czar of the US auto industry, the man who put Chrysler back on its feet in the 1980s is likely to lose a large amount of his pension and the guaranteed life-long company car following the company's recent bankruptcy filing...
First Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid Delivered by Mazda in Japan
27 May 2009, 10:06 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / Mazda continued its hydrogen program and recently announced that the first Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid was delivered to Iwatani Corporation. "Mazda is delighted to deliver our newest hydrogen rotary engine vehicle to Iwatani, which ha...
How Crumple Zones Work
26 May 2009, 15:12 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / For a long time, safety wasn't a priority for automotive manufacturers. In the olden days, the vast majority of motorists were not preoccupied with safety and survivability because – obviously enough – they didn't understand t...
The N55, BMW's First Turbocharged Valvetronic Engine
26 May 2009, 10:19 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / People who are more into technical details and less into design should be thrilled to know that the new BMW 5 Series GT incorporates the company's latest powerplant, known as the N55, basically an upgraded version of the N54. Thanks to the...
"Fiat, Just a Clever Hyena," Autoevolution Poll Finds Out
26 May 2009, 08:34 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / The whole Chrysler bankruptcy issue and the ongoing Fiat saga prompted us last week to find out your opinion on the matter. Our poll question, "Has Fiat become Chrysler's white knight or is it just a very clever hyena?”, was met...
How Night Vision Works
19 May 2009, 21:30 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / You have seen this type of technology in war movies and documentaries. Airplane and helicopter pilots find their targets in total darkness and follow their every move until the inevitable happens. Car manufacturers, on the other hand, want to p...
Hitachi Announces the Most Powerful Li-Ion Battery, Excellent for Cars
19 May 2009, 10:59 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / Hitachi recently confirmed our reports in early May that they've developed the lithium-ion battery with the world's highest power density of 4,500 W/kg. That's 1.7 times the output of the company's current automotive lithium-io...
BMW Designworks Have Their Way with the Dassault Falcon 7X's Interior
19 May 2009, 09:11 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / While Porsche is designing luxury barbecue grills, BMW Group Designworks collaborates with Dassault Aviation for more elaborate tasks, such as the interior cabin of the new Falcon 7X business jet. Debuting at EBACE 2009, in Geneva on May 11, th...
The Rich Man who Recycled: Bentley Touts 85% Recyclability
18 May 2009, 14:08 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / Bentley Continental owners should open up a bottle of Don Perignon and celebrate their favorite company's latest achievement. Yes, rich ladies and gentleman, in case you were wondering, Bentley now guarantees 85% recyclability or 95% recoverab...
Senator Complains, Judge Pulls the Plug on Car Warranty Calls
18 May 2009, 12:28 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / When thousands of “mortals” are annoyed, things usually go unnoticed, but when a great Senator has a problem, the situation is taken care of with great haste. We recently reported that U.S. Senator Charles Schumer wanted a federal i...
Shelby Daytona Coupe Fails to Set New World Record at Mecum Auction
18 May 2009, 08:56 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / We reported at the end of April that Mecum High Performance Auctions expected to set a new world record with a rare 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe CSX2601 at the 22nd Dana Mecum Original Spring Classic Auction in Indianapolis, Indiana. Well, ...
How Power Steering Works
17 May 2009, 20:41 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / People nowadays are so used to power steering that they would probably have a hard time parking and making certain maneuvers without it. The first vehicles didn't have it and some former communist brands, such as Dacia or Lada, lacked power st...
Dacia, Fiat and Hyundai April Sales Go Up Thanks to Scrapping Bonus
15 May 2009, 12:36 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / Inexpensive subcompact and compact cars have succeed in the difficult month of April where luxury models and SUVs have failed. Carmakers such as Fiat, Hyundai and Dacia have governments to thank for that, since it was their subsidies rewarding peop...
Motorists Love Michelin, Study Finds
15 May 2009, 09:54 UTC · By: Tudor Raiciu / Ever wondered what motorists think of their tires and if they rank them any way? Don't despair if you didn't, because J.D. Power and Associates took care of that job for you. While you should always take study results with a grain of salt...