Articles by Karla Pincott

We're counting down to the unveiling of the Ford Mustang in Sydney late on the night of December 5 -- to coincide with simultaneous reveals in five other markets where it will be sold.Until then, we've got an animated overview showing the "Evolution of an Icon," and tracking the shape, styling engine, transmission and steering wheel through 50 years of the pony car. It doesn't show the 2015 one, of course, but we'll bring you all the information about that straight after the Australian unveiling.The engine line-up hasn't yet been confirmed but is expected to include a choice of V8, V6 and turbo four-cylinder units -- a four returning to the Mustang for the first time since its 1978-1993 run, which admittedly failed to find buyer favour in those years.The new car has been dieting, and is reported to tip the scales about 180kg lower than the current model, saving fuel and improving dynamics. It's also slightly smaller -- about 38cm shorter and 15cm narrower -- riding on a new platform that includes its first independent rear suspension.Ford is tipped to be aiming for an entry price to slip under the $50,000 mark when the Mustang arrives on sale before the end of 2015.Watch the desktop version of the Mustang evolution video here.Visit our dedicated Ford Mustang hubThis reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

It's just a few weeks since Nissan revealed images and drivetrain details of its new Qashqai crossover -- which will bring a name change to Australia in the third quarter of next year when it replaces the current model called the Dualis here. They now added a claim that the Qashqai is the 'world's most parkable car', pointing to the improved parking assistance systems on board.The crossover will have the latest version of Nissan's Park Assist, helping it get into even tighter spots with an around view camera and monitor system giving a 360-degree bird's eye view -- allowing it to parallel park in spaces just 80cm longer than the vehicle with the driver only having to engage forward and reverse.The Qashqai cameras also get moving object detection to alert you if something moves into the car's critical footprint.That’s because Nissan has updated its Park Assist system to make the Qashqai better than ever at getting itself into tight spots (the driver just controls forward and reverse).It's handy technology, but not anything we haven't seen before. However there is one detail in the tech announcement we thought was a clever way to solve a common problem. A 'wash and blow dry' system comprising a tiny high-pressure water jet and compressed air nozzle clears the lens of the reversing camera whenever it gets dirty, fogged or obscured with raindrops.Yes, it's a small thing. However for those of us who've often tried to use the camera without a clear screen -- and then had to get out and clean it -- it's a good one. But we're still a bit doubtful about that 'world's most parkable car' claim.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Honda chose India to take the wraps of the new City sedan that will go on sale around the world in 2014, arriving in Australia towards the second half of the year. The debut location reflects that the Jazz-with-a-boot is far more popular in overseas markets than here, where it's failed so far to excite Australian buyers, luring only 588 of them so far this year against the Jazz hatch's 5147. Following on from the new Jazz, the front-wheel drive City has grown in length and rides on a longer wheelbase, offering 510 litres of boot capacity and rear legroom has been increased by 60 mm, tandem distance between the front and rear occupant has been increased by 60 mm while knee room for rear occupants is now 70 mm longer. Our colleagues at Livelifedrive in Malaysia who attended the launch say Honda is promising class-leading cabin space with rear legroom growing by 60mm and rear knee room by 70mm. Overseas markets will get the choice of the City's first diesel -- a 75kW/200Nm 1.5-litre -- but we're likely to see only the revised carryover 1.5-litre petrol unit, with unchanged 88kW/145Nm outputs. Honda will confirm full specification and pricing closer to the City's Australian launch, but with the little sedan being a slow sales shifter it's unlikely the prices will move much from the current $16,490 entry for the five-speed manual VTi version, and $2000 and $4000 more for the auto Vti and top-spec auto VTi-L respectively. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

Hyundai has unveiled the second generation of its Genesis sedan, showing the car we could see here as early as the middle of next year -- with news that the sedan will now gain a right-hand drive version.Its coupe sibling will debut at Detroit motor show in January, and Hyundai has already confirmed it will bring the rear-wheel two-door to Australia. Global CEO and president Steve S Yang told Carsguide during a test drive in Korea last year the coupe would be on our list, but at the time ruled out the sedan because it didn't have a right-hand drive program."The right-hand-drive coupe will be available for Australia and other RHD countries," he said. "But at the moment we don't have any plans for a RHD Genesis sedan." However he acknowledged "we know there is a market for the right-hand sedan in Australia, and maybe Singapore, Hong Kong and  South Africa."That acknowledgement has borne fruit, and the new sedan will be built in both left- and right-hand drive, and will also have both rear- and all-wheel drive versions.The range will be powered by V6 and V8 engines mated to eight-speed automatic transmissions. The sixes open the bidding with a 190kW/304Nm 3.0-litre, followed by a 208kW/348Nm 3.3-litre and the carryover 232kW and 397Nm 3.8-litre, while the 313kW/520Nm 5.0-litre V8 is also retained -- claims a 0-100km/h time of 5.4 seconds.Hyundai wants to keep pushing the brand further upmarket and the new sedan has its eye on the premium buyer with styling and fit-out that it intends to challenge the European brands. It gets a more resolved and streamlined development of Hyundai's sometimes over-frantic 'fluidic sculpture' design language, a striking hexagonal grille and a larger, wider, higher body that the carmaker says boasts best-in-class cabin space.Inside and out, the Genesis sedan suggests Hyundai has looked closely at what's on offer from Europe, with the restrained styling and focus on a premium impression.Features include a high-resolution 9.2-inch touchscreen for audio and nav, blind spot detection integrated with a heads-up display, lane keeping assist and departure warning and radar-controlled cruise system with automatic emergency braking, surround-view monitor and advanced parking assist.Under the skin are stiffer multi-link front and rear suspension set-ups and electronic suspension and traction cornering controls for better handling, plus a strong focus on ride comfort and noise reduction.Hyundai has not yet confirmed that the sedan will join the coupe in Australian showrooms. But with their eye on a target of 62,000 sales for it next year -- 32,000 in Korea and the rest around the world -- it would seem extremely unlikely they would ignore a significant right-hand drive market like ours.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Mini has just unveiled the new third-generation at the Los Angeles motor show, but only in one variation: the three-door hatch. However, other models are on the way, and our latest spy shots show the Cooper Convertible, snapped while being transported for testing.It's likely to follow very shortly after the on-sale timing of the hardtop -- March next year for overseas markets, and arriving here not long afterwards.Like the Cooper hatch, there's no reason to expect any startling departures from the Mini recipe, which means the convertible will carry on with a powered folding soft top. However there will be changes to the interior, echoing those of the hatch: the speedo and tacho have been ditched from the massive 8.8-inch circular gauge in the middle of the dash and moved to a more conventional position in the instrument cluster behind the steering wheel (with heads-up displays for upper spec variants).The plate-sized feature still dominates the centre of the dash, but now contains just audio and airconditioning controls and an optional reversing camera and satnav. There'll also be extra safety kit on offer with a parking assistant, and collision and pedestrian avoidance systems.Based on the new UKL platform we'll eventually also see underpinning some BMWs, the convertible will echo the hatch in offering more space, having grown grown in length, width and wheelbase. Mini says that translates to more cabin room and an additional 51 litres of cargo capacity.Drvetrains should similarly echo the hatch, with the entry level droptop powered by a turbo 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine with outputs of 100kW of power between 4500-600rpm and 220Nm of torque at a low 1250rpm. The Cooper S convertible will carry a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder, developing 141kW of power between 4700-6000rpm and 300Nm of torque at 1250rpm. Transmissions for all variants are a standard six-speed manual transmission or optional six-speed auto.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

We've seen Tax The Rich punishing a Ferrari Enzo before, but this time they're giving us a closer look at the action in all the grace of slow-motion.It's the latest in a series from the mystery team, who take supercars to places they're never supposed to be. Over the past couple of years we've seen the Enzo, a Ferrari 288 GTO, Bugatti EB110 SS, Rolls Royce Phantom, twin Ferrari F50s and a Jaguar XJ220 thrashed through farm paddocks and down crumbling rural bitumen, dirt and gravel roads.While the identity of the Tax The Rich driver is officially unknown -- and despite his denials -- it's becoming increasingly obvious there's a connection to Harry Hunt, the rally driver son of Brit real estate magnate Jon Hunt, who's the owner of the palatial Heveningham Hall manor estate identifiable in some of the videos.Watch the Ferarri drifting, sliding and doing burnouts.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Volkswagen has for been considering the prospect of adding a new budget brand to its stable, and now looks to be getting closer to confirming the addition next year. Speaking with journalists at Tokyo motor show, Volkswagen's brand development head Dr Heinz-Jakob Neusser said the business case is still being assessed, but is likely to get the green light in 2014. However that will depend on whether VW believes it can produce a car with a budget price but still retaining sufficiently high standards, he told UK site Auto Express. "We are conceptually developing the budget car, but we haven’t decided up to now go into production development," he said. We are still working on the cost side, and that is the biggest issue. We will only make this car when it is profitable." He said the car -- which would initially launch into the Chinese market priced at the equivalent of around $10,000 -- would not carry the VW logo, but have a new brand. "It has a special brand in the (Volkswagen) Group, but it has to fulfil our criteria. It has to be durable, it has to be precise, it has to be safe. We will come to a decision next year." Earlier this year, Volkswagen CEO Ferdinand Piech said he wanted to add more brands to the 12 in the group: Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen cars; Ducati motorcycles; and MAN, Scania and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles trucks and vans. At the time he was eyeing Alfa Romeo, but Chrysler/Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne was vehement in his response the Italian brand was not on the table. However it seems VW has moved closer to creation rather than acquisition of a new brand, to make up the 13 VW badges Piech said at the time his children would one day be able to choose from. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

Just weeks after the first spy shots of the Volvo V60 Polestar appeared, the Swedish brand has given the hot wagon a global debut, positioning it as the more practical sibling to the already lauded S60 sedan -- for which Australia has been the trial market. Sadly, at this stage Australia isn't on the list of seven markets Volvo has marked for the V60 Polestar: Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the USA. However further markets will be named next year when final production run -- likely to be limited -- and pricing details are revealed. For now, we know at least that the wagon is powered by the same T6 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine as the S60 Polestar, upgraded with a new twin-scroll turbo and intercooler and matching the sedan's outputs of 257kW of power at 5700rpm and 500Nm of torque at 2800rpm. Volvo says the hot V60 tips the scales at a hefty 1822kg -- 138kg more than the sedan's 1684kg -- however is still promising a dead heat 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds and top speed (electronically limited) of 250km/h, which suggests that with those astonishing delivery skills the Polestar elves could move a bit further north and give Santa a hand. Drive is sent via a six-speed automatic transmission -- with paddle shifters on the steering wheel -- to all four wheels via a Polestar-developed Haldex system allows both the S60 Polestar and V60 Polestar to accelerate to 100 km/h from rest in just 4.9 seconds. Top speed is limited to 250 km/h. Polestar's boffins have had their hands all over the underpinnings of both the V60 and the updated S60, resulting in some restrained bodykit for better aerodynamics, sportier recalibration of the traction and stability control systems, a more rigid chassis and stiffer springs, the addition of custom Ohlins shock absorbers and 371mm ventilated front discs and six-piston Brembo calipers nestled behind the 20-inch Polestar wheels.  Both get a snarling soundtrack with a 2.5-inch stainless steel exhaust system. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

Pirelli is famous for making some of the world's best tyres -- notably used as the control tyre in Formula One competition. But the brand is almost equally famous for the world's most iconic date-marker: the annual Pirelli Calendar, which this year marks half a century of publication. Over that time, Pirelli has commissioned the world's top photographers; a string of names that reads like a Who's Who of the camera world. They include Helmut Newton, Annie Leibovitz, Norman Parkinson, Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts, Sarah Moon, Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier, Peter Beard, Steve McCurry, Mario Sorrenti and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Models and stars who have appeared in the pages include Sophia Loren, Sienna Miller, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Gisele Bündchen,  Selma Blair, Lauren Bush,  Laetitia Casta, Mila Jovovich, Doutzen Kroes, Heidi Klum, Penélope Cruz, Brittany Murphy, Julia Stiles, Karolina Kurkova, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Mena Suvari, Isabeli Fontana and Hilary Swank. Also see: 2014 Pirelli Calendar video | warning nudity While some years have contained more nudity than others, 'The Cal' has always upheld the highest possible aesthetic and production standards, making it one of the most sought-after publications of our time. Never offered for sale, and printed only in a very limited edition, it is gifted to a highly confidential list of VIPs, with as few as 200 Calendars even making it to Australia each year. Watch the Pirelli 50 year history video on our desktop site. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

A problem that could short circuit and blow fuses in the electricals of their seven-speed dual clutch gearboxes (DSGs) has prompted a safety recall by Audi for the A1, A3 and TT using that transmission.The recall affects 1549 cars in Australia built between October 2012 and April 2013, and using the DSG transmission. The fault could cause the DSG to suffer from conductive deposits forming in the control unit, causing an electrical short circuit and blown gearbox fuse -- meaning the clutch will fully open and the car will roll to a stop.Audi says in most cases, the fuse will blow immediately the engine starts up, before the car gets going. However if the vehicle is already in motion when the short circuit occurs, it could suddenly lose power to the wheels, creating a possible safety hazard to the affected car and surrounding traffic. Drivers are still able to steer and use the brakes if that happens."The work should take around 1.5 hours, and customers are still able to drive their vehicles as usual, prior to the work being carried out," Audi Australia spokesman Shaun Cleary says. "Should any customers have any concerns, they are invited to call the Audi Customer Service telephone line 1800 50 AUDI (2834) between the hours of 8am and 7pm," he says.Audi is writing to owners of the affected cars, and a service bulletin covering rectification is being issued to all Australian Audi dealers. Concerned owners should contact their nearest dealer.