Articles by Karla Pincott

Toyota has issued a global safety recall on 6.58 million vehicles, with the impact hitting the popular Hilux ute, RAV4 SUV and Yaris small car.Statements issued by Toyota Australia today said that 179,000 of the Hiluxes built between April 2004 and December 2009 have been recalled for a defect that could see a cable between the steering wheel and  column sustain damage when the wheel is turned, activating the airbag warning light and preventing the driver's airbag from deployingA separate safety recall on 118,600 of the Yaris hatches and sedans built between June 2005 and May 2010 is to fix a defective seat track spring on the driver's and front passenger's seats. The statement says the spring can break and become stuck, giving the false impression that the seat is properly locked in place.In the meantime, the Yaris can still be driven but if there is any difficulty in locking the seats in position, owners should contact a dealer to arrange an inspection. The repairs will take about 1.5 hours for the five-door hatch and sedan, and about three hours for the three-door hatch in which the front passenger seat will also have to be removed.The number of RAV4s being recalled is not yet confirmed. Toyota says neither of the problems with the Hilux and Yaris have resulted in any accidents or injuries in Australia. Vehicle owners are being contacted by Toyota, but can get more information on the brand's campaign helpline on 1800 643 242. 

With the BMW 1 Series convertible exiting the scene, we've been waiting for the 2 Series to arrive and fill the gap. And we're now getting a glimpse of how it will look in open form with Carsguide's spy photographer snapping a prototype testing in Europe.Expected to be unveiled later this year, and possibly arrive in Australian showrooms in the first half of 2015, the convertible will echo the styling of the 2 Series coupe.The power-folding soft-top -- which in these shots is retracted into the boot -- will keep weight down, with the aim of helping retain as much as possible of the car's dynamic ability.Expect the engine line-up to largely follow that of the coupe, which arrived here in February with the options of three turbo versions: the 135kW/270Nm 2.0-litre 4-four-cylinder 220i, 135kW/380Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel 220d, and 240kW/450Nm 3.0-litre six-cylinder M235i -- all mated to eight-speed automatic transmissions driving the rear wheels. A 228i will join the range later this year.Expect the convertible pricing when it arrives to start at least $10,000 above the coupe, which kicks off at $50,500 for the 220i and tops out at $79,900 for the M235i.

Would you close your eyes to drive 50 metres through traffic. If you've texted while driving, that's effectively what you've done. And at highway speeds, make that around 100 metres of blind driving.Thousands of car crashes every year are due to distracted driving -- and many drivers and passengers aren't lucky enough to survive. Research shows that texting is one of the worst driving distractions.Making you 23 times more likely to crash, texting even comes ahead of talking on the phone as driving danger. It distracts you for an average of five seconds per time to read or respond -- and five seconds with your eyes off the road at even 60km/h is 50 metres that you've travelled while 'text blindfolded'.Despite the figures, and despite the knowledge of the death toll and injury impact, people still continue to pick up their phones while driving. So, leading up to the expected carnage of the coming Easter long weekend, the US Department of Transportation, in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a hard-hitting warning of what can happen.Their message is that the action in the video is the reason they'll be out on the road ticketing texting drivers... "U Drive. U Text. U Pay". Frankly, as the video points out, we'd rather pay a ticket and get a heads-up -- and eyes-up -- than pay the ultimate price for texting.Watch the desktop version of the never text-driving video here. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Proving there's no vehicle that cannot be a candidate to morph into a jacked-up crossover, Audi will take the wraps off a concept based on the TT coupe at Beijing motor show later this monthThe German prestige brand has released three images that reveal a longer four-door high-riding body with styling cues from the latest TT and the Allroad shooting brake that previewed the TT at Detroit motor show in January. The interior sketch shows a TT-derived cabin, but with four seats, and the ability to flat-fold the rear ones down to increase luggage space.With Audi having already given this idea a litmus test at Detroit, and given the luxury market's increased focus on practical prestige models, this is bound to be more than just a design indulgence for a show stand.It could logically either sit at a TT Shooting Brake in the Audi family, or even slot into the Q SUV offerings as a Q4, facing off against BMW's X4 and perhaps even giving the style leader Range Rover Evoque a run for its catwalk crown. Audi hasn't yet released any further details about the crossover concept, so we'll have to wait for news about potential drivetrains and spec.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

The Chinese market has grown in importance over the past few years, and growing with it has been the significance of the Beijing motor show. Where once it was the province only of debuts for the Chinese showrooms, it's now more common to see concepts unveiled that later feed into global vehicles.So there's a reason for Honda Accord Euro fans to keep an eye on the car news around April 20, when the wraps will come off a new concept car that could feed design and styling into a future model we'll see here.Developed under the joint-venture partnership of Dongfeng Honda, the show car will be a design concept for the Spirior, the name given to the Accord Euro sedan in China.However, it's not clear if the single drawing teased so far hints at the Euro sporting the sleek streamlined shape -- which echoes the trend for coupe-styled four-doors -- or is a sketch for Honda's second Beijing concept, described in the official statement only as "a new model exclusively developed for the Chinese market".We'll be keeping an eye on the Honda stand among the rest at the Beijing show, and bring you more details when they emerge.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Just a second's lapse could turn your holiday trip into a disaster.

Following the debut of the new Subaru Liberty sedan at Chicago motor show in February, the Outback is headed for unwrapping at the New York motor show on April 16.Subaru's teaser image shows us the expected face with headlight and grille cues familiar from the Liberty, but we're yet to get a look at the lines -- and importantly the profile -- of the wagon body.The Levorg Concept that starred at Tokyo motor show in November last year gives a few clues to what we might see when the silk comes off the Outback, and at this stage it's not known whether any of that will also morph into a Liberty wagon.Subaru is also yet to confirm engine and transmission details for the Outback, but the closely-related Liberty was unveiled with the carryover options of a 2.5-litre four-cylinder and 3.6-litre six-cylinder, both mated to CVT (continuously variable) automatics.Both have been tweaked to offer better drivability and economy, with the 2.5-litre developing 130kW/236Nm (up 3kW/1Nm) but the 3.6-litre now 190kW/335Nm (down 1kW/15Nm) with claims of improved fuel efficiency and better mid-range torque. It's possible we'll also see the continuation of a diesel under the bonnet, with similar enhancements for the current 2.0-litre.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

You’d probably hop right into the vehicle and ask it to dial Morgan Freeman. Or Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eddie Murphy, Jeff Goldblum or Bill Cosby, judging by the reactions of people who were pranked by Ford with a talking Ecosport.The carmaker tapped the talents of comedian and impressionist Anil Desai – currently in Melbourne for the Comedy Festival – to pull of the stunt that had people happily willing to use Ford's SYNC system to dial up what they thought were major stars and try to tell them jokes.Ford says the stunt was part of their campaign to promote the Ecosport SUV through an ‘urban discoveries’ theme. “The premise of the campaign is to highlight how EcoSport can help you find the unknown gems in your city and the Talking Car video was a spin off from that,” Ford spokesman Martin Gunsberg says. “The idea is the Talking Car was a discovery in its own right and we set it up in various areas around Melbourne, waiting for people to discover it.“We had a lot of fun creating this video and we found that anyone willing to accept they were talking to a car tended to be up for some fun as well," Gunsberg says. Which is no surprise, as Aussies are generally up for anything. The only odd aspect was that all the people targeted chose to call American celebrities -- not a single Australian came to mind. We would have loved to see somebody telling jokes to Tony Abbott or Dame Edna.Watch the desktop version of the Ford's talking car prank video here. 

Red Bull Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo is obviously looking to life beyond racing, and the career prospects for somebody with his driving skills.While in Australia for the recent Melbourne GP, the Aussie racer had a try at delivering pizza. Fast.Renault has some other stunts lined up for Ricciardo to get some handy work experience in other roles. But in the meantime, all those pizza parlours that offer the food free if it doesn't get there on time might want to give him a call -- he's a sure thing as a delivery driver to beat the clock.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincottWatch the Daniel Ricciardo delivers pizza video on our desktop site. 

We had an early look at the Honda Mean Mower when they first revealed the project last year, and dubbed it Lawn Order SVU (special velocity unit). For that preview of their Stig-worthy grasscutter, they gave it a backyard run with Honda racer and 2012 British Touring Car Championship winner Gordon Shedden’s gardening gloves helming the wheel and gumboot stomping the pedal. After another six months of spannering in their skunkworks garden shed at Honda's British Touring Car Championship partner, Team Dynamics, the team has emerged to do a track run that has claimed a speed record for World's Fastest Lawnmower, hitting an average of 116.57mph (187km/h).That trumps the previous record by nearly 50km/h. And to qualify, it still had to be able to cut grass -- although possibly not on the Guinness World Record endorsed speed runs.The Mean Mower is based on a Honda HF2620 Lawn Tractor, but has been given a completely rebuilt chassis and a 1000cc engine from a Honda VTR Firestorm motorbike. It also benefits from a customised six-speed automatic transmission with F1-style paddle-shifters, a Morris Minor steering rack, Scorpion exhaust system and a Cobra sports seat to replace the normal ride-on pew.“The original brief for Mean Mower was to create the world’s fastest lawnmower – and now it officially is, by some distance! We are all delighted to hold a Guinness World Records title and we’d like to thank everyone who was involved in what has been a challenging yet incredibly exciting project,” Honda UK said in a statement.So now, looking at the overgrown Carsguide backyard, we are saying "c'mon lawn ... bring it on. We'll see you on the weekend".Watch the desktop version of the Honda mower sets world speed record video here. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott