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Toyota celebrates 30th anniversary of Land Cruiser 70 with Japan rerelease [w/videos]

It's a common refrain among auto enthusiasts to bemoan the current models being sold for being overly complex and expensive and to wish that automakers would just make vehicles like the old days. Sure, they might not have been as safe or efficient, but there was often a certain rugged simplicity that's gone today. Well, Toyota is actually doing it and thinks there's enough demand to put the Land Cruiser 70 back into production in Japan for its 30th anniversary. Sadly, it's only for one year.
The original Land Cruiser 70 served a long life in Japan from 1984 to 2004. Even today, the proven model remains in production in some regions abroad. People in its home country still love the vehicle though, and Toyota is brushing off the mothballs to give customers what they want. For the first time ever there, it's also offering the double-cab pickup version in addition to the traditional enclosed body. The company thinks that it can move about 200 of these classic trucks this year, which isn't too shabby for a vehicle that's three decades old.
Looking at the pictures above, these look like the same old Land Cruisers, but Toyota is updating them slightly to meet modern safety rules. The grille, hood and headlights are all tweaked, and they now come with airbags and anti-lock brakes. A 4.0-liter V6 is under the hood making 228 horsepower (170 kilowatts) and 266 lb-ft of torque (360 Newton-meters), and the only available gearbox is a five-speed manual. Part-time four-wheel drive is standard. If you're really afraid of getting stuck in the wilderness, locking front and rear differentials and a winch are available as options.

Toyota Corolla Nurburgring Edition talks the talk, doesn't walk the walk

From the Opel Corsa OPC to the Lexus LFA, there have been all sorts of vehicles worthy of wearing the Nurburgring name. And while the Toyota Corolla may have a lot going for it – it is, after all, once of the top selling models in the world – we're not sure it would count among them. Especially not with a CVT. Toyota's Thai division seems to think otherwise, though, and is launching the Corolla Altis ESport Nurburgring Edition at the Bangkok Motor Show this week. Apparently inspired by a seventh-place class finish at last year's 24-hour race on the Nordschleife, it's based on the Corolla Altis – a version of the popular sedan sold in South Asian markets – and picks up where the ESport trim leaves off. From there it gets a reworked aero kit, blacked-out grille, LED daytime running lights and red-trimmed leather interior. There's even a recalibrated suspension hooked up to 17-inch alloys, giving it the right stance, but that's about the extent of the performance enhancements. Power unfortunately still comes from a 1.8-liter atmospheric inline-four, driving just 141 horsepower to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission. So while it may have at least some of the looks to go with its racy name, it still lacks the oomph. This, then, will not be one of those overseas performance specials we'll be longing for when passing by a Toyota showroom on our own shores, but at least customers in Thailand can look the part.

Toyota recalls 112,500 models for steering, transmission issues

Toyota has announced a voluntary recall of a variety of vehicles built between model years 2012 and 2015. Roughly 110,000 of the 112,500 vehicles being recalled consist of the gas and hybrid variants of the 2015 Camry and Highlander, as well as the 2014 and 2015 RAV4. The problem, this time around, is down to a circuit board that may have been damaged during manufacturing of the electric power steering system. According to Toyota, the bad circuit board can lead to a loss of power steering. Owners would still have manual steering control, although they'll have a warning lamp glaring at them from the instrument cluster the entire time. As for the remaining 2,500 vehicles, they're limited to the RAV4 EV, built between 2012 and 2014. A software issue in the electric vehicle traction motor assembly could cause the EV to shift into neutral. As with the issue affecting the Camry, Highlander and gas-powered RAV4, vehicles with this problem will produce a warning lamp in the instrument cluster, as well as a "Check EV" message. Toyota will be notifying owners of the affected vehicles via snail mail, and asking them to report in for free repairs at their local dealership. Check out the whole press release on the issue, available below. TORRANCE, Calif., March 11, 2015 – Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., today announced it will conduct safety recalls of approximately 2,500 Model Year 2012 – 2014 RAV4 EV vehicles; and approximately 110,000 Model Year 2015 Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, and 2014-2015 Model Year RAV4 vehicles. In the involved RAV4 EV, components in the Electric Vehicle Traction Motor Assembly, which is part of the propulsion system, may cause the vehicle to shift to "neutral" due to a software issue. This condition will also trigger a "Check EV System" warning message on the instrument panel and turn on a malfunction indicator lamp. If the vehicle shifts to "neutral", this will result in a complete loss of drive power, which can increase the risk of a crash. Owners of the involved vehicles will receive a notification by first class mail. Toyota dealers will repair the electric vehicle traction motor assembly. In the involved Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid and RAV 4 vehicles, a circuit board for the electric power steering (EPS) may have been damaged during its manufacturing process. This can result in the loss of power steering assist; an instrument panel warning lamp will also come on.