Articles by Karla Pincott

It won't put a new car in your driveway, but it will let you modify photos of your old banger -- or any other car, ute or garbage truck, for that matter -- and turn them into funky screensavers and online avatars.You don't need any sophisticated image manipulation software.The app imports your photo, then prompts you to pinpoint the car's wheels and use them to 'slide' it nto a shortened chop-shop custom job.The app makers says Squash My Car can turn a photo of just about any vehicle into a modified beauty.A Leyland P76 was probably a challenge too hard. A shortened one just looks like ... well, a shorter Leyland P76. And there's still no beauty about it.More information can be found here.

Tim Lee, the Shanghai-based president of GM's international operations was quoted in reports in the business press today, which speculated that the Holden Commodore would be phased out in favour of a ‘global’ car. Lee reportedly said while visiting Melbourne that Holden had been one of the car giant’s strongest sellers in local markets, but that the GM business plan – like that of Ford – was moving towards global platforms. However he said that GM would maintain "full-line capacity in Australia with designing and engineering, building and selling vehicles", according to reports in the Australian Financial Review and other business media. The reports also quote Lee as saying that the "In the body shop the best way to do that is to have flexibility and to build two architectures and platforms. Maybe a mini car and a small car or maybe a small car and a compact car, or maybe a compact car and mid-sized car." "We're going to build a s**t load more great Commodores,” he was quoted as saying.  “It’s still an outstanding motor vehicle and one that we intend to produce for a long time.  But if you look at the motorway here in Melbourne, you see a lot of small cars. You see a lot of more fuel-efficient vehicles on the roads than Commodore.” The comments come after the release of a South Australian report, detailing that Holden's Elizabeth car manufacturing plant alone is worth more than $1.5 billion to the state economy each year and closure would lead to the loss of up to 16,000 jobs. Premier Jay Weatherill released the report last week, after the State Opposition called for a cost-benefit analysis before the handover of more taxpayer money to the company. The study by University of Adelaide Business School head Barry Burgan, dated February 4, was handed to the state Manufacturing, Innovation, Trade, Resources and Energy Department. It does not comment on the merits of further taxpayer backing. Holden is in negotiations with the state and federal governments over a bailout to keep the Elizabeth plant operational beyond 2016 and economists have forecast a $200 million price tag. The Federal Government will contribute the bulk of the funding. Associate Professor Burgan's report finds there are 2700 people directly employed by Holden in Elizabeth. The company purchases $530 million of goods from ``core'' local suppliers, supporting 5610 jobs and prompts extra employment in retail, transport, construction and other manufacturing. But the report says closure at Holden would also lead to some growth in other industries and reduction in worker wages as supply of labour and resources currently invested in auto manufacturing shifted. ``Note that this report does not consider the issues around what is required to underpin the longer term sustainability of the operations at Holden,'' Prof Burgan writes. ``Nor does this analysis consider the full gamut of benefit and cost considerations in terms of policies to mitigate the risks identified.'' Opposition industry spokesman Steven Marshall said the Government had spent taxpayer money to deliver a report backing its political argument. Taxpayer support for car making needed to be based on a full cost-benefit study, he said. Mr Weatherill told the South Australian Parliament the Elizabeth plant had long been ``the cornerstone of our state's industrial strength''.  

A new, lower power version of the Jaguar XF 2.2 turbodiesel four-cylinder has just started rolling out the factory door in the UK. Rated at 120kW, 20kW lower than the existing 140kW 2.2-litre, the newcomer will target Brit budget-minded buyers with a price about equivalent to $44,000. But while Jaguar UK says it loses little in fit-out, it gains nothing at the pump. The 120kW version uses the same 5.4-litres/100km as the 140kW one -- and emits an identical 149g/km of CO2. That's unlikely to matter to bargain hunters, who it is targeting in a bid to lift the vehicle rego numbers in the UK's first quarter. But don't get too excited about slipping down to the local showroom to welcome it into the bargain basement. For a start, taxes and import duties would lift the Australian price here, but Jaguar Australia says it's not on the plan for the local line-up. "That's a purely a UK market and we won't be taking it," Jaguar general manager Kevin Goult says. "Getting the car to Australia would mean it would cost more than it does in the UK. And it has lower performance, but consumption and CO2 are exactly the same. Britain has a big registration month in March so this is to assist them (with sales figures) in the first quarter of the year." Goult says Jaguar Australia is happy with where their current XF 2.2 is sitting in the price bracket -- and with its sales performance. "Our price point of $78,900 (for the 140kW XF 2.2) is pretty aggressive and with great spec it is doing exactly what we want it to among the competition," he says. "There was about 27 per cent of that segment we knew we weren't able to reach, and the 2.2 has given us access to them. "The segment has picked up for XF and some of that on the 2.2m and we think we'll see more growth this year. We're very happy with our product line-up."

The resulting video clip was made for the recent Super Bowl half-time ad space, but has gone wildly viral since, racking up more than 14 million views on Youtube. The footage shows the US band driving a Chevrolet Sonic through ranks of side-tipped pianos, guitars, drums and the expected collection of odd noise-making objects for the track Needing/Getting.With the singer Kulash driving, the Chev was variously used as a giant plectrum, drum stick and an instrument in its own right.The band developed a computer program that would dictate the speed required to have the car hit all the instruments to produce the music and match the rhythm of the song.

The West End of London came to a halt last week as a crystal-covered Stars and Striped BMW Mini was winched out through the roof of a building, down the side and onto the ground – to be followed by the sight of a bright red knitted Ferrari being winched up the side and through the roof to replace.The car swap in Picadilly Circus was an exchange of displays at the London Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum.And with the vehicle changing place in a spot on an upper floor, there was no other route for them to take.The full-sized knitted Ferrari was crafted by UK artist Lauren Porter, who took 10 months and 20km of wool, knitted, purled, stitched  - and embroidered with the prancing horse logo on the fluffy bonnet.It’s the kind of soft toy every baby car enthusiast dreams of. Studded with a million Swarovski crystals that make it the most expensive Mini ever seen – worth the equivalent of $1.5 million – the little car is being shipped to the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Musuem in Baltimore, where US fans can get a closer look at its sparkling mosaic showing the American flag, eagle and Mt Rushmore.

Some utes don't bother pretending to be show ponies. They're for packing up and working, much like the Aussie stock-horse - it might not be as fast and elegant as a thoroughbred, but it's not going to shy at the sight of a loaded toolbox either.And that's the frankly honest charm of the Isuzu D-Max range. If the face is familiar, it's probably because it's long been a Holden Colorado (formerly the Rodeo) under another name.The current ute was co-developed with GM, but later this year we'll see a new D-Max generation completely developed by Isuzu.VALUEThe rear-wheel drive D-Max LS dual-cab auto turbodiesel starts from $38,600 with all the basic equipment: airconditioning, cruise control, CD audio and alloy wheels, with a leather-trimmed steering wheel the only bid for luxe touch.Most people looking at this level will be pricing it against others with a similar 3000kg tow capacity and close to a tonne payload, and the first obvious contender is the clone Holden Colorado, which is pretty much identical but asks $12,000 more to sport the lion logo on the grille, and like the D-Max is only three-star crash rated.Oddly, despite being overpriced by comparison, the Holden outsells the Isuzu - suggesting that buyers don't realise it's the same vehicle, or don't see past the badge. Sending in the other leading clones - Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 - will get you 3350kg tow capacity from the shared 3.2-litre turbodiesel and six-speed automatic.But the Mazda is about $4000 more than the Isuzu, and the Ford another $500 on top of that. However it's worth considering that the extra spend brings you two more crash safety stars and a better equipment list.DESIGNThe D-Max is not going to win any catwalk contests, but it's got an honest no-nonsense appeal. It's built on a tough ladder-frame chassis, with a basic four-door cabin that has a hard-wearing hose-out feel, but offers fairly practical space for legs and heads.The seats are firm and flat, hard plastics are everywhere, and there's little in the way of high-end gizmos. But with the practical packaging and thought given to storage spaces -including a fold-down rear seat that lets you stash some items out of sight -- it's a case of function being more important than frills.TECHNOLOGYIt carries a 3.2-litre direct-injected turbodiesel that develops 120kW of power at 3600rpm and a handy 333Nm of torque between 1600-3200rpm - not the segment leader for grunt, but more than capable for most worksite towing and payloads.Our rear-wheel drive test use had the archaic four-speed automatic that is looking easily outclassed by the more modern five and six-speeds appearing in newer utes - some with a 'manumatic' sequential mode.SAFETYIt gets only a three-star crash rating, with two front airbags and anti-skid brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution to compensate for uneven loading. Don't look for brake assist, stability or traction controls. Or for airbags in the second row. Hopefully the new Isuzu will put a stronger focus on worker safety.DRIVINGYou'll have no doubt there's a diesel under the bonnet right from the start. First there's the signature clatter, but then there's also the confidence from stacks of low-down torque - as long as you're willing to go at things steadily.The transmission is basic and both the changes and the accelerator response will call on your patience if you're trying to dodge through city traffic gaps or overtake on the highway.But for everyday load-lugging, the D-Max is a simple and uncomplicated workhorse. And the suspension is clearly happier with a load on board, with a tendency to bounce if it doesn't have a job to do but surprisingly compliant with enough gear in the tray.The steering is vague, and combines with the vehicle's workhorse design and dynamics to make any attempt at speedy cornering a futile joust with the laws of physics. But nobody is going to buy the D-Max to take to track days, and it would be pointless to mark it down on that.VERDICTThe D-Max is a solid workmate and good value against the competition, but let down mainly by having three-star safety when the workforce deserves five.Isuzu D-Max LS dual-cabPrice: from $38,600Warranty: 3 years/100,000kmResale: 39%Service: 15,000km/12 monthsEconomy: 9.0L/100km, diesel, 237g/km CO2Safety: 3 starsEquipment: two airbags, ABS, EBDEngine: 3.0 litre turbo-diesel, in-line 4-cylinder, 120kW/333NmTransmission: 4-speed automatic, RWDBody: 4-door ute, seats 5Weight: 2800kgDimensions: 5030mm (L), 1800mm (W), 1735mm (H), 3050mm (WB)Tyres: 16x7Spare: full-size

Well, not so much gullwing as falcon wing, according the to US electric vehicle maker. Billed by Tesla as ‘the first of their kind’ the falcon wings are set deep into the vehicle roof – similarly to the famed Mercedes-Benz 300SL – and look to swing up without slicing through a large amount of air space trajectory. “The falcon wings do not raise any higher than a conventional tailgate and sit within the silhouette of the vehicle itself,” Tesla Australia spokesman Jay McCormack says. “That means you can open it in a normal garage space without gouging either the walls or the car doors.” The Model X will carry seven in three rows of seats, and the flat sub-floor battery pack makes for a second helping of boot space under the bonnet.  The inner-roof hinge position means you can stand up in the car at the middle row – handy for stowing kids and cargo alike. The Model X sits on a version of the Tesla electric Model S sedan platform, with both axles driven via a single-speed transmission and power coming from a choice of either a 60kwH or 80kwh battery pack. Tesla says the on-demand AWD “detects slippage and immediately redirects torque and power to maintain stability … and offers improved traction without sacrificing efficiency or acceleration”. Tesla has not yet released any other technical, pricing or range details. However the Model S – which will arrive here next year – claims 480km range from the 85kWh version that will spearhead the local arrival,  368km from the 60kWh version that will follow it later in 2012 (and 250km from the 40kWh base model that will bring up the rear).  Differences in range between the Model S and model X will largely be down to final vehicle weight. And buyers of the Model X will have to calculate for the extra avoirdupois if they fill all seven seats. Cabin fit-out includes appropriately app-happy Gen-Next internet connectivity and vehicle apps. Tesla says it will start production late in 2013 for showroom appearance early in 2014. McCormack says we can expect to see it here later that year. “Based on our typical roll-out of production models, it’s at least 12 months after the US,” he says. So we would expect it here late in 2014.” “The main competition in that premium luxury segment? We draw comparisons with the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6. The differentiator is – and always will be – the technology.” “Since our inception the key to success of all Teslas is that they are built around our technology and the powertrain that allows us to do so many things a normal internal combustion engine can’t do.”

The move would follow plans to build similar circuits in the US and China. Porsche already offers Aussie customers high performance driving days through its lease of the Queensland government owned driver training facility at Mt. Cotton. However, the local arm is keen to establish its own centre and is looking hard at possible sites in the Sunshine State, Porsche Australia spokesman Paul Ellis says. “Queensland is the logical place for Porsche to look at creating a driving centre as a large percentage of our drive day participants come from Asia and they tend to package their Porsche driving days with holidays,” he says. Two similar tracks are planned for the Atlanta and Los Angeles in the US, which is Porsche’s biggest market with 29,093 sales for 2011 - an increase of 15 per cent over 2010. However China was screaming up close behind with 24,340 sales, which was a massive increase of 64 per cent over 2010’s 14,785 sales (itself an increase of 63 per cent over the previous year). “The market in China will possibly overtake the US very soon,” suggests Porsche’s global head of product and technical press, Thomas Becki. He says Porsche already hosts drive days and training in China (at Shanghai’s Tianma track), but with the planned new one “we will own it and we will control it.” But it’s not about megalomania, it’s about money. There’s a strong business case for owning the facility, Becki says.  “Once you buy your Porsche sports car and you want to do training days, it will be worth your while to pay for them to get the full Porsche experience,” he says. In addition, there’s the potential to increase the bottom line by leasing the facility out. “We don’t do these things just for the sake of it,” Ellis says. “We do them because it’s a business and it’s also about giving customers the opportunity to experience their cars in a safe and entertaining environment.”

Nobody wants to wreck a winning formula. Especially nobody at Porsche, where the 911 is the heart and soul of the brand, with a devoted fan club and a pedestal spot in sports car history. So it’s no surprise the seventh generation of the car follows the same recipe of all its ancestors since 1963.There’s been some work on weight reduction, adding power and saving fuel. There’s some more techno trickery and clever features. But no extreme changes that might scare off the faithful. They are looking for what Porsche global board sales head Bernhard Maier called at the launch "the icon of our brand".DESIGN As you’d expect, the new Porsche 911 convertible looks pretty much like the old Porsche 911 convertible.But it also now looks more like the coupe in profile, thanks to the line of the new power-retractable soft-top – which includes rigid panels but is lighter and swifter-folding than the current design. It can be opened or closed in 13 seconds at speeds up to 50km/h and has a powered pop-up wind deflector to keep the cabin breezy without being battered.Porsche’s head of 911 product, August Achleitner, says it’s more than ‘closer’ … “It’s exactly the same as the 911 coupe – exactly. This is able to be done because of the hard magnesium panels, which also make it acoustically better,” he says, thumping our car to demonstrate their robustness.The body is slightly lower-slung than the outgoing car, longer and wider – emphasised at the back by taillights trimmed down to horizontal slivers that almost risk a copyright call from Aston Martin. There are new wheels that add an arch-filling inch to give the Carrera 19-in and the Carrera S 20-in.More aluminium and high-strength steels have been used to trim the weight to as low 1450kg, side mirrors have migrated to the doors and the roofline has apparently been lowered by a tiny 5mm. The cabin gets switchgear from the Panamera and a new colour display screen, but the biggest change there are the hefty metal paddles behind the wheel.VALUEThe starter Carrera will be priced from $255,100, with the Carrera S coming in from $288,300. What other cars can you get for the same sort of money? Quite a few.But what can you get with the same combination of performance, handling, engineering integrity and – last but not least – the styling of quiet confidence rather than neurotic attention-seeking? Not many.Jaguar’s XKR Convertible is in the ballpark at $263,000 with restrained style and a thumping supercharged 5.0-litre V8 slotted in after the brand’s shift from Ford to Tata (a move purist decried but which hasn’t seem to do any harm so far). And there’s familiarity to the styling, although in this case it’s because the Jag is due for a makeover.There’s the Aston Martin Vantage V8 Roadster at $274,698 with a 4.7-litre V8, stunning looks and all the cachet of being related to James Bond’s traditional brand of choice. But it’s not as sharp or refined as the Porsche. And touches of Ford here and there will remind you 007 drove a Mondeo too.And you can’t entirely dismiss the4.7-litre V8 Maserati Gran Cabrio, which has arguably one of the loveliest bodies around, but at $328,000 is overpriced without matching the 911’s engineering and performance.Yes, they’re all V8s and the Porsche is an in-line six. But it overdelivers on the value scale.TECHNOLOGYIt carries the same engine line-up as the 911 Coupes that will arrive here in March, but with only slight speed and acceleration penalties.The Carrera S gets a 294kW/440Nm 3.8-litre six-cylinder with top speed pegged at 301km/h (the Coupe ceilings at 304km/h) and 0-100 sprint of 4.7 seconds with the seven-speed manual transmission, and 299km/h and 4.5secs with the PDK dual-clutch manumatic.The Carrera gets a 257kW/390Nm 3.4-litre six that promises a top speed of 286km/h and 0-100 sprint of 5 seconds with the manual, and 284km/h and 4.8secs with the PDK.Efficency measures include a stop-start system and mean fuel consumption – if that’s going to worry anybody driving this car – starts from a claimed 8.4L/100km for the Carrera with PDK. But even the thirstiest official figure on the sheet is reasonably modest at 9.7L for the manual S.SAFETYIt gets six airbags, anti-skid brakes with all the extras, stability and traction controls.  Add in the new torque-vectoring differential -- which modulates braking on the inside wheel when cornering -- and increased side-impact protection, and you can judge it as having five-star safety.DRIVINGIt’s just about everything you could ask for in a sports convertible. And then, it’s also everything you could ask for in a relaxed cruising drive. You don't have to go fast to enjoy it, and it simply seems even more tractable – so much so, old-school purists might argue it’s lost a bit of soul. It hasn’t.The first thing you notice is how easy the 911 Cabriolet is to drive. We started off in the Carrera S and in a mix of town streets, freeway and tight mountain road – dodging cyclists and the occasional farm truck – the Porsche was always tractable and obliging.The steering is sweet and sharp, and through bends the massive 20-in wheels almost seemed to find their own way as the car switches direction through one bend after another, with barely any impact from the patches of crumbled surface on back roads.Slipping it over to the faux manual side and flicking the paddles sparks bursts of acceleration and glorious sound – snarling and burbling as you play with the gears and throttle.And that’s when you start to notice the second thing – how quiet the cabin is (when you’re not poking a stick through the engine’s bars, that is). Roof up or roof down – and even up to bahnstorming speeds – you’re still able to carry on a conversation without having to yell.Sure, there’s some wind rush in open mode, even with the pop-up deflector in place. But it’s never overbearing.And with the roof up, it’s closer to the coupe in comfort levels and – more importantly perhaps – the looks.VERDICTIt’s quieter, more refined and more tractable, but still has the punch and poise you expect. And it still looks like the previous 911 Cabriolet -- more or less -- but now it feels more like the Coupe.It’s a 911, Jim, and exactly as we know it.

The National Automobile Dealers Association's study of manufacturer mandates for dealership upgrade finds they cost dealerships too much, don’t matter to car buyers - and can’t be guaranteed to help improve business. The study was commissioned by NADA from prominent US industry consultant Glenn Mercer last year after increasing frustration about the situation from its members.  The study included interviews with manufacturer executives, dealer principals, accountants and other key roles in the dealership upgrade process, as well as several hundred in-market consumers.  The resulting Mercer White Paper and Executive Summary have just been released and found upgrade costs are excessive - often beyond the reach of small dealerships - and did not show clear evidence for return on the investment.  “These programs, intended to encourage dealers to invest in store expansion, modernization and standardization, can place significant financial burdens on dealers, yet there is little hard evidence on the return of investment this spending might yield,” the study reports. “As a result, the facility investment decision is all too often based on opinions, assertions and anecdotes, which is no way to conduct business.” It urges the US automotive industry to “open up a dialog in which all parties can discuss facility requirements on a more rational, informed and fact-driven footing.” The study found:  Dealers are supportive of the concept of facility programs, but wary of their economics. Dealers spend up to 30 percent more on a manufacturer-imposed project than an in-house one.  Expansion generated the least dissension between manufacturer and dealer, partly because it is the only layer where hard numbers are often available. Modernisation generates more controversy because while the costs are clear, the benefits are at worst minimal and at best un-quantified. Standardisation - which the study referred to as ‘cookie cutter design’ creates the most contention because its benefits are very unclear. OEMs should work to ensure renovation programs are made affordable for smaller dealerships, and to guarantee the program does not risk over-capitalisation against future sales trends such as increased online car purchasing.  Buyers rate the ‘nice appearance’ of a dealership as the least important factor in deciding where or what to buy, and are indifferent to upgrades.  Both OEMs and dealers agree that facilities should be attractive and modern. But dealerships believe that the financial burden of the manufacturer mandates is too high, and have forced some US dealers out of business.  * The findings of the NADA study and Mercer White Paper were made in the context of the US auto industry and may not be representative of the Australian industry.