Articles by Karla Pincott

If Pontiac brand had survived, we would have seen the Holden Commodore underpinning a rip-roaring GTO.  The plan was let slip in a column by Bob Lutz, a former senior exec at GM who was head of global product development at the time."We actually had a full-size clay model of what would have been the next GTO. It was essentially a two-door, four-passenger coupe that used the same architecture as the Pontiac G8 sedan," Lutz says in the Road & Track column.That architecture, of course, was the VE Commodore, which Holden developed into the G8 for Pontiac -- just before the brand died in the GFC slump.Following that, the G8 resurfaced here in Australia in the form of the  VE Commodore SS V-Series Special Edition sedan, wagon and ute -- unveiled at the 2009 Deni Ute Muster -- and featuring the Pontiac front fascia and other cosmetic touches.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

We’ve seen what Red Bull F1 racer Sebastien Vettel can do on the track, and we’ll soon see what he can do in the design studio when Infiniti unveils the Q30 Concept at Frankfurt motor show in September.The next development of Infiniti’s Etherea concept, the Q30 Concept will lead to a compact car that will be the first model influenced from the start by Vettel in his new role as Infiniti’s Director of Performance.The vehicle will face off in the premium compact segment against the likes of the BMW 1-Series, Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Audi A3. However, Infiniti has already indicated that the Q30 would feature a new three-way adjustable ride height system, suggesting that we could see it in crossover form or spawning a separate crossover version.That possibility is reinforced by it being based on the platform underpinning the Mercedes-Benz CLA Class -- which will have its own crossover version in the form of the GLA Class.That would be positioned as a rival against the GLA, BMW X1 and Q3, among others in the premium end of the growing crossover field. Infiniti for now says only that the Q30 Concept “signals the contemporary design vision for a compact Infiniti vehicle which will target a new generation of premium customers” and will spearhead the brand’s growth plan.“This Infiniti Q30 Concept is a prelude to the product portfolio expansion which underpins our aggressive global growth strategy,” Infiniti global president Johan de Nysschen said in the press statement.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

One of our favourite Super Bowl ads has become animated. The Kia Hotbots ad was one of the 2013 Super Bowl hits, combining slick production, humour – and a sly dig at motoring journalists. The original ad featured a robotised motor show stand attendant – based on Miss USA 2011 Alyssa Campanella – dealing punishment out to a grubby-handed journalist who kicks and paws the car. The ad was produced by Method Studios in Los Angeles, with help from stunt legend Gary Powell, whose credits include major action work like Skyfall and Bourne Ultimatum. The studio kept Campanella’s head and dress, but digitised the rest of her body to create robotic parts with clear panels at the joints giving glimpses of the working systems inside her. While the Hotbot dished out brutal treatment in the first ad, the tagline to ‘respect the tech’ carried over into the second commercial in a storyline where the action between man and robot is so much friendlier it borders on suggestion of man-machine intimacy -- or perhaps that should be interface. Or maybe he’s just taken the Hotbot home to robovac his loungeroom. The three most recent ads continue on the same theme of ‘protecting the tech’ but Kia has moved to a fully animated format. Strangely, since the Hotbot was so seamlessly produced for the first two ads, she’s barely recognisable in the hipster graphics of the cartoon format. We’re curious as to why the change was made. Was there resistance to the near-human aspect of the Campanella Hotbot? Or perhaps resistance to the price of producing more highly complex commercials? And we’re also curious to know which one you prefer… the robotised Ms Campanella, or the cartoon version. Let us know in the comments below.  

In an official statement Opel Australia said it could not viably follow its competitors recent trend for cutting prices, and would have needed to "significantly reposition the price of its core volume models” to survive.The news comes in the lead-up to the planned launch of the Zafira people-mover next week and Mokka compact SUV in coming months. Opel also cited the ongoing resources needed to keep promoting the brand in Australia – one of the most competitive markets in the world, with 66 vehicle brands competing for the consumer wallet. In addition to advertising, Opel has also entered into some high profile marketing and public relations over the past 12 months, including sponsorship of the Sydney Roosters rugby leage team, announced in June 2012. The sponsorship was halted last week by Opel. The brand also sponsored Melbourne Football Club in the AFL.Opel and Holden will now start working on analysis of "the potential for future Holden-badged niche product, in order to ascertain if opportunities for individual carlines exist" the statement saidCustomers were promised that Opel would meet all obligations in terms of warranty. The statement said Opel was "working closely with employees, dealers and suppliers to conduct this closure process in an orderly and responsible manner. As always, customers are of the highest priority, and Opel Australia will remain in close contact with them, to ensure all on-going obligations to these customers are met."Opel launched here in August 2012 with the Astra hatchback, Insignia mid-sized sedan and wagon and the Corsa light car. The brand believed at the time it could achieve yearly sales of 15,000 by 2015, and have developed a network of 20 dealerships around the country.However last year -- its first and partial year of operations -- resulted in 541 sales. The brand has moved  989 vehicles so far this year to the end of June. Top sellers were the Astra, which accounted for 365 last year and 677 this year, followed by the Insignia with 111 last year and 198 this year. The Opel Corsa has sold only 65 last year and 114 this year.The Astra nameplate was a familiar one to Australia, having sold here as a Holden for many years. Other Opels also badged as Holdens include Barina, Calibra, Vectra, Zafira and Tigra. In addition, the original  VB Commodore, Camira and Gemini models were all heavily based on Opel designs.Any concerned customers should contact the Opel Customer Assistance Centre on 1800 993 677 with any questions.

A hot little Fiesta ST priced at $25,990 will headline the updated range when it arrives in Australia with a fresh design, new engines and features.

We’ve seen some clever 3D printed things, but so far they’ve all been small items – and some of them smaller than small, such as the microscopic 3D printed race car. But a New Zealand 3D fan is thinking big. Car-sized big, and a 1961 Series II Aston Martin DB4 to boot. Auckland-based computer programmer Ivan Sentch is spinning up a replica DB4 piece-by-piece on a 3D printer that costs around $500. His blog, Replica DB4 Project chronicles the process – and the problems and pitfalls he’s faced – since starting the build late in 2012. Sentch says he’s completed about 72 per cent of the body printing, which will then be used to create a fibreglass mold, and build the final body onto a custom-built spaceframe with power coming from Nissan Skyline GTS innards currently being used in his Ferrari 250 GTO replica. The Ferrari, by the way, will get a BMW V12 engine as consolation. Sentch says his decision to do the Aston Martin was prompted by family needs. “It was partly because I need four seats, and the 250 GTO kit car I've got hardly gets used as it's only a two-seater and I can't take the kids in it,” he says. “But also because an old Aston Martin is very very cool and a DB4 over a DB5 or a DB4 Zagato because I just like the look of the DB4 more -- I'm going for the no bumper GT lightweight look, though. He says the wheel track of the Skyline made it the ideal donor car for the Aston Martin DB4 project. “It had the right wheel track to fit in the body -- wheelbase doesn't matter as you can get a custom propeller shaft -- it's a six-cylinder like the DB4, and the Skylines are very cheap. The printing has so far gone smoothly for him, but the project hasn’t been without hurdles – the biggest being the glass. “Sourcing the glass has been difficult,” he says. “There's plenty of ways to make the body, and making a spaceframe chassis doesn't represent too much of a challenge, but it falls over if you can't get the glass. “I finally found a place online that can supply it relatively cheaply and I've yet to contact Pilkingtons classic car division in the UK who have the moulds for the DB4, and who probably supply the other places selling the glass.” Sentch says the Aston Martin won’t be his only project. “I have many I want to do… if I do another one of these (from scratch) type builds I would think about a 300SLR, Ferrari 250 GTO SWB or one of the DB4 Zagato Sanction 3 recreations. The Sanction 1 and 2 Zagatos were what Aston Martin re-made a few years ago with some spare DB4 chassis they had lying around, then someone made a Sanction 3. It’s not officially an Aston Martin but it looks really good.” Are we seeing the start of being able to DIY our own cars at home? An Aston Martin DB4 is an ambitious project, but Sentch is showing it’s achievable. Which leaves Carsguide.com.au wondering how hard it would be to do a 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing. Somebody call the stationery suppliers: we urgently need to upgrade the office printer...  

Suzuki has recalled 13,216 Alto models from 2009 onwards for a heating system fault. The recall notice says the Alto’s heater blower motor may jam, causing the resistor fuse to overheat and cut out, preventing the heater from working.Suzuki Australia initially announced 10,187 Altos sold from 2009 until now will be recalled. However, Suzuki Queensland operates as a separate entity, and has only joined the recall overnight, adding 3029 cars to the tally.However not all the cars sold during that period – totalling 14,660 -- are affected, with 1444 being exempt from the recall. “It is only particular VIN (vehicle identification numbers) during that period, and we are in the process of identifying which ones,” Suzuki spokesman Andrew Ellis says. "The faulty resistors were in particular batches, while other batches were fine."The defect is not considered to be a safety risk, and Suzuki says there have been no reports of related incidents, injuries or fires. “It’s a minor recall – the fault simply means you won’t have heating in the car.  There have been no reports of fires anywhere in the world,” Ellis says. "However, it's a safety recall because it can affect the demister, and visibility is a safety issue."Suzuki says the fix will take 30 minutes, and involve the replacement of the existing resistor. “The parts are in transit now and the campaign is about to start in earnest,” Ellis says.

This is Lawn order: SVU (special velocity unit). Honda has been cooking up a new project in their skunkworks garden shed – what could well be the world’s fastest lawnmower.Dubbed the Mean Mower, the track-worthy grass cutter tool has already had a spin around the backyard with Honda racer and 2012 British Touring Car Championship winner Gordon Shedden’s capable gardening gloves on the wheel – and gumboot on the accelerator.Honda says this mower is capable of up to 160kmh – which trumps the current world record top speed of 155.3kmh, but previous reports suggest the hotted-up defoliator could get better than 209kmh.No more dodging the chores … we’d be mowing the lawn every weekend with this baby.

Mitsubishi has issued a recall on 4855 Outlanders built in 2013, which may be affected by one or more of three defects that could see the vehicles safety and crash-avoidance systems stop working. The recalled vehicles comprise 3633 with a defective electronic power steering computer that fail, causing the loss of power to the steering and the activation of the warning light. A defective radar cruise control that could incorrectly identify other vehicles and brake when not required is responsible for the recall of a further 809 Outlanders, while 413 are being recalled to address both faults.The recall notice also warns of failures in the adaptive cruise control, forward collision mitigation and stability control systems. The defects as detailed in the recall notice are:Issues with the internal programming of the ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) / FCM (Forward Collision Mitigation) computer may see "ACC failure", "FCM Failure" and "ASC failure" displayed on the combination meter with a warning alarm, and these systems may stop functioning. When driving in a tunnel with the Adaptive Cruise Control "On”, the system may judge the wall of the tunnel as an approaching vehicle and automatically operate the brakes. Issues with the internal programming of the ETACS (Electronic Time and Alarm Control System) computer may result in failure of the turn signals, if the “answer back” feature is activated when operating the electric tail gate. The Electronic Power Steering computer may fail, causing the EPS warning lamp to illuminate and in the worst case this may require an increased effort to turn the steering.Mitsubishi says the EPS control unit will be replaced and the ACC/FCM and ETACS control unit will be corrected. Mitsubishi is notifying all affected customers by letter. Owners are advised to contact their authorised Mitsubishi dealership for inspection and rectification. 

The stylish three-door hatch -- built in the Czech Republic -- drops the entry level of the i30 range with the six-speed manual version at $19,990 and the six-speed automatic at $22,190 – both driveaway prices. There’s no word yet from Hyundai on how long the driveaway pricing will continue, and it’s possible they’ve applied it as a launch offer for the three-door Special Edition. Under the bonnet of both versions you’ll find a 1.6-litre direct-injected petrol engine, delivering 98kW of power and 163Nm of torque to the 16-inch alloy front wheels. Hyundai claims official fuel economy of 6.3 litres per 100 kilometres for the manual, and 6.9L/100km for the auto. An eco mode on the auto smooths the throttle response for more efficient fuel use. The European-influenced design of the i30 SE follows that of the five-door hatch, but with faster-rising beltlines adding a more dynamic look, and longer side doors for easy access to the second row. And it loses no cargo space to the five-door, offering the same 378 litres with the seats up, and 1316 with them folded down. Standard equipment includes LED daytime running light accents around the front foglights, cruise control, chilled glove box, 5-inch touchscreen, remote controls on the steering wheel, Bluetooth phone and audio connection, USB and media ports. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott