Articles by Karla Pincott

Satirical comedian and current affairs host Stephen Colbert is not only no stranger to controversy, he's on first-name -- and fairly intimate terms -- with it. Which is why it's no surprise to see him promoting his own fairly controversial method of saving fuel while driving -- doing it nude. "Everybody knows clothing always creates drag. Which is why to get better mileage I always drive in the nude,” Colbert announced on social media, posting an image of him doing just that. Happily, the image was tastefully pixellated around the nether regions, showing little more -- and in some cases a bit less -- than recent Instagram and Twitter snaps from the likes of Lara Bingle and Miranda Kerr. Colbert is the host of the satire-driven Colbert Report, a spin-off from his successful sting on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show. And while it's a parody of other serious current affairs opinion shows, Colbert's pronouncements often carry great weight with his audience -- one of the largest on the popular Comedy Channel. But will this idea from him catch on? Would you be willing to save money at the bowser (and possibly also at the dry cleaner) by leaving your clothes at home when you head out in the car? This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

Mazda released a teaser sketch of its Hazumi concept a few days ago as a lead-up to the car's unveiling in Geneva next week, but we're now getting an earlier look with a full image of the car leaking online.The design sketch shows the dynamic Hazumi styling, with prominent shield-shaped grille lines integrating into the LED daytime running lights of the headlight cluster, front lip and rear tailgate spoilers, sculpted side skirts, black roof and subtly swelling wheel arches stuffed with what look to be exaggeratedly oversized alloys.If even half of those features make it onto the production version, the Mazda 2 will be one of the sharpest-looking city cars around, and fulfilling the Hazumi translation of 'bounding up' - helped in the concept by the sharply rising beltline that gives it the lively appearance of leaping forward.  Hazumi is the latest development of Mazda's Kodo design, already used for the Mazda6, CX-5 and new Mazda3.There are no further details on the car's features or drivetrain, however Mazda has already confirmed Geneva will also see them unveil a new diesel a 1.5-litre featuring the latest development of their fuel-efficient Skyactiv technology, which could power a version of the 2 in some markets.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Ford’s global HQ in Detroit will this year salute an Australian design that turned into a smash sales success for the brand – the first ute, which has developed into the vehicles that see the Blue Oval leading the segment around the world with nameplates such as Ranger and F-Series.The body style was developed after a Victorian farmer’s wife wrote in 1933 to the then boss of Ford in Australia, Hubert French, famously asking for “a car and a truck but we need a car to go to church on Sunday and a truck to take the pigs to market on Monday”.French put the challenge to Ford’s young design engineer, Lew Bandt, who devised a two-door cabin with a load-carrying tray at the rear, blending the tray sides into the coupe body – rather than the separated cabin and trayback truck commonly used until then. The rest, as they say, is history – 80 years of it.Bandt’s first full-size sketches – on a 10-metre blackboard -- quickly became blueprints and then prototypes, and the ‘coupe utility’ went into production in 1934, with examples heading off to the US and Canada.It became a popular vehicle style in Australia, with 22,000 sold between 1940 and 1954, and spawned generations of Falcon utes, which have sold more than 455,000 since the first XK rolled out in 1961. And the Australian influence continues. The Aussie designed and developed Ford Ranger is a strong seller in more than 180 markets around the world.Lew Bandt’s original drawings are archived here in Australia, and one of the original coupe-utes is still on display in a Victorian museum. Its descendants have gone on to resounding global success, with Ford selling more than a million Ranger-based vehicles around the world in 2013, while the F-Series marked its 37th year running as the top-selling truck in the US. Ironically, Bandt died after an accident while he was at the wheel of a restored version of his coupe-utility in 1987.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

The momentum of the Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) seemed to have creaked to a halt last year, when it was announced the 2013 show would not go ahead. However it seems the show will go on -- in some form yet to be revealed.The organisers of the joint venture event -- the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) and the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) -- today announced the end of their partnership but signalled that a show is in the planning for 2015.The two organisations banded together after 2009, when several car brands boycotted both the Sydney and Melbourne annual shows, saying they wanted a single show that alternated between the two cities.The first of the joint venture shows was held in Sydney the next year, followed by Melbourne in 2011 and Sydney again in 2012. But with some car brands still declining to book show floor space, and audiences starting to dwindle, the 2013 show planned for Melbourne was cancelled.But today's announcement of the joint venture dissolution also revealed plans are well under way for a "next-generation motoring festival" in Melbourne in 2015. "The event will include manufacturers and importers, and also motoring clubs, vehicle displays and exhibitions," the statement said. "It will be dynamic and interactive and provide audience participation at a suitable venue where visitors can test drive a range of makes and models.""VACC and FCAI have mutually agreed that the time is right to develop a new-look motor event, thus rendering redundant the existing business arrangement between the two organisations." The organisers said more information about the new show would be revealed as development progressed.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

The eagerly anticipated Jaguar sports car – which has revived fresh interest in the brand -- will arrive in three versions: the $119,900 F-Type, the $152,300 F-Type S and the top-spec $219,600 F-Type R.The three variants share an all-aluminium construction aimed at trimming weight to aid in dynamic handling, and two engines with two levels of tune on the lower one.That entry level mill is 3.0-litre supercharged V6, with outputs of 250kW/450Nm for the F-Type and 280kW/460Nm for the F-Type S, while the range topping F-Type R is powered by a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 developing 404kW/680Nm and promising a 100km/h time of 4.2-seconds and a top speed of 300km/h.That entry level mill is 3.0-litre supercharged V6, with outputs of 250kW/450Nm for the F-Type and 280kW/460Nm for the F-Type S, while the range topping F-Type R is powered by a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 developing 404kW/680Nm and promising a 100km/h time of 4.2-seconds and a top speed of 300km/h."The F-TYPE Coupé provides its driver with a unique sports car experience. It combines seductive design with cutting-edge technology and performance which is truly breathtaking. Engaging, precise, intuitive and alive - it is the definitive sports Coupé," Jaguar Land Rover group marketing director Phil Popham says in the press statement.Carsguide's test drives of the coupe suggest that Jaguar is on the money with their aims, and there's likely to be a queue of buyers keen to get their hands on one. As an extra attractant, the F-Type price includes free servicing for the first three years or 100,000km (whichever comes first).2014 Jaguar F-Type Australian pricesJaguar F-Type $119,900Jaguar F-Type S  $152,300Jaguar F-Type R  $219,600This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Volkswagen brand Bugatti has been duking it out with US brand Hennessey to see who wears the crown as the world's fastest production car. And the Americans may have just swiped it -- although the Guinness world records won't make it official.Hennessey has just unleashed their Venom GT at the Kennedy Space Centre landing tarmac, and -- clocked by leading GPS data-acquisition system maker Racelogic -- hit a speed of 270.49mph (435.31km/h) with director of Miller Motorsport Park, Brian Smith, at the helm.That trumps the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport's previous 269.86mph (434.30km/h) record, which has been sanctioned under Guinness rules. However, while there's been some argy-bargy about the Veyron in production form having a speed limiter -- while the record-setting car did not -- with its record being withdrawn and then reinstated, it seems Hennessey won't be officially handed the crown.In order for the speed to be recognised by Guinness, they require a pass in each direction to counter any advantage from wind. John Hennessey has already told media that he would have been willing to do so, but that NASA -- who operate the Kennedy facility -- would allow only one.And while the Bugatti Veyron is a special build by the Volkswagen Group halo brand, the Venom Gt is essentially built on a modified Lotus Exige chassis, and powered by a twin-turbocharged 7.0-litre V8 delivering 928kW of power at 6600rpm and 1566Nm of torque at 4400rpm to the rear wheels via a Ricardo six-speed manual transmission.Watch the Hennessey Venom GT hit 435.31km/h video on our desktop site.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Nobody likes getting stuck in traffic, especially during warm weather. And no animal enjoys it either, judging by this footage of a lion spotted in the back of a vehicle during a street stoppage in Dubai.The surprised motorist sitting behind the Nissan Armada SUV -- carrying the lion in the cargo bay -- filmed the beast as it paced around in the confined area, looking out the window and seemingly trying to find some shade.No information has emerged about why or where the big cat was being carted in the car. But curiously, and somewhat bravely, there's no cage or cargo barrier separating the big cat from the driver. We can only hope the lion became more comfortable when the traffic congestion eased and the Nissan started moving again. And that it didn't get irritated enough to start taking its frustration out on the upholstery -- or its fellow passengers.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincottWatch the live lion carried in the boot of car video on our desktop site. 

The gradual awakening of Michael Schumacher from an induced coma since his skiing accident has not yet reach the stage of consciousness, but race driver Felipe Massa said he saw some encouraging signs during a visit last week.The Brazilian driver visited his former teammate -- they formerly drove together for Scuderia Ferrari -- at Grenoble hospital, speaking to him and reporting that he saw Schumacher's mouth moving during the visit, according to a report in French news title Le Figaro.Massa, who currently drives for the Williams team, is one of the few apart from Schumacher's family who have been given access to the seven-time champion F1 legend, and said he spoke at the bedside of his preparation for the 2014 racing."I try to be optimistic," Massa is cited as saying in the report. "I saw it and I told him everything that I did at Jerez (during pre-season testing) on my car and the new team. I told him several times to wake up."I'm positive. You have to believe. He was sleeping and I was optimistic because it seemed normal. He also had some reactions with his mouth," Massa told the media. "It's very positive to see. I have no (medical) experience to speak on anything -- I'm not a doctor. But when I saw him, for me, it was very positive."This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

Volvo has already announced that the third of its trio of concepts would be unveiled at Geneva motor show next month, and a Swedish raincoat company has now teased the vehicle -- which looks set to reveal the styling for future wagons. The Stutterheim weatherwear website shows a vehicle said to be the Volvo Concept Estate, with a sleek shooting brake body hinted at under the slipping handstitched car cover -- the Estate Svart "made with inspiration from the Volvo Concept Estate". The Concept Estate will follow the Concept XC Coupe that debuted at the Detroit in January -- pointing to cues for the XC90 and other future SUVs -- and the Concept Coupe that spearheaded the trio at the 2013 Frankfurt show. While the Concept Estate has only two doors, it will likely seed the styling for the next V40, V60 and V70 as well as the V90 that is tipped to be in development as a range-topper for the wagon line-up, in parallel with the S90 sedan that will replace the current S80. We'll know more closer to the March 6 debut at the show, if Volvo follows the pattern it has with the previous two concepts of trickling out images and details ahead of the official reveal. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

Subaru will unveil a further development of the Viziv concept crossover coupe at the Geneva motor show in March, a year after the first one debuted there in 2013. The Viziv 2, teased so far with only a single drawing echoing cues from the latest WRX and Liberty, already reveals a new iteration of the 'hawk-eye' LED headlight cluster, LED-bezelled foglights, a stronger hexagonal grille and more assertive bumper styling with larger intakes. Subaru will further develop the concept as a pointer to future high-riding vehicles based on the brand's signature all-wheel drive system. Under the bonnet the new show car is likely to be powered by the same, or a similar, set-up to the 2013 Viziv: a diesel-electric hybrid marrying a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with three electric motors -- one helping power the engine and charge up the lithium-ion battery pack, and the other two sending extra drive to each of the rear wheels as needed to aid cornering. The system is mated to a continuously-variable automatic transmission, and can function in electric-only mode from start-up and during low-demand urban running. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott