Articles by Karla Pincott

Mercedes-Benz’s parent company, Daimler, has issued a statement criticising the spoof advertisement, created by students at Germany's Ludwigsburg film academy."We believe it is entirely inappropriate to use the death of a person/child or contents related to National Socialism in an advertising spot, even though it is a fictitious spot," the statement said. The 80-second video depicts misty scenes of the Austrian village Braunau am Inn – Hitler’s birthplace -- set in the early 1900s.A Mercedes-Benz C-Class drives through, using its collision-avoidance technology to prevent it hitting children playing in the road. And then deliberately runs over the adolescent Adolf. It closes with an onscreen title with the words: Mercedes Benz -- automatic braking system -- detects dangers before they arise.The video also notes that it is not connected with Mercedes, and the students concerned said it was intended to demonstrate the potential ‘soul’ of technology."Mercedes sells its cars on smart technology which prevents accidents -- we wanted to pose the question of what might happen if technology had a soul," Tobias Haase, the video's director, told the German media agency, Deutsche Press-Agentur.This reporter is on Twitter: @karlapincott MCP from dath - Tobias Haase on Vimeo.

Subaru vehicles already score well in crash tests – but those test have always been aimed at the two-legged occupants.Now the carmaker has turned it focus to four-legged passengers, working with the US-based Centre for Pet Safety on crash testing the car restraints sold for dogs – and creating better ones.The non-profit pet advocacy group says most animal restraints will fail in a serious collision, injuring or killing the animal, and also any human they hurtle into during the crash.The tests conducted at the centre using a 25kg dog test dummy – about the weight of a large kelpie – found that all the top-selling restraints failed in the 50km/h impact crash usually applied to child seat testing. Subaru has announced it will fund a research program for the Centre to conduct further testing and help develop standards for the restraints.“As many of our owners have dogs, we feel it’s our responsibility to help them keep their pets as safe as possible when they journey with us,” Subaru's director of corporate communications Michael McHale said.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

Scottish motorcyclist Stuart Gunn is a fighter. Eleven years ago a bike accident – when a van crashed into him – left him paralysed from the waist down and along his right side. Four years ago, ongoing complications from the accident resulted in a seizure that left him completely blind. A few days ago he set a world speed record, hitting nearly 270kmh.His verified taking of the World Land Speed Record for a blind motorcyclist was undertaken at Elvington Airfield in the UK’s North Yorkshire area, where he piloted a Suzuki Hayabusa to 268.9kmh. In doing so, he beat the record of 265.3 held for the past 10 years by blind rider Billy Baxter.And according to the official Suzuki Bulletin, Gunn managed to set the new world time while battling strong crosswinds at the airfield, and raised funds for several charities in the process. During the record attempt, Gunn’s father rode beside him, using a helmet intercom to keep him on a straight line, advising him when to steer -- and to brake at the end.“I was surprised to hear I’d done it,” Gunn told the Suzuki Bulletin. “I hope this proves to people that just because you are blind or have a disability, doesn’t mean it should change or limit your life.”He also revealed he is planning another challenge – racing a lap in the famed and treacherous International Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) Race, saying that he’d dreamed of doing it since he was a child.“I want to do the TT, definitely. That’s my main goal; I love it,” he said. “I think maybe a year or year and half to figure out the entire track to get safely round. Being in the dark makes it easy for me to work things out, so I can concentrate on learning that and aim for 2014 hopefully.”This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

The recall notice is for 329 of the Mini Countryman diesel and Paceman diesel sold between August 1 2010 and March 18 2013.Mini’s parent brand, BMW, says the defect means moisture can penetrate the plug-in connection of the adapter cable on the electric power steering, causing corrosion on the contacts and in some cases lead to the car catching fire – although there have been no occurrences so far in the local market. "There have been no reported incidences on this current recall in Australia," BMW spokesperson Lenore Fletcher said.The recall on the Mini models follows a larger one last week in which BMW recalled six diesel models: BMW 5 Series E60, BMW X5 Series E70, BMW X6 Series E71, BMW X3 Series E83, BMW 1 Series E87 and BMW 7 Series F01 & F02 – built between August 1 and November 30, 2009.The earlier recall notice cited a defect that means the electric contacts of the diesel fuel filter heating unit could short-circuit, leading to the risk of the vehicle catching fire – also with no local incidences reported.  However the notice also explains that the diesel fuel filter heater unit only operates at temperatures below -1° Celsius.BMW says owners should contact an authorised BMW motor vehicle service centre, or call the BMW Group Australia Customer Interaction Centre on freecall: 1800 813 299. 

The recall is for a defect that means the Cruze’s supplementary electric vacuum pump could fail when the engine is cold, reducing the vacuum and undermining the brake system. The notice warns that this could pose a potential crash hazard.Holden says 11,480 of the JH Cruze vehicles with 1.4 litre turbo petrol engine and automatic transmission built between 22nd February 2011 and 8th June 2012 are affected."We've had one alleged report of a minor collision during a driveway reversing manoeuvre," Holden spokesperson Andrea Matthews says, adding there were no injuries. The 1.4-litre is just one of four engines in the Cruze line-up, which has sold around 45,000 cars over the time span covered by the recall.Holden is writing to owners whose cars are in the affected build numbers range from 6G1PD5E80BL518864 - 6G1PE6E8XCL661387, but advises that concerned buyers should contact their nearest Holden dealer. 

A 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spyder set a world record on the weekend for the highest price paid at auction for the Italian brand.One of just 10 built, it went for US $27.5m ($29.9m) with buyers fees under the hammer of the RM Auctions event in Monterey, California.That’s still short of the highest price ever paid for any car – again a Ferrari – which is the US$35m ($38m) for a private sale in June last year for a 1962 Ferrari GTO 250 race car originally built for British champion Stirling Moss.However the NART Spyder – named for the North American Racing Team – still went for nearly double the RM Auctions estimate of US$14-17m, and millions more than its original asking price of about $15,000.One of an edition of just 10, the Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spyder was reportedly sold to Canadian fashion Lawrence Stroll – the business brains behind the Tommy Hilfiger brand. 

The next edition of the legendary calendar will feature the famous faces – and bodies – of Miranda Kerr, Helena Christensen, Karolina Kurkova, Alex Wek, Isabeli Fontana and Alessandra Ambrosio.Pirelli has released some preview images, and a video going behind the scenes of the shoot, with the calendar itself due to be released in November.The preview shots for the calendar – which marks its 50th anniversary in 2014 – has a more subtle sexuality than in some previous editions, with the models clad in white shirts and black sweaters. The teasers were created by 'Cal' alumni Shot photopgrahers Patrick Demarchelier and Peter Lindbergh in New York, but the photographer for the real calendar shots is yet to be revealed.Last year's calendar was shot by Steve McCurry – famed for the 1985 National Geographic cover of a green-eyed Afghan girl  -- who shot the 2013 Pirelli Calendar in Brazil with the models all fully clothed. The calendar featured Karlie Kloss, Summer Rayne, Isabeli Fontana, Hanaa Ben Abdesslem, Liya Kibede, Kyleigh Kuhn and a heavily pregnant Adriana Lima, all chosen because of their high-profile involvement with charities.The previous year saw fashion photographer Mario Tesstino shoot a line-up that included Kate Moss, with nudity strongly featured in the 2012 edition.  Other notable photographers who have created previous calendars include the star designer Karl Lagerfeld – the maestro of the Chanel fashion house – who produced a striking series of monochrome images based on the gods of Olympus for the 2011 Pirelli Calendar.Australian model superstars Kerr, Catherine McNeil and Abbey Lee Kershaw were among the eleven in the 2010 Pirelli Calendar, shot by Terry Richardson, the outrageous American fashion photographer whose images are often sexually provocative and can border on the graphic.Renowned wildlife photographer Stephen Beard and his wife shot and produced the 2009 Pirelli Calendar, which featured supermodels with rare animals -- and strange insects -- in somewhat dangerous poses in Africa. 

Jaguar and Land Rover have issued a set of recalls that affect 5121 diesel and 124 petrol vehicles, with BMW recalling 3143 diesels, primarily on defects that could cause fires. The Land Rover and Jaguar recall affects 2995 Range Rover Evoque, 1485 Freelander 2 and 641 Jaguar XF vehicles fitted with the 2.2-litre engine. The defect identified that fuel leaking from the engine-mounted injector spill rail spigot could spill onto the he exhaust system and turbo charger where there is an increased risk of an under bonnet fire.The company has also recalled 124 of the Jaguar XF 2.0L petrol 2013 vehicles for a defect that could cause the engine to cut out. The recall notice says the charge air cooler (CAC) hose can detach from the charge air cooler resonator, resulting in the engine stopping while the car is driving. Jaguar Australia said there have been no incidents in Australia related to the recall."The company's Technical Field Reporting team was made aware of only a limited number of incidents elsewhere globally, and no reports of any accidents or injuries as a result of this issue," spokesman Mark Eedle said, adding that the rectification is expected to take no longer than an hour.A letter will be sent to affected owners, who are advised to contact their authorised Land Rover Jaguar dealerships for inspections and a fix.The BMW recall affects six diesel models: BMW 5 Series E60, BMW X5 Series E70, BMW X6 Series E71, BMW X3 Series E83, BMW 1 Series E87 and BMW 7 Series F01 & F02 – relating to vehicles built between August 1 and November 30, 2009.The recall notice cites a defect that means the electric contacts of the diesel fuel filter heating unit could short-circuit, leading to the risk of the vehicle catching fire -- although there have been no occurrences so far of fires in the local market. "There have been no reported incidences on this current recall in Australia," BMW spokesperson Lenore Fletcher said.However the notice also explains that the diesel fuel filter heater unit only operates at temperatures below -1° Celsius. BMW says owners should contact an authorised BMW motor vehicle service centre, or call the BMW Group Australia Customer Interaction Centre on freecall: 1800 813 299. 

Ford has unveiled the Everest SUV in concept form at Bangkok motor show, and in doing so, talked up the capabilities of the Australian headquarters that will cease manufacturing in 2016."Created by Ford’s regional design and product development team in Australia, the Ford Everest Concept is the latest proof point of Ford’s regional design and engineering capabilities, as it creates world-class vehicles for markets in Asia Pacific and around the world," Ford says of the Everest.The production version of the Ranger-based Everest has been confirmed to be built in Thailand and sold globally -- meaning it's on the cards to arrive in Australia within two years, although that's yet to be confirmed by Ford Australia. However it won't be replacing the Territory after it's axed, with that role falling to the next generation of the Ford Edge SUV revealed for the US market.Ford is expected to give the Everest underpinnings to tackle tough offroading, although there's also the likelihood of rear-wheel drive softer variants catering to the city market and buyers focused on lower fuel use. Carsguide's earlier spy photos of the Everest in development in Australia showed it was being tested here in our conditions -- although the test vehicles were a morph of the Ranger and Territory at that stage.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

We’ll be publishing all the news from the event as it is announced, and also be updating live photos as they’re taken. Check back here for updates and links to the news and new photos in our gallery below.   Please note: Carsguide is simply publishing the link to the Ford ‘Go Further’ event live stream, and is not responsible for the stream itself. We cannot guarantee that everybody’s browser will work perfectly with Ford’s technology.