Articles by Karla Pincott

Social media was the source of a spreading rumour yesterday that Formula One legend Michael Schumacher had died. However officials this morning have confirmed the champion race driver is still alive and in the slow process of being awoken from an induced coma in the Grenoble hospital that has been treating him since his skiing accident.A report in Le Figaro this morning said the rumours started on Twitter yesterday afternoon and were broadcast on German television. However the Grenoble hospital has categorically denied the reports as false.The social media flurry came in the aftermath of a scandal with satirical magazine Titanic claiming to have the exclusive first photo of Schumacher since his accident -- but posting a photograph of fellow F1 legend Niki Lauda who suffered severe burns as a result of a crash during his racing career.Inside the magazine were reportedly games that parents could use to explain Schumacher's skiing accident, and a jigsaw puzzle to piece his helmet back together, both of which have been slammed as being in extremely poor taste.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Insurance companies get to read some unlikely explanations for vehicle crashes, and an assessor somewhere is bound to be entertained if he gets a claim from Robert Sevenich, who is blaming Bigfoot for his accident. The 17-year-old from Columbiana in the US state of Ohio told highway patrol officers that about 3am on January 28 he was sitting in his car near an intersection in Fairfield, when he saw a Bigfoot standing beside a stop sign. Sevenich said he was startled, and while accelerating went off the road and crashed into a ditch. According to Salem News, the police report states that Sevenich told officers he was trying to avoid a hairy well-built creature that stood at least seven feet (3 metres) tall and had green glowing eyes. When asked if it was human, Sevenich reportedly replied that he believed it to be Bigfoot. Police searched the area around the crash site, but have said they haven't found any evidence of a Bigfoot. Sevenich will face a charge of failing to properly control his car. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

Ssangyong has released a first look at its new XLV concept ahead of a global debut at Geneva motor show in March, and even in the stylised images the vehicle looks close to a production model.The XLV points to a new compact crossover expected to arrive in 2015, offering seating for up to seven -- although it may not feature the concept's novel arrangement in which the seventh seat slides back and forth between the second and third rows.Ssangyong's product hasn't been known for its beauty. But the XLV -- following on from the XIV-1 concept unveiled at Frankfurt in 2011 and the XIV-2 at Geneva in 2012 -- is making an effort to change that.Further developing their 'Nature born 3 motion' design language, the XLV looks to be a handsome vehicle. The images don't reveal whether, like the XIV-1, it's done away with B-pillar but we can see well-judged character lines and a visually sharp rake that streamlines the flow of the wide C-pillar.It's grown in length from the previous concept, now measuring 4430mm tip to tail, 1845mm wide and 1600mm high on a 2600mm wheelbase. If those dimensions survive to production, it will have the XLV face off against the likes of the Nissan Dualis and likely undercut its starting price of $25,990.The show car is powered by a hybrid system, comprised of a 1.6-litre diesel engine and a small electric motor with lithium-ion battery pack, but no outputs or performance figures have been revealed.However the production version is likely to at least offer choices of conventional petrol and diesel engines similar to the 111kW/191Nm 2.0-litre petrol and 129kW/360Nm 2.0-litre diesel in the current Korando.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Honda has unveiled a look at its future styling direction with the Vision XS-1 concept, a seven-seat crossover with futuristic design. Unveiled at the Indian Auto Expo in New Delhi, the Vision XS-1 is presented as a "creative study model" rather than something headed for the production line. That translates to a high-riding people-mover with three rows of seats, and wide access with the van-like sliding door and lack of a B-pillar. Sporty styling streamlines the shape with sharp character lines running along the sides, angular black body inserts and flying buttress tail-light construction -- standing proud on either side of the tailgate rather like a pair of extra grab-handles -- and the chevron exhaust outlets. The sharply raked windscreen flows back into a panoramic sunroof, throwing light into the cabin's strong black-and-white treatment set off with bronze accents. There's a luxe-look steering wheel with stitched leather, white high-tech mesh sports fabric on the seats and what seems to be hose-down plastic on the chunky shapes of the dash, into which is set the almost mandatory large touchscreen. The accompanying press blurb discusses the fusion of "sporty exterior styling and amazing spaciousness" expressed in "human-centered design" -- which essentially means little of the detail will ever make it to the showroom. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

The British-based prestige sports car maker is recalling about 75 per cent of its cars built since late in 2007, after discovering a Chinese supplier was using counterfeit plastic in the accelerator pedals.The recall covers all left-hand drive cars that rolled off the production line since November 2007 and all right-hand drive ones since May 2012, in which there is a risk the pedals may break. The DB9, V8 Vantage, DBS,  Rapide, Rapide S, V12 Vantage, V8 Vantage S and Virage are included in the recall, but the latest Vanquish is not.The recall means thousands of wealthy and celebrity owners around the world will have to return their cars -- including the DBS driven by Daniel Craig in the James Bond movie Quantum Of Solace and a V12 Vantage Roadster he was loaned for his 45th birthday last year.Documents filed with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration state that a company called Synthetic Plastic Raw Material Co. Ltd. of Dongguan supplied the counterfeit plastic to Shenzhen Kexiang Mold Tool Co. Ltd -- the firm that makes the pedals for Aston Martin.The recall affects 156 cars in Australia, the owners of which are being contacted. "Aston Martin is writing to owners and working through the process of replacing those as quickly as practical," an Aston Martin spokesman said. "However there have been no accidents or instances of the pedal failing here." Aston Martin has announced it will move production of the part to the UK. 

We're used to seeing motor show concepts with extreme accessories, but Renault has just taken it to a new height -- airspace level.The French brand's Kwid crossover concept launched at India's Auto Salon includes a remote-control spy drone that launches from a dock at the back of the vehicle's roof and heads out on missions to find you parking spaces, scout for traffic problems and even take a few aerial holiday snaps -- presumably for loading to your social media updates.The quadricopter drone is operated via a tablet in the cabin, but if your passenger doesn't want to play (or you don't want them to get their clumsy mitts on the controls), it can fly in pre-programmed modes using GPS to monitor its path and position.The rugged-looking little Kwid crossover is a three-door hatch with offset positions for three -- the two passengers flanking the driver -- in two-tone elastic strap-design seating Renault says was inspired by birds' nests.Are we going to see the drone offered as an option on future Renaults? It's highly unlikely, with the Kwid being just a show attraction. Which is something of a shame, because it probably does a more reliable job than the onboard satnavs that will lead you astray in many cars. And would definitely be more fun. 

The German carmaker is drip-feeding glimpses of a mystery car, with the second video tease giving a quick look at the roofline -- confirming it's a hardtop, and resembling the lines of the A1 and the S1 we've seen previously in spy shots.Audi is revealing the car on February 12, and is expected to be heading for a Geneva show stand with the S1, which will add a performance focus to the A1 line-up after the brand ruled out any suggestion of developing an RS (race sport) version.It's likely to arrive in overseas showrooms later this year as a 2015 model in both three- and five-door versions -- and the video suggests the three-door will be the focus of the unveiling -- dressed up with S-Line cues in the form of stronger bumper styling, rear spoiler and quad exhausts.Under the bonnet is tipped to be a detuned version of the S3's turbocharged 206kW/380Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder -- with power dropped to around 170kW for the smaller and lighter S1 -- and transmission choices a six-speed manual or six-speed dual clutch driving all four wheels.Performance speculations shouldn't be too far off the mark with expectations of equalling or bettering the S3's 0-100km/h time of 5.4 seconds manual and 5.0 for the auto.  

BMW has their revised X3 waiting in the wings for a global debut at Geneva motor show next month, and official images and details are giving an early viewing of the styling and equipment changes.The fornt of the X3 follows the updates we've seen to the 3 Series and on the new 4 Series ranges, with redesigned headlight clusters integrating more tightly with the lines of the wider chrome-bevelled kidney grille. The front bumper has also been given a makeover with more imposing air intakes, and the side skirts have been resculpted. The cabin has been given trim and feature upgrades to freshen it and bring it in line with the other latest arrivals to the stable. The X3 cabin was last given an update -- and a classy one at that -- about three years ago, so it was due for some extra weaponry to better capture buyers in the SUV segment.The X3 will be available overseas with a larger choice of than the four we currently get here: the xDrive20i 135kW/270Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder, plus the more powerful 180kW/350Nm version in the xDrive28i, with the turbodiesel side catered for by the xDrive20d's 135kW/380Nm 2.0-litre and xDrive30d's 190kW/560Nm 3.0-litre inline six.The new line-up upgrades the xDrive20d with a new 2.0 litre turbodiesel, lifting the outputs to 140kW and 400Nm and giving it better fuel economy of 5.4L/100km (an improvement of 0.2L) or as low as 5.0L with optional low rolling-resistance tyres. The range also sees the addition of a rear-wheel drive sDrive18d with a 110kW/360Nm turbodiesel, while overseas markets will continue to get the xDrive35d with a 230kW/630Nm 3.0-litre turbodiesel, the rear-wheel drive sDrive20i with a 135kW/270Nm 2.0-litre petrol four, and the xDrive35i with a 225kW/400Nm 3.0-litre petrol six .New features include LED fog lights and turn indicators as standard across the range, and full-LED headlights as an option, along with cosmetic and wheel upgrades avaialable in the optional M Sport and xLine packages.BMW says the updated X3 will arrive in Australia in the third quarter of this year, but it's to far in the future to determine exact price and spec. "We're still going through specification and details, but it will follow the current X3 -- which has proven to be quite popular -- in being highly featured and attractively priced," BMW Australia spokeswoman Lenore Fletcher says. "Pricing and positioning of models has been an ongoing focus for BMW, and you can expect to see similar strategies applied to the new X3."This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Citroen is known for being a bit quirky, and they've amped up that 'bit' to 'a whole lot' with the coming C4 Cactus, which has not moved far from its funky concept styling.Set to be unveiled at the Geneva motor show next month, the C4 Cactus carries over most of the cues from last year's Frankfurt Cactus concept -- most notably the 'airbump' panels along the sides, designed both for visual impact and to protect the vehicle against the scuffs of real impact.However the side openings  have been replaced by more conventional pillared windows, although blacked out to retain the appearance of a floating roof. And the concepts 'circuit board' headlights and tail-lights have been ditched in favour of normal LED clusters.The interior has kept the vented leather upholstery on bench seats with strong metal  accents and the floating screens for instrumentation and infotainment.Citroen has not yet revealed any drivetrain details for the C4 Cactus, however we expect the show reveal to include information on economy-focused petrol and diesel engines.

The leaked images are from a brochure for the Maruti Celerio, the replacement for the Maruti A-Star nameplate the Alto wears in the Indian market.The car is being unveiled tomorrow at the Indian Auto Expo in New Delhi, but the brochure has been leaked online by Autoportal, showing the exterior and also specification for the new car.The five-door hatchback gets fresher looks, and has grown in some directions: the 1600mm width is the same but the 3600mm length is up 100mm, the 1560mm height is up 90mm and the 2425 wheelbase is 65mm longer.The brochure describes the newcomer as a five-seater, but with the width not having increased, it's likely Australian cars will continue as four-seaters. However luggage capacity looks to have increased from the current 110 litres to 235 litres.But not much has changed under the skin. The new car is powered by the Alto's carryover a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine,  developing 50kW and 90Nm with the options of either a five-speed manual and an automatic transmission.This will be the fourth generation of the Alto to arrive in Australia, and while local cars often add more than the spec lists of the Indian versions, the brochure shows features include wing mirrors with turn indicators (not currently on our Alto).This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott