CAR ADVICE

An electrical fault with the brake actuator assembly could result in the electronic park brake failing, increasing the risk of a vehicle rolling away when parked. Toyota Australia  has recalled 1258 petrol variants (excluding hybrid) of its 2022-2023 Toyota Corolla Cross, citing a fault with  the electronic parking brake software which could result in a failure of the park brake and cause the vehicle to roll away. The affected vehicles were manufactured between  February 2022 and  April 2023. Ahead of the recall notice being lodged with the Department of Infrastructure, Toyota says: “There is a possibility the brake actuator assembly may falsely detect an overcurrent condition of the electronic parking brake (EPB) actuator and enter a failsafe mode. “This mode illuminates the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL), displays the message “Parking Brake Malfunction, Visit Your Dealer” on the multi-information display (MID), and prevents the E...

More than a dozen owners of the Bugatti Chiron – one of the world’s fastest cars – were invited to test their limits at more than 400km/h on the former space shuttle runway. French car-maker Bugatti has given 18 owners of its luxury hypercars the experience of a lifetime – allowing them to legally go faster than 400km/h on the former NASA space shuttle runway in Florida. Held at the Kennedy Space Centre’s Launch and Landing Facility – which served as the final stop for NASA’s space shuttles from 1979 to 2011 – the ‘Bugatti 400 Drive’ took place in April 2023 for certain customers of the French brand from around the world. The goal for the 18 Bugatti owners was to reach at least 400km/h on the 3.0-mile (4.8-kilometre) runway in a fleet of Chiron hypercars – a target which they all met, and subsequently passed. Bugatti claims all 18 customers reached up to 412 km/h – just 8km/h shy of the Chiron’s 420km/h top speed – with each participant later receiving a tailored Buga...

An Australian Government report has warned the removal of AM radio from new cars could have life-threatening consequences in emergency situations in remote areas, where there is no phone signal or internet connection. But the number of vehicles without the simple but far-reaching broadcast technology continues to grow. Authorities and safety experts have renewed calls to make AM radio compulsory in new cars – as a reliable back-up for emergency alerts during bushfires, floods and other natural disasters in remote areas where there is no phone signal – as the number of motor vehicles without the simple but effective technology continues to grow. The rise in the number of new cars introduced without AM radio – including in Australia – is making headlines overseas and some countries, such as the United States, are proposing the basic but far-reaching technology become mandatory due to its ability to broadcast alerts to people who may be stranded in regional areas where there is n...

The quest for social media likes is pushing people to make some pretty poor decisions, as this group in the US shows. A group of idiotic thrill-seekers have filmed each other doing wheelies on their motorcycles on a US highway – while a man sat on the boot of a Chevrolet Corvette while the car is travelling at speed. And then posted the video on social media platform Instagram in a misguided attempt at gaining notoriety. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brian 636 (@brian__636) The footage, captured on US Highway 71 in Kansas City, Missouri, shows the group performing stunts on the road in broad daylight. The man on the Corvette is initially seen casually eating Reeces chocolate and then filming the riders with no protective gear, or even shoes, as the car is driven along the road. The C7 Corvette Z06, with Texas plates does not appear to be moving quickly, but even at moderate speed, the man could be severely in...

Fernando Alonso is sending his Ferrari Enzo supercar to auction, almost a decade after the Spaniard won his last Formula One race driving for the Scuderia. A rare Ferrari Enzo supercar, currently owned by two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso , is heading to auction in Monte Carlo next week – and it’s estimated to sell for more than €5 million ($AU8.2 million). In a post on social media platform Instagram , Monaco Car Auctions announced the Enzo will be the centrepiece of its upcoming Ferrari -dedicated ‘ L’astarossa ’ auction, set to be held in Monte Carlo on June 8, 2023. While the Ferrari Enzo is a rare car in its own right – with just 399 examples produced for the general public, plus one for the Vatican – this particular supercar is one of just three which is believed to have been owned by one of the Italian marque’s Formula One drivers. Fernando Alonso raced for Ferrari in Formula One between 2010 and 2014, finishing second in the championship three tim...

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if you used a flatbed truck as a jump ramp in the real world – just like in the movies – wonder no more. A police officer in Georgia, USA has captured spectacular footage of the moment a driver launched their car from the ramp of a parked tow truck and sailed through the air. The video initially shared on the social media platform Reddit shows a police officer responding to an accident on one side of the road, before a “rubber-necking” driver of a Nissan sedan on the other side of the road became distracted by the first fender-bender – and unwittingly veered onto the tow truck ramp at speed, launching the car into the air like a movie stunt. As seen in the clip, the car smashes through the steel back-plate of the ramp and over the truck before rolling onto the ground, where it collides with another car, before coming to rest on its wheels. The tow truck driver narrowly escapes injury as the car and debris pass over his head. Ac...

One of Australia’s manufacturing success stories – which literally reinvented the wheel – is now looking to the US to secure funding for further expansion. After more than a decade of creating and manufacturing carbon-fibre wheels in a Geelong factory for supercars from Ferrari, Chevrolet, and Ford, start-up Carbon Revolution is now looking to the US for its next chapter. Carbon Revolution – which is credited with being the first company to mass-produce lightweight wheels from carbon-fibre – announced its intention to list on the NASDAQ stock exchange in the US back in November 2022, as the business looks for the financial backing that will allow it to expand operations in line with demand. Carbon Revolution’s CEO Jake Dingle recently revealed the company has been awarded a contract to supply lightweight wheels on the Range Rover Sport SV, as well as for an as-yet-unnamed electric vehicle. The carbon-fibre wheels provide up to 45 kilograms in weight savings, as well as benef...

Honda is preparing to launch a new ‘global’ budget-priced SUV next month, and there’s a chance it could come to Australia as an entry point to the line-up. The 2024 Honda Elevate will soon be announced for the Japanese market, according to overseas media, opening up the possibility of the small SUV eventually being offered in Australia. Japanese website Creative311 reports Honda will add the Elevate to its domestic line-up in the second half of 2024, with spy images of the vehicle on final on-road tests published on Twitter. The model was thought to be exclusive to the Indian market, with its global debut scheduled for 6 June 2023 – however this could mark the first time an Indian-made Honda is sold in Japan. “Developed as a global model, the all-new Elevate is Honda’s brand new [small] SUV which will have its world premiere in India next month,” Honda India said in a written statement. “Honda Elevate has been developed as a new global model in Honda’s line-up to cater ...

Honey, I shrunk the Land Rover Defender. Meet the iCar 03 electric SUV from China. The Land Rover Defender seems to have served as a source of inspiration for this new electric SUV from Chinese brand Chery. Chery’s upcoming SUV, the iCar 03, has been spotted testing overseas before it arrives in showrooms. The car was previewed at the 2023 Shanghai auto show as part of Chery’s new offshoot called iCar. The iCar brand aims to move away from the Chery badge and be applied to aspirational models such as the upcoming GT Coupe and this off-road SUV. This is the first time the car has been spotted testing on public roads, providing a clear image of its appearance since it lacks the usual prototype camouflage. The front of the iCar 03 ditches the simple ‘i’ logo seen on the concept car and instead features the complete ‘iCar’ name, although the prototype retains the detailed vertical LED headlights that extend down the sides of the bumper, forming the letter ‘i’. The rear has...

While Australia relies on crops to produce ethanol for biofuels, dairy farmers in the US and Canada claim they can turn waste from milk production into eight million litres of ethanol a year. A North American dairy farmers group claims it can help offset 14,500 tonnes of carbon emissions a year by turning the leftover waste from milk production into eco-friendly biofuels. As first reported by Automotive News , the Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) has partnered with Canadian business Dairy Distillery to blend ethanol – which has been created from milk permeate, a byproduct of milk production – with petrol, resulting in lower-emissions fuel. While the fuel itself will be similar in concept to the E10 petrol available at most Australian service stations, it is created in a unique way. Depending on the state, Australia’s E10 fuels can be made from a mash of sugarcane and sorghum or wheat starch, which is then fermented into ethanol and blended into 91 octane unleaded. ...

Spy photos reveal the recently unveiled Aston Martin DB12 will include a Volante drop-top variant. As night follows day, a convertible version of the recently unveiled Aston Martin DB12 has broken cover. The Aston Martin DB12 convertible – covered in camouflage – has been caught on camera near Germany’s Nurburgring. Notably, the photos show the Aston Martin DB12 Volante appears to have a fabric folding roof, similar to its predecessor, the DB11. Certain elements from the DB11 are expected to be carried over to the DB12 Volante, such as the pop-out door handles and the air vents flowing out of the front wheel arches. However, Aston Martin has made significant changes to the interior. The old Mercedes-sourced infotainment screen and touchpad controller from the DB11 have been replaced with new screens and switchgear designed by Aston Martin. The Volante variant is expected to feature the coupe’s same 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotai...