autoevolution
 

Aurel Niculescu

9,658  ARTICLES

Staff Writer
editor photo
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.
What If Next-Gen Toyota RAV4 Went 'Trailhunter' and Stole Land Cruiser's Rugged Looks?
What If Next-Gen Toyota RAV4 Went 'Trailhunter' and Stole Land Cruiser's Rugged Looks?

28 Jan 2024, 02:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Last year, Toyota didn't attain its objective of dethroning General Motors from the number one place in terms of sales across the US market. Despite the barrage of novelties, it didn't even come close to it. At the end of 2023, the...

 
Minimalist Porsche 911 Concept Welcomes the Zero Emissions Evolution Across Fantasy Land
Minimalist Porsche 911 Concept Welcomes the Zero Emissions Evolution Across Fantasy Land

27 Jan 2024, 23:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Porsche is a sort of conundrum for many automotive enthusiasts. It is not afraid to break conventions – like that one time when it started producing a high-performance luxury crossover SUV, and everyone cried their outrage. But in other thing...

 
2026 Range Rover Electric Has Arrived Early, Albeit Only Across the Trails of Imagination
2026 Range Rover Electric Has Arrived Early, Albeit Only Across the Trails of Imagination

27 Jan 2024, 22:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Whether big companies like it or not, we all know that electrification is coming. Just look at Tesla and how its daringness has paid off, much like Apple's audacity. Last year, despite the fact that Steve Jobs and his genius business re...

 
2024 Lexus GX 550 Makes Good Use of TNGA-F Platform, Morphs Into an Overtrail+ Truck
2024 Lexus GX 550 Makes Good Use of TNGA-F Platform, Morphs Into an Overtrail+ Truck

27 Jan 2024, 17:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Sitting almost at the top of the Lexus roster in America, the all-new J250-based 2024 Lexus GX 550 is now available for ordering in the United States, kicking off at $64,250. That is almost $4k more than the 2023 Lexus GX 460, which features...

 
I'm Not So Sure That Acura's ZDX Can Escape Its Bad Luck Even in Zero Emissions Form
I'm Not So Sure That Acura's ZDX Can Escape Its Bad Luck Even in Zero Emissions Form

27 Jan 2024, 16:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Acura first introduced the ZDX nameplate as a mid-size luxury crossover SUV that tried to give a direct coupe-CUV replica to the newly launched 2008 BMW X6. The year was 2009, but the styling wasn't exactly worthy of the 2000s if you asked aro...

 
The Porsche 928 Grand Tourer Comes Back as a Taycan EV Sibling in Fantasy Land
The Porsche 928 Grand Tourer Comes Back as a Taycan EV Sibling in Fantasy Land

27 Jan 2024, 02:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / It's interesting to note that Porsche, once seen as a very uptight, focused model manufacturer, has chosen to break so many conventions in its modern years – while at the same time also upholding the legacy of the 911 series. They...

 
Virtual 994-Series Porsche 911 Turbo Spells Trouble for EV Adoption in Fantasy Land
Virtual 994-Series Porsche 911 Turbo Spells Trouble for EV Adoption in Fantasy Land

26 Jan 2024, 23:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / For decades, the Porsche 911 has been the quintessential German sports car. However, it's still unlike many other sports cars in one major sense, including when discussing the current 992 series. Most vehicles usually rely on a classic ...

 
What's Better in CGI: General Lee Charger Daytona EV or a Glory 1000 ICE Challenger?
What's Better in CGI: General Lee Charger Daytona EV or a Glory 1000 ICE Challenger?

26 Jan 2024, 22:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Right now, the S650 seventh-generation 2024 Ford Mustang rules unchallenged across the American sports car sector due to several disparate factors. The S550 and S650 Mustangs ascertained the supremacy last year – mostly thanks to a sub...

 
Virtually Revealed 2026 Hyundai Palisade Feels Like a Posh 2024 Santa Fe Twin
Virtually Revealed 2026 Hyundai Palisade Feels Like a Posh 2024 Santa Fe Twin

26 Jan 2024, 21:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Hyundai is doing great across the US automotive market – last year, its subsidiary Hyundai Motor America had record-breaking fourth-quarter, December, and 2023 sales. Rising 11%, the delivery total was of more than 801k vehicles and some name...

 
Facelifted 2025 Toyota Tundra Gets Shown In Ritzy Colors Across Imagination Land
Facelifted 2025 Toyota Tundra Gets Shown In Ritzy Colors Across Imagination Land

26 Jan 2024, 17:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Japanese automaker has a lot of vehicles produced on a single version of its well-known modular TNGA platform. And it all started with the XK70 third-generation Toyota Tundra, at least in America. The latest iteration of the full-size pi...

 
2024 Honda Prologue EV: How Does It Stack Up Against the Acura ZDX and Tesla Model Y?
2024 Honda Prologue EV: How Does It Stack Up Against the Acura ZDX and Tesla Model Y?

26 Jan 2024, 14:58 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The starting price for Honda's all-electric mid-size crossover SUV kicks off at no less than $47,400 (plus a $1,395 destination charge), making it the most expensive model in the United States, above the 2024 Passport ($41,900) and 2024 Civic ...

 
Porsche 911 Turbo S Drags Lambo Huracan STO, BMW M4, Caddy, Easily Obliterates All
Porsche 911 Turbo S Drags Lambo Huracan STO, BMW M4, Caddy, Easily Obliterates All

26 Jan 2024, 12:13 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Porsche recently introduced its second all-electric vehicle, the new PPE-based 800-volt-enabled Porsche Macan EV. No worries, the 911 series isn't slated to become sustainable next. Interestingly, Porsche may be on the cusp of a paradig...

 
Of Course the Virtual World Has Already Added Extra Pizzaz to Porsche's Macan Turbo EV
Of Course the Virtual World Has Already Added Extra Pizzaz to Porsche's Macan Turbo EV

26 Jan 2024, 09:26 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / At long last, Porsche has added its second all-electric model series to the family. Actually, it's not an all-new nameplate, just a switch from ICE power to exclusive zero emissions for the second-generation Macan compact luxury crossover SUV....

 
Dodge Challenger Refuses to Surrender, Will Get a DIY Facelift Thanks to Enthusiast Owner
Dodge Challenger Refuses to Surrender, Will Get a DIY Facelift Thanks to Enthusiast Owner

26 Jan 2024, 08:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / December 2023 was a harsh month for the world of American muscle car automotive enthusiasts – Chevrolet ended production of the sixth generation Camaro, and Dodge also abandoned the L-bodied Charger and Challenger to the plains of Valhalla. ...

 
Toyota GR Supra 100 Edition Channels the Inner MK3 to the CGI Surface, Looks Quirky
Toyota GR Supra 100 Edition Channels the Inner MK3 to the CGI Surface, Looks Quirky

26 Jan 2024, 07:32 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Last year, America proved that fans were right when they said it's only a matter of time before the GR Supra runs out of steam – it sold just 2,652 examples across the US market. The 'performance' barely allowed the 2023...

 
Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Races Turbo Audi S6, a V8 Sedan Gets a Stingy Lesson, or Two
Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Races Turbo Audi S6, a V8 Sedan Gets a Stingy Lesson, or Two

25 Jan 2024, 22:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Although they're direct competitors, we are not exactly used to seeing an Audi sedan aiming for quarter-mile dragstrip glory alongside a Cadillac saloon. But when it happens, at least the action is for the V8 ages. Usually, quarter-mile...

 
Hypothetical Compact and Large Convertibles Join Cadillac's Ranks In Fantasy Realm
Hypothetical Compact and Large Convertibles Join Cadillac's Ranks In Fantasy Realm

25 Jan 2024, 21:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / General Motors claimed the top spot – again – last year for its performance across the US automotive market. With 2.6 million vehicles, it copiously outperformed Toyota (2.24 million) and Ford (2 million). Its total sales were up ...

 
Here's an Unofficial First Look at the Hypothetical 2025 Nissan Frontier Refresh
Here's an Unofficial First Look at the Hypothetical 2025 Nissan Frontier Refresh

25 Jan 2024, 10:14 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Last year, Nissan's US operations totaled almost 899k sales, which is a far cry from Toyota's (second place overall on the market) more than 2.24 million deliveries or even Honda's 1.3 million vehicles. Naturally, something ne...

 
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Drags Older BMW 3 Series Coupe; Obliteration Doesn't Follow
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Drags Older BMW 3 Series Coupe; Obliteration Doesn't Follow

25 Jan 2024, 09:22 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is not in production anymore, and the BMW 3 Series Coupe and Cabriolet two-doors are now called 4 Series. But does anyone care about those details when feisty action involves them at the local quarter-mile dragstri...

 
2025 Toyota Camry Welcomes Back the Station Wagon Option, at Least in Fantasy Land
2025 Toyota Camry Welcomes Back the Station Wagon Option, at Least in Fantasy Land

25 Jan 2024, 07:59 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Last year, the Japanese automaker graced the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show with two major model reveals that will be unleashed on the US market later this year: the 2025 Camry and the first-ever 2025 Crown Signia. The latter is a real crossover...

 

Stories by Aurel Niculescu