Articles by Karla Pincott

Among the most talked-about Super Bowl ads was Bob Dylan's appearance for Detroit-based Chrysler, with the counterculture icon suggesting that while other countries might produce many things, America should make America's cars. "Is there anything more American than America? Cos you can't import original," Dylan aska. "You can't fake true cool, you can't duplicate legacy … because what Detroit created was a first, and became an inspiration to the rest of the world. "Yeah… Detroit made cars. And cars made America. Let Germany brew your beer. Let Switzerland make your watch. Let Asia assemble your phone. We will build your car." There's not been much reported on what the Detroit brewers thought about the German beer line. But US current affairs host and comedian Conan O'Brien clearly thought the ad didn't go far enough, and has parodied in in a version that covers everything from water to 'animated torture porn'. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

A British man has given away his pet dog of three years after arriving home to find she had chewed a hole into the wheelarch of his beloved Aston Martin.The damage to the DB9 Volante was done while Royston Grimstead was away, with him arriving home to find border collie spaniel cross Luce 'looking guilty' and covered in feathery white fibreglass."I came home and saw her covered in white stuff and I thought she had got a bird and it was feathers - but it was the fibreglass from the car," Grimstead told the UK's Daily Mail."She had chewed out a huge chunk. I just laughed. I mean, what else could I do? I'm not a crier and she knew she had done something wrong because she had this guilty look on her face."The damage on the car -- which would would have cost around $380,000 here as a new car -- is estimated to be about £3000 ($5,500).Grimstead said Luce has never before chewed any of his possessions, but he'd been thinking about rehoming her because she didn't get on with his other dog. "She must have overheard me talking about re-homing her because she's normally friendly and never really chewed on anything before," he said.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

The Mercedes-Benz tie-up with Nissan-Renault for supply of some engines could result in a baby X-Class SUV based on the little Nissan Juke and Renault Captur.The German brand's head of research and development, Thomas Weber, told the UK's Auto Express a crossover was under consideration to sit below the coming A-Class based GLA and GLA45 AMG. “We are watching it closely, but there are other gaps in the range that are more interesting,” he is cited as saying.Previous reports in German media have suggested that the engine tie-up between the companies could result in a small crossover based on the same platform that underpins the Juke and Captur -- and likely powered by the turbo engine from the latter.That means a 1.6-litre twin-turbocharged four-cylinder unit developing 118kW of power and 380Nm of torque. However if the project gets the nod, expect interiors to be considerably more upmarket to distance the Merc from its Nissan-Renault cousins.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

There's toughening competition in the van segment, with brands increasingly trying to sweeten the offer with more car-like features and better deals. Ford is tossing two new one-tonne Transit Custom models into the fray with the lure of an extended five-year, 200,000km warrant -- adding two years and 100,000km over the standard one.The 290S short wheelbase is rolling into showrooms this month priced from $37,490 -- about $1500 more than the current entry-level 280. The longer wheelbase 330L arrives mid-year at $39,490, which is a drop of $2000 on the current 330.Both will be powered by the carryover 92kW/350Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine mated to a six-speed manual driving the front wheels. Fuel economy is claimed at 7.1L/100km for the 290S and 7.3L/100km for the 330L.The 290S offers 5.95 cubic metres of rear load space and 2555mm load length, and the 330L 6.83 cubic metres and 2922mm in length.Ford is promising a more comfortable workhorse with extra features, including the SYNC infotainment system, more storage nooks and crannies in the cabin and a fold-down centre armrest that does double duty as a writing surface. The hauling capacity benefits from a load-through hatch in the bulkhead and an integrated roof-rack system.Driving and safety technology includes ABS with brake assist for panic stops and brakeforce distribution to counter uneven loading, stability control, hill start assist, torque vectoring, cruise control with speed limiting, and the workers' welcome mates: trailer sway control, load adaptive control and roll-over mitigation.The Transit Custom will also get the myFord Capped Price Servicing program and -- for the first time on the van -- Emergency Roadside Assistance."We are signaling to customers that the all-new Transit Custom presents a very compelling reason to buy," Ford Australia's vice-president of marketing, sales and service, Graeme Whickman says. "Not only is the Transit well priced, but it has high levels of safety, practicality and driver appeal."2014 Ford Transit Custom pricesFord Transit 290S Custom 2.2-litre turbodiesel (man) $37,490Ford Transit 330L Custom 2.2-litre turbodiesel (man) $39,490This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Subaru is readying the 2015 Liberty (known as the Legacy in other markets) for an unveiling at Chicago motor show tomorrow, but has been beaten to the punch by images appearing online, giving us a look inside and out.First posted on a US site, the images show more conventional styling than the Legacy Concept that was unveiled last year, but a sleeker coupe-like roof line than the current model.The interior shots show a streamlined approach to dashboard layout, handsome saddle-stitched leather upholstery and metal and wood-finish accents.Subaru has already announced the car will get the latest version of its Eyesight safety system, with stereo colour cameras that have expanded the monitored area and improved recognition of obstacles and pedestrian traffic.The Liberty is likely to continue with the current engines: a 127kW/235Nm 2.5-litre as the opener with six-speed manual and CVT auto transmission choices, and a 195kW/350Nm turbocharged 2.5-litre with the chance of a six-speed auto replacing the current five-speed for the upper spec. The cars will of course carry on with Subaru's signature all-wheel drive system.Expect to see the Liberty arrive here early next year, followed by the wagon version that will be unveiled at a future motor show later in 2014.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Ferrari has issued invitations to the unveiling of a mystery car referred to as the '149M Project' on February 12 in what would be the lead-up to the Geneva motor show in March. The so-called secret project is believed to the the update for the Ferrari California -- which had an original codename of F149 in initial development leading up to its debut at the 2008 Paris motor show. The California is going on for six years old and due for a refresh, and a test mule was spotted several times late last year. The Italian supercar maker has not released any other details, but the spy shots indicate the car is expected to be an update rather than a complete makeover. However there could be an engine change from the front mid-mounted 338kW/485Nm 4.3-litre V8 that powers the current California, with some suggestions the new car could carry a version of the 390kW/700kW 3.8-litre V8 used in the Maserati Quattroporte -- gaining some 52kW and 215Nm in the process. It could also get the benefit of Ferrari's F1-style KERS system, that captures brake energy for storage in a lithium-ion battery that powers two electric motors -- one for cabin features, and the other to tip in another 75kW of power to the engine outputs. Exterior changes are hinted at in the spy photos, most noticeably the tapered headlights that are spreading across the Ferrari family as one of the design strategies that improve airflow. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

Jeep used to use the Laredo nameplate for base model specs levels, and it could be revived soon for the coming baby SUV that will provide a new entry point to the brand. Set to be unveiled at the Geneva motor show in March, the little Jeep has been developed on a shared platform with the Fiat 500X under the newly-merging company umbrella. Fiat-Chrysler (or FCA as it's now known) boss Sergio Marchionne has ruled out Jeepster as a nameplate, but industry journal Automotive News cites insider sources saying Laredo is the front runner. The littlest Jeep has been spotted testing several times in camouflage that reveals little about the styling and design of the body, but estimations are that it will measure around 4.2 metres in length when it launches in 2015. Engine choices are believed to come from the Fiat stable, including a tiny 900cc TwinAir Turbo and a 1.6-litre MultiJet turbo diesel. While the 500X will be offered with cheaper front-wheel drive, the Jeep will be only four-wheel drive but is still likely to be priced very sharply to grab attention in the booming compact SUV segment. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

The future of vehicle-to-vehicle communication may arrive sooner with a push from the US Department of Transportation (DOT), which has announced plans for a proposal to make such systems mandatory in new cars and light trucks.A network of connected cars would use high-speed communications to transmit information about traffic flow and road conditions, minimising congestion and using convoy 'lock-on' radar to prevent collisions. Rather than relying on the driver to notice if another car's brake lights have activated, the systems would transmit the information directly from the car's computer to surrounding traffic -- literally before the blink of a driver's eye can see the light flash.The planned DOT proposal comes after a 12-month pilot study by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the results of which will be released within the next few weeks. The implementation of mandatory vehicle-to-vehicle technology would need a set of uniform standards for carmakers selling into the huge US market -- and that could see the systems fast-tracked for other countries.The need for agreement among the manufacturers means we are probably some years away from seeing an entire country's new car traffic with such connectivity, but officials are already advocating the benefits of making the systems mandatory."By helping drivers avoid crashes, this technology will play a key role in improving the way people get where they need to go," US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told media.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

This year's Super Bowl was the most expensive ever for advertisers, who paid a record US$4 million ($4.5m) per 30-second slot. And they seemed to have spent up on making the ads, with Hollywood production, big stars -- counterculture icon Bob Dylan among them -- and in some cases up to 10 pre-game teasers. But with all the splash and sizzle, it was this simple road safety ad that got most cut-through in shock value for the 110 million viewers. Created for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) as part of its Zero Fatalities campaign, The Twist starts off with an image of a young boy curled up in a car seat, and a voiceover that starts off "Sam looks like he's sleeping..." but as the camera zooms out we see that he's been killed in a car crash, not by the crash itself but by being unbuckled and flying into the back of the seat in front of him. The powerful message caused some controversy, with US media reporting a lot of people were upset by the footage screened among the signature cavalcade of celebrity and humour seen in Super Bowl ads. Viewers hits UDOT's 'Zero Fatalities' Facebook page with comments, many of which were critical of the ad’s graphic nature. UDOT has admitted the commercial was blunt, but have responded to criticism by saying that if people were shocked by the staged imagery in the ad, they should see -- or at least think about -- the real-life consequences of what not buckling up can do. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott Watch the ad that shocked the Super Bowl on our desktop site.  

Peoplemovers are viewed as the ungainly end of the passenger vehicle spectrum, but with new V-Class, Mercedes-Benz says it's setting a higher benchmark for those who need to haul up to eight people and their gear.  Replacing the Vito-based Valente passenger hauler and the more upmarket Viano, the V-Class is described by Merc as "a saloon (sedan) for up to eight people”, combining functionality, comfort and style "in a way that no other vehicle in this segment can offer".The V-Class will launch overseas in three lengths: a 4.9m short wheelbase, 5.17m mid-length and 5.37m long wheelbase, although not all may be offered here, where both the Valente and Viano arrive only in the 5m versions -- although the lower-spec Vito is available as a short wheelbase in both van and eight-seat passenger versions.Mercedes says the V-Class offers elegant design and luxe interiors nappa leather options, plus a range of technology more usually associated with prestige sedans, including automatic climate-control airconditioning and the latest COMAND infotainment system with 'scrawlable' touchpad control. And for commercial passenger duties -- or perhaps conversation flow in very large families -- there's a microphone system to let the driver talk to the rear rows more clearly.Those rows can be configured with buckets or benches to accommodate up to eight, with both options offering foldable seatbacks to create more luggage space, while the rear windscreen opens separately to the lower tailgate, giving quick access to toss smaller items into the cargo area.Under the sloping bonnets will be a 2.1-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder, available in two levels of tune: a 120kW/380Nm V220 CDI (promising around 5.7L/100km fuel economy) and a 140kW/440Nm V250 BlueTec (6.1L/100km) Merc says has "as much pulling power and agility as the previous 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel".Australian specification and locked-in timing is yet to be confirmed for the V-Class's arrival, however it's likely to be early in 2015. "We expect it to arrive in the first quarter of next year," Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy says.However he stresses that despite the more upmarket focus, there may not be upward move for pricing from the starting points of $54,490 for the Valente model and $78,635 for the Viano. “We think it really depends how we specify the car here – we don't see any great change in where it sits in the market, so don't expect much change in the price point,” McCarthy says. “We've been successful with Valente and Viano because of price and how they’re specified so we’ll be continuing that strategy.”However he says there’s no indication yet of whether the V-Class will also later replace the passenger version of the Vito, which starts with the five-seater at $48,990 and the eight-seater at $49,990 (the delivery van version starts at $38,990). “At this point passenger version of Vito will stay – but it’s really too early to confirm as we haven’t locked down the product yet.”McCarthy says it’s also too early to define all the drivetrain offerings. “Viano will probably have the higher level of tune, but Valente we don’t know yet – as we get closer to the local launch we’ll nail down the specification.”This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott