autoevolution
 

Mircea Panait

20,321  ARTICLES

Personal motto:

"If in doubt, flat out." - Colin McRae

Senior Contributor
editor photo
Little did he knew back then, but a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO is what sparked Mircea’s interest for cars when he was just a kid. Despite studying mathematics and informatics in high school and economics in university, Mircea turned his passion for all things automotive into a job.
 
Interning for Top Gear was his first foray in automotive journalism, and not long after that, a full-time position was opened for Mircea to seal the deal. Just about three years later, autoevolution became his new home.
 
Especially interested in American ponies and muscle cars, Mircea also finds the Japanese domestic market appealing thanks to the quirkiness of kei cars. Full-size pickups like the Ram 1500 and off-roaders such as the Ford Ranger Raptor and Jeep Gladiator Rubicon are much to his liking as well.
 
A self-described master of pasta and an avid CCG player, Mircea’s past-time activities include playing his Epiphone Les Paul Special Vintage Edition electric guitar, discovering the wonders of the Carpathian mountains by foot, and driving to the Black Sea to get a well-deserved tan.
Corvette E-Ray Drag Races BMW M8 Competition, It's Not Even Close
Corvette E-Ray Drag Races BMW M8 Competition, It's Not Even Close

31 May 2024, 15:03 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Rather than your usual dig race or *insert speed here* roll, Edmunds likes to compare two given vehicles in a U-drag. As implied, it kicks off with a dig to the quarter mile, continues into a hard braking zone, includes a 180-degree turn, and concl...

 
Tesla Recalls 125,000 Vehicles Over Seatbelt Warning System Malfunction
Tesla Recalls 125,000 Vehicles Over Seatbelt Warning System Malfunction

31 May 2024, 13:52 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Tesla has recently determined that certain Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X vehicles do not comply with the requirements of the federal motor vehicle safety standard for occupant crash protection. As it happens, the seatbelt audible chime and...

 
2024 Kia EV9 Now in Production at West Point Assembly Plant in Georgia
2024 Kia EV9 Now in Production at West Point Assembly Plant in Georgia

31 May 2024, 12:40 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / To date, Kia's Autoland Gwangmyeong assembly plant was tasked with producing the largest electric vehicle in the South Korean automaker's lineup. Following millions of dollars of investments into the West Point assembly plant in Georgia, ...

 
Mercedes-Benz Recalls EQE and EQS for Battery Management System Software Issue
Mercedes-Benz Recalls EQE and EQS for Battery Management System Software Issue

31 May 2024, 11:55 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Mercedes-Benz USA has recalled nearly 15,000 examples of the EQE, EQE SUV, EQS, and EQS SUV for a deviation in the battery management system software development process. The iffy software causes the high-voltage battery to shut down, resulting in ...

 
Wingless 2025 Porsche 911 Turbo Prototype Spied Testing, Hearsay Suggests RWD and a Manual
Wingless 2025 Porsche 911 Turbo Prototype Spied Testing, Hearsay Suggests RWD and a Manual

30 May 2024, 21:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Porsche revealed the updated 992 on May 28th with quite a few changes from the pre-facelift model. Ignoring the obvious interior and stylistic upgrades, the Volkswagen Group-owned marque has unleashed the first-ever hybrid Neunelfer in the form of ...

 
The UK's "All-New" Dacia Spring Is Now Available To Pre-Order, Starting Price Is £14,995
The UK's "All-New" Dacia Spring Is Now Available To Pre-Order, Starting Price Is £14,995

30 May 2024, 19:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Never sold in the United Kingdom until now, the cutesy Dacia Spring is advertised by Dacia's British division as being an all-new model. Truth be told, it's actually the second facelift of an electric vehicle with underpinnings from a cro...

 
"Do Not Drive" Warning Issued for Older Nissan Models Equipped With Takata Airbags
"Do Not Drive" Warning Issued for Older Nissan Models Equipped With Takata Airbags

30 May 2024, 19:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / On behalf of Nissan, the NHTSA has issued a "do not drive" warning for 83,920 vehicles produced for the 2002 through 2006 model years with Takata airbags. The problem with said airbags can be summed up as inflator propellant degradation, ...

 
Chelsea Truck Co. Debuts INEOS Grenadier Styling Package
Chelsea Truck Co. Debuts INEOS Grenadier Styling Package

30 May 2024, 17:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The Kahn Group's Chelsea Truck Co. has unleashed its first parts for the INEOS Grenadier. Available in the form of a styling package or individually, said upgrades kick off with forged alloy wheels. Prospective customers are presented with ...

 
Ford Recalls Nearly 110,000 Lincoln Aviator SUVs Over Electromagnetic Interference
Ford Recalls Nearly 110,000 Lincoln Aviator SUVs Over Electromagnetic Interference

30 May 2024, 15:52 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The accessory protocol image module fitted to 2020 to 2024 model year Lincoln Aviator sport utility vehicles can be affected by electromagnetic interference from any given phone. This, in turn, causes the rearview camera image to become distorted o...

 
Bentley Rolls Out New Satin Paint Finishes, Palette Now Includes 15 Colors
Bentley Rolls Out New Satin Paint Finishes, Palette Now Includes 15 Colors

30 May 2024, 14:56 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Bentley isn't about luxury alone. Personalization is extremely important as well, and the British automaker is much obliged to make customer wishes come true – for the right price, of course – with the help of the Mulliner bespoke ...

 
Incorrect Headlight Control Module Software Prompts Audi Q4 e-tron Recall
Incorrect Headlight Control Module Software Prompts Audi Q4 e-tron Recall

30 May 2024, 13:55 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Volkswagen Group of America has identified a problem affecting the Audi Q4 e-tron and Q4 e-tron Sportback. As it happens, the Ingolstadt-based marque has installed the incorrect headlight control module software on vehicles produced for the US betw...

 
Cadillac Prices Optiq Small Electric SUV, Promises 300-Mile Driving Range
Cadillac Prices Optiq Small Electric SUV, Promises 300-Mile Driving Range

29 May 2024, 19:13 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Despite being joined at the hip to the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV, the 2025 Cadillac Optiq is a hideously expensive battery-electric vehicle. GM expects prospective customers to spend $54,000 at the very least, including destination charge, whereas ...

 
2018 – 2022 Range Rover Sport Recalled Over Water Ingress Into Rearview Camera
2018 – 2022 Range Rover Sport Recalled Over Water Ingress Into Rearview Camera

29 May 2024, 18:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Jaguar Land Rover North America has issued a recall affecting 22,268 units of the 2018 to 2022 model year Land Rover Range Rover Sport. According to the British automaker, said recall comprises Range Rover Sport utility vehicles equipped with the s...

 
Redesigned Nissan Leaf To Debut Late 2024
Redesigned Nissan Leaf To Debut Late 2024

29 May 2024, 16:59 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The second-gen Leaf entered production in late 2017 for the 2018 model year. To be discontinued in early 2025, the zero-emission hatchback is currently produced in Smyrna, Tennessee for North America and at the Oppama assembly plant in Japan. NM...

 
GM Recalls Certain 2024 Chevrolet Colorado Trucks Over Incorrect Tires
GM Recalls Certain 2024 Chevrolet Colorado Trucks Over Incorrect Tires

29 May 2024, 16:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a number of 2024 Chevrolet Colorado trucks may have been fitted by dealers nationwide with incorrect tires. The recall involves Colorado Z71 and Colorado Trail ...

 
Championship White EK9 Honda Civic Type R Offered at No Reserve, Would You Swipe Right?
Championship White EK9 Honda Civic Type R Offered at No Reserve, Would You Swipe Right?

28 May 2024, 20:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Honda used the sixth-generation Civic for the first-ever Civic Type R. Codenamed EK9 after the GF-EK9 chassis code, this high-revving icon wasn't sold in the United States or Europe. It was a JDM affair that was produced in limited numbers: 7,...

 
Cadillac Escalade Races Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Winner Dukes It Out With Lincoln's Navigator
Cadillac Escalade Races Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Winner Dukes It Out With Lincoln's Navigator

28 May 2024, 19:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Sam CarLegion and company love SUVs, and sport utility vehicles don't get bigger than the truck-based SUVs from the Detroit Big Three. Pictured at Dunville Autodrome in Ontario, these leviathans all weigh in excess of 6,000 pounds (2,722 kilos...

 
Volkswagen ID.4 Inadvertent Door Opening Allegations Prompt NHTSA To Investigate
Volkswagen ID.4 Inadvertent Door Opening Allegations Prompt NHTSA To Investigate

28 May 2024, 18:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Back in March 2023, the Volkswagen Group of America issued a recall for 16,207 examples of the ID.4 over a safety concern. More specifically, the door handles didn't meet factory specifications for protection against water ingress, a condition...

 
Certain 2024 Kia EV9 Vehicles Have Been Produced With Loose Seatbelt Retractor Covers
Certain 2024 Kia EV9 Vehicles Have Been Produced With Loose Seatbelt Retractor Covers

28 May 2024, 16:54 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / First recalled in April 2024 over improperly tightened bolts in the gear drive unit, Kia's largest electric vehicle to date has been hit with a new recall. On this occasion, the South Korean automaker determined that a small number of crossove...

 
2025 Porsche 911 Facelift Goes Live, 992.2 GTS Debuts New Engine With Hybrid Assistance
2025 Porsche 911 Facelift Goes Live, 992.2 GTS Debuts New Engine With Hybrid Assistance

28 May 2024, 15:28 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The 2025 model year marks the beginning of a new era for the Neunelfer. In addition to the statutory visual updates one would expect from a mid-cycle refresh, the Zuffenhausen-based automaker has also premiered a brand-new engine and 919 endurance ...

 

Stories by Mircea Panait