autoevolution
 

Aurel Niculescu

9,648  ARTICLES

Staff Writer
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Once upon a time there was a little boy that didn't know his age but dreamed of reaching high in the sky alongside the absolute best aviators. He was passionate about reading books (action and Sci-Fi), grew up with many great authors and soon discovered the mirage of cinema.

There he understood anything is possible if you work hard and passionately strive to follow your imagination. This is how at the age of 16 he managed to fulfill the first dream – flying alone in a glider plane. He was no Tom Cruise, of course, so young adulthood brought him back to reality.

With every kick in the familiar *utt comes a chance to step forward, so a seemingly unimportant ad in one of his favorite automotive magazines brought a dilemma - follow through with the current job or dare to achieve greatness by deploying (previously) unknown literary skills.

Since 2006, he’s been perfecting them at Automondial, Supercar, Cox, Autoshow, Autopro, Auto Motor & Sport, and more magazines plus their online versions. After driving some of the best and worst cars in Europe and around the world, he’s part of the autoevolution team, where he aims to develop his best-ever form.
BMW iX Zephyr Concept Gets Imagined by GM Designer, Looks Miles Better Than Original EV?
BMW iX Zephyr Concept Gets Imagined by GM Designer, Looks Miles Better Than Original EV?

23 May 2024, 09:54 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / While beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, many people would probably say that just about anything is better-looking than BMW's all-electric iX mid-size luxury crossover SUV. On the other hand, BMW tried to challenge that by bringing t...

 
Hypothetical All-New Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Is a Triton SUV Targeting Toyota's 4Runner
Hypothetical All-New Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Is a Triton SUV Targeting Toyota's 4Runner

23 May 2024, 09:23 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / In America, during the first three months of the year, one Asian automaker barely passed 28k sales while all others thrived – Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA). MMNA did reveal that its Q1 deliveries surged more than 37%, but t...

 
Decidedly Strange yet Cool Drag Race: BMW M760Li vs. Ducati Streetfighter V4 S
Decidedly Strange yet Cool Drag Race: BMW M760Li vs. Ducati Streetfighter V4 S

23 May 2024, 08:45 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The good folks over at the CSL AutoTime channel on YouTube have an unusual drag racing setup between a Bavarian limo with a V12 under the hood and a volcanic Italian motorcycle with a V2 tucked under the (fearless) rider. In this day and a...

 
Next-Gen 2025 Bentley Continental GT PHEV V8 Arrives in Fantasy Land, Feels Ultra-Subtle
Next-Gen 2025 Bentley Continental GT PHEV V8 Arrives in Fantasy Land, Feels Ultra-Subtle

23 May 2024, 07:57 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Believe it or not, but the Brits from Bentley – an ultraluxury exotic automaker on par with the likes of Rolls-Royce – have had a May month so busy that we think they'll take a vacation all summer long. But only after they unveiled...

 
"Pioneering" Jeep Compass e-Hybrid and 4xe Arrive in the Land Down Under From $30,454
"Pioneering" Jeep Compass e-Hybrid and 4xe Arrive in the Land Down Under From $30,454

23 May 2024, 07:23 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The two new hybrid Jeep models seek to advance the American brand towards a zero-emissions lifestyle in Australia with 'baby' steps and cost between AUD 46k and AUD 70k – that's the equivalent of $30,454 to $46,355 at the curre...

 
2025 Jeep Avenger 4xe Mixes All-Wheel Drive With Refreshed Looks and (Mild) Hybrid Setup
2025 Jeep Avenger 4xe Mixes All-Wheel Drive With Refreshed Looks and (Mild) Hybrid Setup

23 May 2024, 06:44 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / As promised by the rumor mill's spy photographers and a quick official teaser the day before the release, the American specialty brand has announced the Avenger 4xe for model year 2025, complete with subtle upgrades, not just a new powertrain....

 
Hennessey Starts Production of H850 Mustang Dark Horse; Can You Guess the 1/4-Mile ET?
Hennessey Starts Production of H850 Mustang Dark Horse; Can You Guess the 1/4-Mile ET?

22 May 2024, 10:37 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / After previously teasing us with the great dyno run of its supercharged H850 Ford Mustang Dark Horse build, Hennessey also revealed the performance data for the S650-based monster. Yep, the zero to 60 mph and quarter-mile times are impressive! W...

 
Hopefully, the 2026 Mercedes-Benz C-Class EV Won't Look Like This Speculative Preview
Hopefully, the 2026 Mercedes-Benz C-Class EV Won't Look Like This Speculative Preview

22 May 2024, 09:53 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Sugar Chow, the virtual artist better known as sugardesign_1 on social media, has decided to CGI present his vision for the potential 'EQC' sedan – and it's certainly not everything Mercedes-Benz fans had dreamed of. T...

 
2025 Mazda CX-5 Hybrid and 2027 All-Electric Versions Show Their CGI Silhouettes
2025 Mazda CX-5 Hybrid and 2027 All-Electric Versions Show Their CGI Silhouettes

22 May 2024, 09:14 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The tiny Japanese automaker has gotten so busy in the field of double-digit crossover SUVs that we may have forgotten about the best-selling, single-digit Mazda CX-5 if not for the rumor mill. First introduced in 2012 as their definitive compac...

 
C8 Chevy Corvette Stingray Z51 Drags BMW M850i, Someone's Defeat Is Unequivocal
C8 Chevy Corvette Stingray Z51 Drags BMW M850i, Someone's Defeat Is Unequivocal

22 May 2024, 08:43 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / One of the numerous main reasons why 'America's sports car' is so beloved is that – besides being a blank canvas for making your own – it's also a flagship sports car killer much in the same sense certain 'affor...

 
What If Plymouth Was Still Around and Had a Retro-Modern Voyager in the Lineup?
What If Plymouth Was Still Around and Had a Retro-Modern Voyager in the Lineup?

22 May 2024, 08:13 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Stellantis, the multinational automotive corporation formed in 2021 after the Italian-Americans from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the PSA Group from France merged, is home to no less than 14 automobile brands. They have manufacturing fac...

 
Mercedes-AMG GLC Coupe and SUV Join the Expensive 63 S E Performance Family in Australia
Mercedes-AMG GLC Coupe and SUV Join the Expensive 63 S E Performance Family in Australia

22 May 2024, 06:29 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / For the first time, the flagship GLC versions also get downsized to a four-pot with electric assistance in the Land Down Under - a big departure from the predecessors, which used the classic 4.0-liter with twin-turbo oomph. Sure, some will say that...

 
Lexus TX 500h Drags and Rolls Mazda CX-90 PHEV, But an Acura MDX Type S Dares to Intervene
Lexus TX 500h Drags and Rolls Mazda CX-90 PHEV, But an Acura MDX Type S Dares to Intervene

21 May 2024, 15:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Sam, the host of the Canadian Sam CarLegion channel on YouTube, has prepared yet another drag-and-roll race skirmish - with near-premium and luxury mid-size CUVs this time around. This reviewer always has a nice mix of cars on his YouTube ...

 
Indeed, the 6x6 Overlander Exists, and It's Made by Apocalypse Based on a Jeep
Indeed, the 6x6 Overlander Exists, and It's Made by Apocalypse Based on a Jeep

21 May 2024, 13:26 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / What do Hellfire, Juggernaut, Nirvana, Strikeforce, Warlord, Sinister 6, or Dark Horse have in common? Well, they're mostly beastly 6x6 creations done by a company named Apocalypse Manufacturing. The name surely inspires a bit of fear, but...

 
All-New 2026 Hyundai Palisade Gets Rendered Inside and Out, Looks Ritzy and Fresh
All-New 2026 Hyundai Palisade Gets Rendered Inside and Out, Looks Ritzy and Fresh

21 May 2024, 10:37 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The South Korean automaker may boast and brag about its numerous accolades awarded by critics for the Ioniq 5 N, the all-new Santa Fe, the refreshed Kona, the Ioniq 6, or even the 2024 Palisade, but the American sales are not all roses and daffodil...

 
Carlex Design Needed Four Years to Craft the Stunning G-Falcon Out of a Mercedes-AMG G 63
Carlex Design Needed Four Years to Craft the Stunning G-Falcon Out of a Mercedes-AMG G 63

21 May 2024, 09:21 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Carlex Design is a family enterprise that grew into a sprawling company dedicated to "becoming the (worldwide) leader in luxury car and private jet interiors." They also create fully bespoke collector's edition cars, and just recentl...

 
What If the Next Cadillac Escalade Also Gets a Luxurious Station Wagon Body Style?
What If the Next Cadillac Escalade Also Gets a Luxurious Station Wagon Body Style?

21 May 2024, 08:42 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The American luxury carmaker has a lot of novelties coming out in the next few months as it rides the wave of popularity of its passenger cars, luxury crossovers, and SUVs. Last year, quite unexpectedly, its best-selling nameplate wasn't a ...

 
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Races 1,200-hp Corvette and 1,000-HP Lexus, Someone Gets Rolled 
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Races 1,200-hp Corvette and 1,000-HP Lexus, Someone Gets Rolled 

21 May 2024, 07:58 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The good folks over at the racing-focused ImportRace channel on YouTube are not at their usual quarter-mile venue - Island Dragway in Great Meadows, New Jersey but at Pocono Raceway, where everyone tries to roll over everybody else. Known ...

 
The Dukes of Hazzard Get a Taste of the EV Lifestyle With Tesla Cybertruck 'General E'
The Dukes of Hazzard Get a Taste of the EV Lifestyle With Tesla Cybertruck 'General E'

21 May 2024, 07:12 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Someone at the cybertruckownersclub has found a piece of EV 'memorabilia' - Dukes of Hazzard and General Lee get a taste of the 21st-century fashion wrap hype courtesy of a Tesla Cybertruck made to look like a new character dubbed &#...

 
2026 Honda Civic XII Springs to Life a Bit Too Early, Though Only in Imagination Land
2026 Honda Civic XII Springs to Life a Bit Too Early, Though Only in Imagination Land

21 May 2024, 06:35 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Although it was announced at the start of the year, the refreshed 2025 Honda Civic hasn't appeared in any official capacity in America since. And everyone is eagerly awaiting it, especially the hybrid version. The rival folks from Toyota h...

 

Stories by Aurel Niculescu