Bogdan Popa
13,301 ARTICLES
Personal motto:
"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow" - Jeff Valdez, Stand-up Comedian.
He typically carries both an iPhone and Android device because there’s no such thing as the perfect phone, and he drives a car that some say is blue, others say is green.
His guilty pleasure is finding bugs in Android Auto (cc @Google, you’d better keep an eye on his reports, as these could actually help you refine the experience behind the wheel), and he occasionally tries out all kinds of weird gadgets that many people didn’t even know they exist.
His daily tech arsenal also includes a smartwatch and earbuds because that’s how geeks rock, as well as a laptop that has nothing in common with fruit.
Bogdan’s long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space in the trunk for his kid’s toys, as well as convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as the phones that these two companies build.
When he’s not writing about cars, Bogdan’s probably trying to fit a bike in the 375-liter trunk of his car or posting tech stuff for autoevolution’s sister site Softpedia.
Magna, RHJ Still in Play for Opel, BAIC Out of the Deal
23 Jul 2009, 08:27 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / After receiving three improved bids on Monday, General Motors has finally decided: it will continue negotiations with both Magna and RHJ International. The American manufacturer made the announcement today in a press statement, hinting that the Can...
Nissan Adds 100 New Staff in the UK
23 Jul 2009, 07:30 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Things are going pretty well for Nissan who is getting increased demand for its vehicles all around the world. The best example comes straight from the UK, a country in which the Japanese manufacturer decided to add some 100 new jobs, mostly follow...
Subaru Impreza WRX STI spec C Launched
23 Jul 2009, 07:09 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Subaru today announced the launch of the Impreza WRX STI spec C, a new model based on the Impreza WRX STI that comes with engine and chassis upgrades. Already available in Subaru dealerships in Japan, the car is featuring several engine tweaks so i...
2010 Saab 9-5 Unveiled, Photo Gallery Inside
23 Jul 2009, 06:33 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / The long-awaited Saab 9-5 has been finally unveiled yesterday through a bunch of leaked photos that appear to be made straight by the Swedish manufacturer. The car, which is going to be on display at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show, is featuring a...
US Government Still Focused on Car Parts Business
22 Jul 2009, 15:08 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / As we all know, the United States auto sector is one of the most damaged industries when it comes to the economic chaos, with two giants, General Motors and Chrysler forced to file for bankruptcy. And even if the country's authorities have alw...
Volvo Engineers Union: Geely Will Do No Good
22 Jul 2009, 14:23 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Even if Geely tries its best to purchase Volvo, it might seem that taking over the Swedish brand is much more difficult than initially believed. Not only because Geely struggles to comply with government requirements but also because Volvo's e...
GM Q2 Sales Up 7 Percent Outside the US
22 Jul 2009, 14:00 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / General Motors, who recently emerged from bankruptcy, revealed its second quarter financial results, unveiling a 7 percent increase outside the United States compared to the same period of the previous year. Chevrolet posted high sales in Asia Paci...
Half of UK Scrappage Money Used Up
22 Jul 2009, 13:58 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / The British scrapping program is going impressively well and the money is slowly running out. Almost half of the cash offered by the UK government for the scrapping scheme has been used by automakers eligible for the programme, autocar.co.uk report...
Mitsubishi Working on Cheaper i-MiEV
22 Jul 2009, 13:55 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Mitsubishi is now going further with its i-MiEV plans so it is working on a refreshed version of the car that would be offered with a smaller price tag compared to the current model. Basically, the Japanese manufacturer wants to develop a cheaper m...
Toyota Forecasts 12 Million Sold Cars in China
22 Jul 2009, 12:52 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Recently crowned the world's number one manufacturer, Toyota is quite optimistic when it comes to 2009 sales, in spite of the gloomy predictions made by auto industry analysts around the world. Specifically, the Japanese manufacturer expects t...
Dongfeng Hits on Holden
22 Jul 2009, 09:55 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Chinese companies are everywhere. No matter what we are talking about, there's a little Chinese in everything. How exactly they managed to do this, it's still a mystery but Chinese automakers are slowly becoming increasingly important pla...
GM India: Bring an Opel, Get a Chevy
22 Jul 2009, 09:22 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / While Opel fights for survival in Europe, General Motors is pursuing a new buy-back scheme in India where it tries to phase out the remaining Opel Astras and Corsas. Basically, GM India is encouraging Opel owners to trade in their Astras and Corsas...
Hyundai ix35 New CGI
22 Jul 2009, 08:36 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Since the only thing we now have is a set of spyshots showing a heavy camouflaged ix35, a computer generated image would be the best way to give a better glimpse into how the future Tucson replacement will look like. The photo was made by Remco Meu...
Hyundai i10 Gets 10,000 Orders Through UK Scrappage
22 Jul 2009, 08:32 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Hyundai is one of the companies which benefit the most from the UK scrapping scheme and, after announcing very high sales for most of its models, the automaker comes back in front of the media representatives to reveal another achievement: the i10 ...
Lexus HS 250h Exclusively for Non-Europeans
22 Jul 2009, 07:41 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Lexus HS 250h hybrid won't be sold in Europe. At least this is what some officials close to the matter hinted, pointing that Lexus, together with parent company Toyota, has some other plans for the Old Continent when it comes to hybrid powertr...
Confirmed: VW New Compact Sedan in Mexico by Mid-2010
22 Jul 2009, 07:13 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Volkswagen finally confirmed that it will build the internally-known as the New Compact Sedan project in Mexico, the board of the company announced yesterday. The German automaker will invest $1 billion in expanding the Puebla plant which will allo...
Nissan Launches Next-Generation CVT
22 Jul 2009, 06:49 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Nissan and JATCO today revealed their next-generation CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) which is said to be lighter and provide better results than its predecessors. The new CVT combines conventional CVT belt operation with an auxiliary gea...
Nissan Debuts High-End Navigation System
22 Jul 2009, 05:59 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Nissan has just introduced a brand new navigation system, the first of its kind, as the Japanese manufacturer claims in a press statement. The new system is "the world's first to incorporate ITS information in a production vehicle," ...
Sport Divisions in the Spotlight - Mugen Motorsports
21 Jul 2009, 14:59 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Sport divisions are often partially, and sometimes entirely, owned by the automakers they tweak cars for, which allow the companies to closely collaborate on the projects they work on. But Mugen Motorsports is a bit different than the others as the...
Fiat 500C Abarth in the Works
21 Jul 2009, 13:08 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Just as expected, Abarth continues to make Fiat's models hotter than they currently are with a new model, this time the newly-released 500 convertible. According to a report by autocar.co.uk, the car is currently in the works, but an official ...