Articles by Karla Pincott

The Toyota Smart Insect Concept is fitted with motion sensors, voice recognition and behaviour prediction technology to monitor the driver’s face and activate in-cabin features, foglights -- or even set a destination in their smartphone satnav – after interpreting the information. It also talks to recognised drivers as they approach the car, flashing its lights and typing ‘hello’ and other responses on its instrument panel monitor, and opening the door at a wave of the hand. Cloud connection links the car to a ‘virtual agent’ at Toyota that changes the settings remotely, and also connects to the driver’s home, allowing them to reset the Insect’s locks and airconditioning before they head out the door. Toyota unveiled the Smart Insect – the name stands for Information Network Social Electric City Transporter – at the huge CEATEC advanced technology show in Japan.

Built by Utah State University students, the 'Aggie A-Salt Streamliner' runs on a biofuel they produced by combining the cheesemaking waste with yeast, and processing the result into a biodiesel. The student team entered the car at the famed World of Speed held on Bonneville Salt Flats - and set a land speed record of 64.4mph (103.6km/h) for the diesel 1.0-litre two-cylinder vehicle class. It's the first time the class record has been broken by a car fuelled entirely by biodiesel, rather than in a combination with normal diesel. It's probably also the first time the famed Bonneville speed-bid mecca has seen a dairy-derived entrant among the highly specialised vehicles that roll up to joust the clock. Biochemistry Professor Lance Seefeldt told Carsguide the car attracted non-stop attention on the salt flats. "The reaction was overwhelming.  We had a small crowd around the car pretty much the entire time," Seefeldt says. "Interest was in the biofuel, the type of engine and transmission we are using, and the team of students involved. The cheese-derived fuel was one of three the student group developed in Seefeldt's lab, with the other two being based on bacteria and algae - the latter planned for use in next year's Bonneville event. However he said while the team built the car on a shoestring, they had a strong focus on developing the project into a biofuel with commercial potential. "There is definitely potential for widespread production of biofuels from microbes," Seefeltd says. "Our research is on the front end of working out the technical details.  A company will have to carry the commercialization forward. "The benefits compared to commercial diesel are many: it's renewable, it can be made from waste, it has a low CO2 footprint, and there's less pollution."  

It’s not the new GranSport we’d been hoping for, but it’s a lustworthy addition to the Maserati line-up.Maserati says the newcomer is inspired by the success of the GranTurismo MC Stradale coupé, but is a four-seater where the Stradale takes just two.Reports suggest it will be powered by the Stradale’s 331kW/510Nm 4.7-litre V8 engine, but with a six-speed ZF automatic transmission instead of the Stradale’s six-speed dual-clutch.The GranCabrio MC gets a stretched profile compared to the standard GranCabrio thanks to a 48mm increase in length, and also carries the Stradale’s substantial boot-lid spoiler – which can be optioned in a naked carbon-fibre finish rather than the body colour.The GranCabrio MC has not yet been confirmed for Australia, but if it arrives you can expect a premium over the current Grancabrio Sport, which starts at $328,000 and adds another $10,000 for the Sport version. The Stradale’s price tag, by comparison, is $364,900. 

The Forester is Subaru’s top seller here, and was the best-selling compact SUV for the previous four years. The current model has slid slightly in run-out mode, but the next one – due in the first quarter of 2013 – still has big shoes to fill. Looking at the leaked brochure for the Japanese market, it’s a more attractive vehicle than the outgoing one. And there’s likely to be little visual change for Australia – although the mechanical specs could vary.  Despite the warping of the curved pages, the images show a more streamlined body, with cues from the latest Impreza and the XV softroader. Two spec levels are shown, L and XT – the latter getting a sportier nose and wheels, plus extra chrome trim.  The leaked pages show the next Forester has grown 35mm longer and 15mm wider than the current car, and will measure up 4595mm long, 1795mm wide, 1695mm high and have a 25mm longer wheelbase at 2640mm. Luggage capacity will also grow from the current 450 litres to between 488-505 litres in various models. Overseas markets will kick off with two 2.0-litre engine choices: the naturally aspirated 110kW unit from the Subaru XV, and a twin-scroll turbocharged one for the XT, with transmission options a six-speed manual and a CVT – in both cases driving all four wheels. However a diesel is also on the cards, and would likely be on the wishlist for Australia. The brochure details show that Subaru’s safety ‘Eyesight’ technology is likely to be offered on range-topping variants. However, Subaru Australia spokesperson David Rowley says parent company Fuji Heavy Industries is “not confirming that what we’re seeing is the next Forester” – or any other details. “When it will be unveiled? FHI have told us there is no definite date for the unveiling or for an official on-sale date in Japan or elsewhere,” he says. However he acknowledges that if it is the Forester, Subaru practice means there could be some changes in the engine line-up we get. “There are actually quite significant variations in spec in different Subaru markets,” he says. “We’re not in a position to disclose what our specs might be, but there could well be different technical variations. “There will be a variety of drivetrains available but we can’t confirm what those will be.” However he can confirm the significance of the Forester to Subaru’s sales here. “It’s our top-selling model, and the completely new-generation Forester will be hugely important to us,” he says.

The 'Mirai' -- which measures just 45.2 cm from the ground to highest point -- was the brainchild of engineering students and teachers at Japan's Okayama Sanyo High School in Asakuchi. The high school team built the chassis, body, suspension, steering, LED lights and interior fit-out. The Mirai is powered by a pack of six batteries, sourced from Japanese company CQ motors, the switching console was used from a motorbike.  

We’ve all been waiting to see what the Jaguar F-Type looks like under the camouflage it’s been wearing in official photos and teaser videos - and here it is. In full-dress glory, it echoes the styling cues of the Jaguar C-X16 concept unveiled at last year’s Frankfurt motor show. A single image was leaked last week and that was followed early this morning by a whole lot more. The Jaguar F-Type will be initially launched as a convertible with a choice of three supercharged petrol engines: 250kW and 280kW versions of a new 3.0-litre V6, plus a higher-powered version of the current Jaguar 5.0-litre V8 - all equipped with Stop/Start technology. All three variants of the Jaguar F-Type will be rear-wheel-drive with an eight-speed-transmission. The F-Type will get a second public unveiling - and a chance for Aussies to get a closer look -- at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney next month, where we’ll also get more details on local spec and prices ahead of the car going on sale mid-2013.

The new Honda Civic Type-R hot hatch will target the record for the front-wheel drive cars around Germany's Nurburgring circuit. "With the application of technologies developed through Honda's participation in the World Touring Car Championships (WTCC), the all-new Type R will aim to become the fastest front-wheel-drive vehicle on the Nurburgring race course," Honda's global CEO and president Takanobu Ito promised. That would mean the new Type-R would have to shave the current 8 minute 7.97 seconds top time for a front-drive production car, set by the Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy in July 2011. However Ito stopped short of giving details on the mechanical specifications, with more information possibly to be revealed at the coming Paris motor show next week, or closer to the car's unveiling - likely to be at Geneva motor show next year. The previous Type-R was powered by a high-revving 148kW/193Nm four-cylinder VTEC engine with a CO2 figure of 219g/km that meant it fell victim to the stringent Euro 5 emissions standards that came into force in January 2011. The British-built car was discontinued in 2010 but Australia was lucky enough to have some available in 2011. Those cars were all naturally-aspirated, however with Ito referring to World Touring Car Championship technology, it's likely the new hot hatch will resort to a version of the turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine that powers the WTCC cars. The last of the Type-R models sold here for around $40,000, and Honda is likely to keep the hot hatch affordable with the aim of recapturing some lost halo and sales over the past few years. However there's no confirmation yet that we will get the new car here. Ito has promised the Type-R only for Europe so far, and says it will be part of a model assault that includes a new mini SUV based on the next Honda Jazz platform, a small open sports car, a fuel-cell car, and a hybrid all-wheel drive Legend.  

The images show the S-line sporty version of the A3 Sportback, with up-spec styling for the bumpers and larger wheels than the standard models will get.The five-door Sportback is taller, longer and gets a larger wheelbase than the current model – promising more head and legroom and increased stability on the road.It’s also around 90kg lighter, thanks to the use of the parent Volkswagen Group’s new MQB platform, with a focus on high-tensile steel and lightweight materials.The engine line-up overseas will kick off with 1.4-litre and 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinders and a 2.0-litre turbodiesel – followed later by a new aluminium-block 1.2-litre turbo petrol and 1.6-litre turbodiesel.The A3 Sportback will go on sale in Europe in February and arrive year before mid-2013, with more details of the engine and specification we’ll get yet to be announced but possibly to be revealed at the Australian International Motor Show in October. 

The McLaren P1, hailed by many as the successor to the legendary McLaren F1, will star for the brand at Paris motor show. McLaren has released few firm details so far, but some have emerged reportedly based on discussions McLaren had with prospective buyers during the recent Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. If true, those reports stack up to the P1's modified version of the MP4-12C's 3.8-litre V8 delivering 599kW, but lifting it to 718kW with help from a high-tech Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) that captures brake energy to feed two F1-style 80,000rpm flywheels to generate an extra 119kW. On a recent visit to Sydney, McLaren’s Asia-Pacific regional director Ian Gorsuch was reluctant to talk about the P1’s outputs, but said the brand didn’t play a numbers game. “We don’t get into the game of highest power figures,” Gorsuch said. “At McLaren we don’t believe that if a competitor has 1000 (horsepower) we have to have 2000. “You can do that with a muscle car. Throw lots of bits in there, bolt four engines together. But there is no real technology in that. “The P1 is about how it delivers power, how it handles. Technology is delivering performance with finesse.” Keys to that delivery will include next-gen aerodynamics and boosting the power-to-weight ratio by lightening the car as much as possible. The P1 is said to tip the scales at 1225kg, with McLaren's Monocell body – lightweight, but so robust they used the same car for three crash tests -- joined by innovative kilo-cutting technology. Some of the reports suggest heavy glass has been ditched in favour of the vacuum-formed acrylic used for fighter jet canopies – a non-stick surface that also means no need for windscreen wipers. That wouldn’t be surprising, since McLaren has already said the car will represent the height of their technology. A report on the Inside McLaren website suggests the P1 will have active aerodynamics to add to the enviable power-to-weight ratio, and that the result has helped it get around the UK’s Silverstone circuit an astonishing 24 seconds faster than any road-legal car before it. Acceleration figures being discussed are 0-100km/h in 2.8 seconds, then to 200km/h in just 6.9. The standing quarter-mile (400m) is said to take 9.1, and top speed of 385km/h. Gorsuch confirmed that P1 production would be limited to 500 cars. And the price? Anywhere up to $1.4 million.  

The Lexus LF-CC is a pointer to a new mid-size coupe joining the Lexus line-up “in the near future”. And -- although the luxury arm of Toyota is not yet confirming that it will slot into the IS range – it hints at the look of the next IS models, which are up for replacement next year.The concept in Paris is a further development of the LF-LC coupe concept seen at Detroit in January. The LF-CC features a mesh-inset spindle grille, and aerodynamic body styling that includes air scoops front and rear to cool the engine bay and brakes, sharply angular side mirrors and triple-LED projector headlights in aggressively horizontal clusters.A lot of the concept’s design will be toned down for production, but Lexus says the styling of the rear-wheel drive LF-CC heralds the look of future compact exec models. And that translates to a fresh attack on the ground held by the mid-sized German prestige nameplates.It is powered by a new hybrid drivetrain - which Lexus says will also be soon seen in a production model - comprising a direct and port-injected 2.5 litre four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol engine mated to an electric motor. That mix of technology will have a strong leaning towards efficiency. And while outputs haven’t been disclosed, the available information points to above 147kW and CO2 emissions less than 100g/km. The LF-CC is finished in a Fluid Titanium colour with a liquid metal effect to accentuate the body styling, with the interior kitted out in amber leather and metallic accents.