Articles by Karla Pincott

The official wraps will come off the new Sonata at New York motor show in April, but Hyundai has given the sedan an early unveiling in South Korea, giving us a look at how the latest family styling sits on the vehicle.The Sonata -- which will arrive as a replacement for the i45 sedan that was axed last year -- is now marginally longer and wider, but promises a significant increase in cabin space.Hyundai says there will also be a more premium focus on the fit-out, with better materials and technology, including advanced multimedia, connectivity and infotainment systems, rear parking sensors, heated leather seats and rear-side curtain airbags, while an upgraded suspension system points to better handling and  ride quality.Overseas markets will get a choice of three 2.0-litre engines with power outputs ranging from 111kW for an LPi-fuelled one to 124kW and 142kW for petrol units, however Australian specifications is yet to to confirmed -- and could include larger and more powerful mills to cater to our local tastes.However we're also yet to hear whether there the Sonata will sit in the Hyundai range in relation to the i40 sedan -- which itself booted out the i45. It's possible that the Korean carmaker may further rationalise the line-up, and we'll see the i40 exit to make way for the more upmarket Sonata.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Ford says their capped price service offer, MyFord, has been successful in bringing thousands of owners back to the brand -- 13,000 in 2013 alone. So they're taking the offer further, raising it to seven years and 135,000km from the six years/105,000km that rolled out in 2011.The revised program -- available on vehicles built from 2007 -- has been extended to cover brake pad replacements and rotor machining across the range except the sporty FPV, ST and XR5 variants and the light commercial Transit van. All eligible models will have front pads capped at $259 and rear ones at $219, except the rear-wheel drive Falcon and Territory rear pads, which will be capped at $259. Machining is capped at $88.Ford has also announced a year's free membership and roadside assistance with state motoring organisations -- NRMA, RACV, RACT, RACQ, AANT, RAA and RAC -- at participating dealers with the sale of any new car, except FPV and Transit.“The addition of the Auto Club Program is another customer-focused offering that Ford owners will enjoy,” Ford Australia general manager, customer service division, Stephen Kruk, says. “Customers expect this level of certainty from their dealers and we’re happy to say that since it was introduced in July 2011, the program has been very well received by our customers.”Owners can check the maximum price for a service, and all terms and conditions at www.ford.com.au/myfordcps.  MyFord Capped Price Servicing is available on the following vehicles.Ford Fiesta – WQ, WS, WTFord Focus – LS, LT, LV, LVIIFord Mondeo – MA, MB, MCFord Falcon – BF, BF FPV, BF MkII, BF MkII FPV, BF MkIII, FG, FG FPV, FG MkII, FG MkII FPVFord Escape – ZD, ZCFord Econovan - JHFord EcoSport - BKFord Kuga - TE, TFFord Territory – SY, SY F6X, SY MkII, SZFord Ranger – PJ, PK, PXFord Transit – VM, VNThis reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

The new GTS variants of both Boxster and Cayman will debut at New York motor show in April, but Porsche has previewed the cars and some of their details ahead of the unveiling.The range-topping GTS versions carry uprated tunes of the shared mid-mounted 3.4-litre six-cylinder in the Boxster S and Cayman S, with power upped 11kW and torque 10Nm to 243kW/370Nm for the Boxster and 250kW/380Nm for the Cayman.There's an acceleration benefit of 0.3 seconds for each car in the 0-100km/h sprint, with the figures given for the seven-speed dual clutch auto versions claiming the Cayman GTS logs 4.6 seconds and the Boxster GTS 4.7 seconds, with top speeds of 285km/h and 281km/h respectively.Standard equipment includes active suspension management and the Sport Chrono pack, allowing the driver to dial up the ride, engine, throttle and steering settings for anything between a comfortable cruise to track day characteristics.Visual cues includes black 20-inch wheels and similarly dark accents for the badging, headlights and taillights, twin central exhaust tips, and reshaped front and rear fascia. The Porsche Boxster GTS and Cayman GTS will launch in overseas markets in May, but it will be at least three or four more months before we see them here. Expect to pay an extra whack -- yet to be announced -- above the S models: $126,500 (man) and $131,490 (auto) for the Boxster S and $139,900 (man) and $144,890 (auto) for the Cayman S.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

All the German prestige brands will tell you there is no power war between them. But if not outright war, there are at least some continual skirmishes -- not least between the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG and its Bavarian counterpart, the BMW M5.When the Mercedes lifted its power to 430kW, BMW responded by upping the then-412kW to 423kW, with the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 also delivering a whamming 680Nm of torque (still outgunned by the E63's 800Nm), and a 0-100km/h time of 4.2 seconds, just 0.1 behind the Merc.Overseas BMW markets get those figures as an optional 'Competition Pack' upgrade. Lucky Australia gets them as standard, along with a host of suspension and steering enhancements that the carmakers says give it the handling edge.So what can you do with all that power, performance and dynamic ability? Let it off the chain in a bullring, according to this BMW footage. We see the M5 trucked into a remote location and locked into the ring to snort and blaze its way through a few doughnuts -- oddly with just a couple of security guards as the target audience.Of course, you can't keep a wild animal caged, so the M5 busts out and assumes its more mild-mannered executive conveyance disguise, cruising off most likely heading back to its natural habitat of leafy suburbs and cafe strips.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincottWatch the BMW M5 video on our desktop site. 

We saw French stunt driver and rally racer Guerlain Chicherit perform a stunning feat last year, performing the world's first unassisted car backflip. However he wasn't so successful in his latest Guinness World Record bid: an attempt at the longest jump by a car.Again in a modified Mini, as he was for the backflip, Chicherit had his eye on wresting the current long jump crown from Tanner Foust, beating that 101-metre effort with a try for 110 metres.The video footage shows Chicherit started off in good form, and cleared the gap between the ramps with plenty of margin to spare. But in this case what went up -- and over -- came down in a spectacular crash.As Chicherit was losing altitude, the car nosed down and landed virtually face-first then cartwheeled down the ramp, finishing on its side. Despite the spectacular crash, Chicherit was able to escape with just a few minor injuries. And will undoubtedly be back for another try in the future.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincottWatch the video of the huge crash on our desktop site.

An altercation over ice cream at a McDonald's outlet in the US has resulted in a car being torched. Witnesses told US media a couple in the fast food order queue were arguing over what to order, when the situation sparked into arson.Bystander Sabryna Maré told 47 WTEV she was behind the couple in the Jacksonville, Forida McDonald's and overheard the argument. "She was saying she wanted this and wanted that, and she wanted either a McFlurry or an ice cream on top and he was not in for it. Then he was yelling at her saying he's not going to do it," Maré told the station."Next thing you know, she says 'I'm going to blow it up,' and we were wondering what are you going to blow up?" Maré said, adding that the woman then doused the car and set it alight before running off. "She got something out of the car that happened to be a bottle and then she got gasoline from who knows where. Then she poured everything all over it and next thing you know there was a match and it was up in flames."The report said other bystanders tried to help the man put out the fire, but the blaze prevented it being extinguished until firefighters arrived. The man left immediately afterwards in the vehicle.The quarelling man and woman have not been identified. The car, a 1994 Cadillac El Dorado, has reportedly found a few blocks away, with police saying the registration plates did not match the vehicle -- suggesting it may have been stolen.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

The wealthier streets of the Middle East are a traffic jam of supercars, where Ferraris, Bugatti Veyrons and Lamborghinis are as common as Corollas in an Aussie carpark.So how does the status-conscious gazillionaire stand out in that crowd? By adding cats to the household, and posting photos of them on social media. And we're not talking your usual internet cat meme. These are lions, tigers, cheetahs and leopards.The king of the cars is Humaid AlBuQaish, who has more than 425,000 followers on Instagram keen for snaps of his menagerie of big cats and exotic supercars -- garnished with his own up-close-and-personally-near-those-claws-and-teeth poses.And while he seems to be unworried about scratches to his body, he's even less concerned about the same fate befalling his collection of supercars. Several of his photos show his pets climbing on and over the cars, often joined by their owner.His photos are blatant enough to remove any suspicion of the big cats being illegally kept: a problem that has recently arisen in the Middle East, with more than 200 confiscated every year in the United Arab Emirates alone.AlBuQaish's social media profiles don't mention what he does for a living, but the number plates on his cars are largely from Sharjah, the third largest of the wealthy Emirates. And judging by the low numbers on the registration plates -- a local sign of traditional status rather than just mere money -- he's a young sheikh, and possibly part of the constitutional monarchy of the Al Qasimi dynasty that has ruled there since 1972.What is clear is that when it comes to internet cat photos, everybody else may as well pack up their cameras, phones and tablets. AlBuQaish is the winner, all paws down.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

If the eyes are said to be the windows to the soul, perhaps they -- along with eyebrows and mouth -- can also be a window of opportunity to quell road-rage. Swiss researchers are testing new technology that monitors a driver's facial expressions for signs of anger that point to potential road rage.The system, developed by scientists at Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroen, uses a camera to 'read' the driver's face, using cues from the eyes, brow line and mouth. When the subject shows signs of stress and anger, an alert is given that the driver should calm down.But the Swiss research team says it hopes to develop the technology into production, and also to expand the sensor duties to detect fatigue, distraction and emotional or mental instability.Mood-monitoring software is set to spread through a lot of the technology we use. Samsung is at work on a system for mobile phones, and Intel is developing one that can be integrated into laptops -- yes, computer rage is a thing.Of course, there's often a big leap between telling somebody to calm down and having them do it. And the Swiss in-car system is yet to calculate for some of the other signs of driver anger ... like the common hand gestures flipped at surround traffic.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincottWatch the facial recognition technology video on our desktop site. 

Audi has tapped acerbic comdedian Ricky Gervais to star in a new ad campaign called 'Dues' for the A3 sedan, with the underlying message that the car is as uncompromised as the comic -- known for outraging Hollywood when hosting the Golden Globes, and equally outraging the conservative side of Twitter on a daily basis.Joining Gervais in the slot are US gold medal boxer Claressa Shields, entrepreneur chef David Chang who founded the Momofuku restaurant empire, comedian Kristen Schaal -- the uber-fan Mel in Flight of the Conchords, and a regular on The Daily Show -- and several other celebrities who swim against the flow.Gervais, who created The Office, Extras, An Idiot Abroad, and Derek, among other hit comedy, kicks off the commercial with the first line "I've paid my dues", with the other celebrities taking turns until they get to the chorus of the famed Queen song ... "You know how it goes" Gervais bookends the ad to tell us.The ad was created by Venables Bell & Partners in the US, who spearheaded the 'don't compromise' theme with the Doberhuahua commercial for the A3 that aired during the Super Bowl in February.The 60-second spot starring Gervais will be the linchpin for a series of profiles highlighting the careers of each of the other celebrities in the campaign. And with Audi outselling last year's top global prestige brand BMW in the first two months of this year, perhaps using 'Champions of the World' as the soundtrack for the latest ad has another message about their intentions.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincottWatch the Ricky Gervais Audi ad on our desktop site.

Ford is recalling 3256 of its FGII Falcon EcoLPi sedans and utes due to a production error that means they may be missing an o-ring seal between the fuel delivery module and the wiring connector insert of the LPG tank.The carmaker says the missing seal means gas could leak from the LPG tank, posing a potential fire risk.The affected sedans were built in Ford's Victorian facility between August 4, 2011 and July 18, 2012; and the utes between September 15, 2011 and July 18, 2012.Ford is contacting owners of the vehicles, but advises that until the problem is rectified, the cars should not be parked in confined areas.Concerned owners can contact their nearest Ford dealership to have their cars inspected and the fix implemented, or can contact Ford's Customer Relationship Centre on 1800 503 672 for more information.