Articles by Karla Pincott

As part of BMW's realignment -- and renumbering -- of its range, the new BMW 2 Series is hitting the sales floors in March priced from $50,500, a rise of $2500 over the 1 Series Coupe it is essentially replacing as a companion to the 1 Series Hatch range.The entry price gets you into a 220i Coupe, with the mid-range 220d diesel Coupe sitting at $52,500 and the range-topping, performance focused M235i Coupe at $79,900. The 1 Series currently offers 'M' spec only in a hatch version for $64,900, meaning you pay $15,000 extra for the coupe -- but also meaning it's still competitive against the $74,990 Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG hatch and might also be against the Audi RS3 currently in testing and tipped to be launched this year.The 220i carries turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine delivering 135kW of power and 270Nm of torque that peaks at a low 1250rpm. BMW is promising a 0-100km/h time of 7.0 seconds fuel economy of 6.0l100km.The efficiency leader is the 220d's four-cylinder TwinPower turbodiesel at 4.4L/100km, also with 135kW but a hefty 380Nm of torque, and official 0-100km/h time of 7.1 seconds.The M235i's turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder delivers 240kW of power -- 5kW more than that M135i hatch -- and 450Nm of torque, getting to 100km/h in just 4.8 seconds, shaving 0.1 off the M1351 with the same eight-speed sports auto gearbox -- but coming in 0.2 behind the A45 AMG.The transmission -- mated to all three engines -- features a launch control mode and F1-style steering wheel mounted paddle shifters. BMW is also expected to continue to offer the M135i's six-speed manual, however full specification details will not be available until closer to the launch date.BMW 2 Series pricesBMW 220i Coupé $50,500BMW 220d Coupé $52,500BMW M235i Coupé $79,900This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

Carsguide's spy photographers have captured one of the most talked-about future cars, the smaller sports car that will replace the SLS AMG 'Gullwing' in the Mercedes-Benz range. The German carmaker launched the Final Edition variant of the Gullwing at the Los Angeles motor show in November, and we're expecting its successor to be launched later this year.Reportedly codenamed the C190,iIt's been the subject of several working titles during development, including SLC, but is tipped to be launching as the GT AMG and to share little with the SLS -- a previous project based on the SLS was reportedly scrapped because Mercedes wanted to roll out a more affordable car. The current SLS AMG starts here at $468,320 and tops out at $639,000, whereas the GT AMG is targeting a price of around 110,000 euros (equivalent to $169,800, but you can expect import taxes and duties to raise the local price well above that level).Rather than the naturally-aspirated 420kW/650Nm 6.2-litre V8 that powers the Gullwing, the new sports car is likely to have an AMG twin-turbo V8 -- either their latest 5.5-litre or a 4.0-litre rumoured to be in development, with the possibility of two levels of tune indicated by the prototypes' different exhaust systems, with the lower around 370kW and the higher of which could be close to 500kW according to Motor Authority. However the new car will carry on with the SLS's seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission mounted at the rear to aid weight distribution -- and also looks to be borrowing some styling cues. There are no gullwing doors in evidence, but the same long nose and proportions.  The GT AMG will be smaller and lighter than the SLS, with a new aluminium spaceframe structure able to shave a reported 80kg off the current car's 1736kg. A convertible is a certainty to follow the coupe, and there are also rumours of a subsequent Black Series version with range-topping outputs.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

The new BMW X5 hit the showrooms late last year, and a new X6 is coming up behind it. Spy photographers have caught the X6 testing in the freezing temperatures close to the Arctic Circle, and even with parts of the vehicle wrapped in camouflage, it's clear that the design echoes that of the X5 on which it's based.The headlights and LED daytime runnng lights are more visually integrated with the kidney grille, giving a stronger horizontal presence to the nose. However the X6 roofline continues with signature steeper rakes front and rear -- looking to be even more pronounced in the coming model.It will likely carry the same engine line-up as the X5, which means for us at least the three engines offered for the X5 roll-out: a 330kW V8 petrol, a 190kW six-cylinder turbodiesel and a 280kW triple-turbo six-cylinder, with other  engines set to arrive later (including possibly the plug-in hybrid that has been presented as the eDrive concept). Australian models are expected to continue with the eight-speed automatic driving all four corners with constant all-wheel drive.We'll see the new generation X6 here either in the final quarter of 2014 or early in 2015, with prices likely not to move a great distance from the current $111,045 entry level and topping out at $191,045.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Jeep has a new arrival on the way to create a lower entry point to the brand, and reported to be christened Jeepster in a salute to the heritage of the original Jeepster produced by Willys-Overland in the late 1940s.The new version will be based on the Jeep's Fiat-Chrysler stablemate, the Fiat 500X, and will share the engine line-up from the Fiat 500L sold overseas: a 74kW 0.9-litre TwinAir Turbo, 119kW 1.4-litre MultiAir Turbo and an efficiency-focused 74kW 1.6-litre MultiJet II turbodiesel. It will slot into the Jeep family as a replacement for the Compass and Patriot, both of which start around $25,000 in Australia.Expected to make an appearance at the Geneva motor show in March, the Jeepster will carry the Jeep barred-grille and family face, and be given a respectable ground clearance, but will be produced in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants -- and it remains to be seen how much offroad ability it offers.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

We're so used to seeing gleaming perfect vehicles in car ads that we occasionally wonder if cars even get dusty in that world -- let along collect the occasional scrape or scuff. So it's startling to see Subaru make such a huge departure from the norm in showing a car that has been reduced to a write-off -- horrifyingly mangled.The commercial, created by Carmichael Lynch for Subaru of America shows a totalled Subaru Outback after what must have been a horrific crash. And it hasn't come out of the props department, either -- this was a car that had actually been in an accident.The Outback passes by a series of people, including emergency services, police and the tow-truck driver, with the only comment from each being "they lived", following which we see a family getting into a new Outback, with dad adding "we lived".Seeing the crumpled wreckage of the Outback is supposed to showcase the vehicle's top crash safety rating, but there's always the risk that the imagery (and the reminder of death) could actually put people off the model instead of attracting them to buy it.Watch the ad and tell us what you think? If this was showing a model you were considering, would it deter you or convince you to buy it?This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

Toyota’s FT-1 concept was arguably the star of the 2014 Detroit motor show -- prompting considerable comment about whether or not it points to a successor for the iconic Supra – with an outright perfo

Great Wall's Australian distributors Ateco Automotive have issued a recall notice for the brand's V200 utes, in which the position of a bracket in the engine bay means the wiring harness can rub against the bottom of the radiator, wearing through the wiring insulation. The defect can prevent the vehicle from properly earthing, which can cause the alternator dash light to activate, the battery to go flat, and the wiring to melt.The problem affects 9134 of the Great Wall V200 2.0-litre turbodiesel utes, which have been something of a price leader in the segment, starting at $22,990. The recall affects both both rear-wheel and 4WD versions. However the defect does not affect the largely mechanically identical X200 SUV, as while it uses the same drivetrain it has a different wiring harness bracket.The safety recall affects all model years of the Great Wall V200s sold since they first arrived in 2011. According to official VFACTS figures, Great Wall sold 2667 of the V200 in 2013, 4793 in 2012, and 1170 when it first appeared in 2011, for a total of 8630 to the end of 2013. The remaining 533 have either been sold during the first weeks of January or are still sitting in dealers' stock.Ateco is sending a letter to all affected customers, advising them to contact their nearest authorised dealer and have their ute inspected and the problem rectified.Great Wall spokesman Daniel Cotterill says the fix is a fairly minor job in most cases, and will not take up much of the owners' time."For most of the affected cars, what they have to do is inspect the bracket and if necessary adjust it to give extra clearance to the harness and components around it. On most of them it won't have even been rubbing, but the inspection and adjustment will take about 20 minutes," Cotterill says."On some of the vehicles, they will need to repair the wiring harness because it will have been rubbing, and that will take a total of 30 minutes for inspection and repair. On a very small minority -- we believe only about 30 vehicles of the 9134 recalled -- they might  find the wire has been exposed and the insulation can't been repaired, and under those cirsumctances they need to replace the harness, which will take about two hours."Cotterill says there have been no accidents associated with the defect. "The worst reported is some melted insulation, warning lights coming on, batteries not charging -- that sort of thing.

A bribery indictment filed in a German court has prompted prominent Formula One figure Bernie Ecclestone, 83, to resign from the board of the company that runs the sport, Delta Topco. The German legal action, for which a court date is yet to be announced, relates to a US$44 million ($50 million) payment he made to banker Gerhard Gribkowsky around the time Ecclestone sought to acquire the shares in F1 held by Gribkowsky's bank. Those shares were bought in 2005 by CVC Capital Partners, which owns Delta Topco. In 2012, Gribkowsky pleaded guilty to charges of bribery and tax evasion over the payment, and was given an eight-and-a-half year prison sentence. The fallout from the case, and ongoing pursuit by German authorities, have dogged Ecclestone, who was indicted on the bribery charges last year will face trial in a German court on the allegations. He has admitted making the payment to Gribkowsky but denies it was bribery. Although he has stepped down from his role as a director on the Delta Topco board, Ecclestone will continue to run its operations, essentially still controlling the management of the lucrative Formula One sport. “After discussion with the board, Mr. Ecclestone has proposed and the board has agreed that until the case has been concluded, he will step down as a director with immediate effect, thereby relinquishing his board duties and responsibilities until the case has been resolved," Delta Topco said in an official statement. "The board believes that it is in the best interests of both the F1 business and the sport that Mr. Ecclestone should continue to run the business on a day to day basis, but subject to increased monitoring and control by the board. Mr. Ecclestone has agreed to these arrangements." This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

BMW's little i3 city car and i8 sports car are just the start of the electric range for the German prestige brand, with an executive telling media at Detroit motor show the next car is in works.BMW's head of electric vehicle operations and strategy, Jacob Harb, hinted to AutoblogGreen that what is being developed is likely to be an i5, although he stopped short of giving a name to the project."You can probably take an educated guess at the next thought process, something a little bigger, maybe a little more range, relative to the i3," Harb is cited as saying. "We've got everything trademarked and we're exploring the best, next iteration. It is coming. It's in development now." Harb is reported as adding he would be heading to Munich as early as next week to "start the discussions further".We've reported previously that BMW was tipped to have already registered a series of nameplates, ranging from i1 up to i11 and it's likely that their next step would be a more family-focused car to aim for volume sales numbers.News last year suggested that an i5 could be in the works with BMW planning to stretch the platform that underpins the i3 to create a roomier -- and more family-focused -- vehicle.Suggestions are that the 4000mm platform could grow another 100mm of rear legroom and an additional 150mm of rear overhang to make for extra luggage space. Unlike the integrated monocoque steel platforms of most cars, the i3 has a separate aluminium chassis 'skateboard' -- on which sits the 'hat' of the carbon-composite body -- making it easier to extend the platform length and change the body and doors.However there will also be the question of whether the current i3's drivetrain will have enough grunt to cope with the extra load, once people and family cargo also climb aboard. The all-electric variant gets a 130-160km range from its 25kW/250Nm motor and lithium-ion battery pack.And while the range-booster variant gets 300km with the addition of a 647cc motorbike engine that keeps the battery topped up, it also takes on board an extra 150kg. So a larger sibling may mean we'll also see a stronger drivetrain solution.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

The Lexus RC F has picked up the performance baton from the Toyota prestige brand's IS F and will carry it with what Lexus says is the most powerful V8 in any of its cars.Able to switch between Atkinson and Otto cycles, it's a  more powerful version of the current 5.0-litre V8, with outputs raised to "more than" 335kW of power and 520Nm of torque. Lexus didn't give precise figures during the car's official unveiling this morning, but it's a rise over engine's current 321kW and 505Nm.The engine is mated to an eight-speed auto that Lexus says improves throttle response, and Lexus has added what it claims as the world's first front-engine, rear wheel drive torque-vectoring differential - which works differently to the brake-based system on the latest HSV GTS and other vehicles -- and has three operating modes -- Standard and Slalom for stability and steering response, and Track to aid cornering and acceleration. "The system on RC F is critically different to that on other vehicles as it does not use the application of brakes to assist in vehicle trajectory," Lexus spokesman Tyson Bowen says. "Rather than applying or dragging the brake pedal to the wheel loosing traction, the RC F's differential apportions torque to the wheels that require more or less. The benefit of the system is that it does not consume power by turning torque into heat, and furthermore does not require a larger brake calliper to counter additional heat stress."With the car having been largely developed on the Nurburgring, we're keen to hear the lap time, but that's not being disclosed yet. However with the uprated engine, the RC F should better the IS F's 4.9 seconds for the 0-100kmh sprint and perhaps raise the top speed of 274km/h.The performance gets an optional helping hand from weight-trimming carbon-fibre used for the roof and other body parts, plus an active rear wing that deploys at speeds over 80km/h and retracts when you wind back down to 40km/h and a hood scoop to minimise front lift.It rides on coil-spring independent suspension front and rear, with  monotube gas-filled shock absorbers and ball-jointed stabiliser bars. The wheel-arches can house one of three 10-spoke 19-inch forged alloy  wheels designs -- the top spec finished by the hands of a metal craftsman.An imposing version of the Lexus spindle grille works with the aggressive bumpers and side skirts to add the visual promise of performance, backed up by bonnet and front fender vents, and the four stacked trapezoid exhaust tips at the rear. That attitude carries over into the cabin, with metal and carbon-fibre trim, leather-covered sports seats emblazoned with an 'F', and meaty sports steering wheel.There's also a huge central dial in the instrument cluster that shows a G-force meter and different information depending on which of the differential modes are selected, and a large infotainment screen that dominates the centre stack.