UPDATE: Toyota has now announced an official global recall for the 2010 Toyota Prius
FOLLOWING REPORTS out of Japan this week that suggested such a move, Toyota has today announced a global recall of the 2010 Toyota Prius. The recall affects 2378 Prius cars in Australia and around 400,000 globally.
The recall follows an announcement by Toyota Australia last week that it is investigating a possible brake problem in the new Prius.
Toyota Australia Senior Executive Director Dave Buttner told TMR yesterday that there was “no reason why we wouldn’t fall in line if a global recall was called”, and confirmed tonight that an official recall had been issued.
However Mr Buttner was clear that the issue is not one of brake failure, and that only two cases have been reported in Australia so far.
AFTER MUCH ANTICIPATION, Toyota has launched the 2010 Hybrid Camry in Australia, the first locally-built hybrid car and one of the most efficient cars in its segment.
Toyota Australia chief Dave Buttner hailed the car’s arrival as one of “the most significant events in Toyota Australia’s 50-year history”, while Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said late last year that the local production of the Hybrid Camry would give a “$90 million boost” to South Australian and Victorian parts industries.
Largely based on the Hybrid Camry that’s been on sale in the USA since 2006 (which has so far sold in excess of 33,000 units), the Australian-market model features a unique suspension tune, new steering hardware and a new stability management calibration.
Toyota invited us to Melbourne to sample the car on public roads - our first proper taste of the company’s latest addition to its hybrid line-up. It did not disappoint.
A SURVEY TAKEN in December showed 31 percent of Victoria’s vehicles may be unsafe for the road. Today, the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) has released photos that reveal the extent to which some motorists are ignoring vehicle safety.
VACC Executive Director David Purchase said that, in some cases, the damage to crucial components is so bad that drivers and occupants are lucky to be alive.
FOLLOWING THE RELEASE of the Carbon Black Edition version late last year, these new spy photos show that Aston Martin has begun working on an update for the V8 and V12 Vantage duo.
While there’s nothing new about the overall lines, the V8 Vantage bonnet, lip spoiler, rear spoiler and diffuser all indicate a mule under test.
PEUGEOT’S CHINESE-MARKET 408, revealed earlier this month in Beijing, may also have a local debut on the horizon - but only if a case can be built for a right-hand-drive model.
The Chinese model 408, built on an extended 308 platform and developed by Peugeot and China’s DFM, is expected to increase Peugeot’s Chinese sales - 410,000 in 2009 - by 30 percent.
A NEW REPORT out of Europe shows that Toyota has not been deflected by recent problems and continues to work at pressing the boundaries in auto design and technologies.
Although saddled with the recall of more than eight million vehicles world-wide (and clearly stinging from the bad press), renderings have surfaced today of a new patent application from Toyota, or so French website L’Automobile would have us believe.
The design of the retro-futuristic concept suggests a new Toyota hybrid or all-electric vehicle is under consideration.
V8 SUPERCARS AUSTRALIA has announced this week that it has dropped Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway from the 2010 calendar, due to “third world” conditions. The event has been replaced by the Ipswich 300 at Queensland Raceway.
Shane Howard, CEO of V8 Supercars Australia, said this week that it was disappointing that a solution could not be found for Perth to stay in the fixture.
WITH THE 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo only a few months out of the box, Porsche has announced today that it will unveil the more hardcore 911 Turbo S at Geneva next month.
Producing 395kW and a full 700Nm of torque, the 911 Turbo S will outdo not only the ‘regular’ 911 Turbo, but also the 390kW and 680Nm of the 997 911 GT2.
PRIME MINISTER Kevin Rudd wants to see the legal drinking age in Australia raised to 21 years.
Talking on ABC Television’s Q&A programme last night, Mr Rudd said that while he believes a higher drinking age could work to lower the number of P-Plater deaths, a comprehensive study would need to be undertaken to prove its worth.
BANNING THE USE of mobile phones while driving may not result in a significant decrease in traffic accidents, according to a new study by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) in the US.
The study - which collected data from four US states that have mobile phone bans in place - showed that accident rates in states with and states without bans remained largely unchanged.
AFTER A TEASER image and recent spy photos offered a hint of what to expect, Renault has finally unveiled the stylish 2011 Renault Megane CC.
Due for its official worldwide debut at Geneva next month, this week’s reveal of the Megane coupe-convertible follows the recent unveiling of the smaller Twingo-based Renault Wind convertible.
FOLLOWING RECENT spy photos and preview renderings, BMW has this week revealed the 2011 BMW X5, due for its Australian debut this coming June.
BMW says the updated X5 is more powerful, more efficient and more luxurious than the outgoing model, although local specifications aren’t expected to be confirmed until the June launch date draws nearer.
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