2014 Toyota Prius Two on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Kyle Busch breaks leg in big crash, will miss Daytona 500

NASCAR driver Kyle Busch suffered a compound fracture of the lower right leg and a mid-foot fracture of his left yesterday at Daytona during the 112th lap of the Alert Today Florida 300, the season-opening race of the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series. Busch came into contact with the infield wall just past the pit lane exit, an area where there is currently no SAFER barrier, which is designed to reduce the risk of injury in a crash. Fellow racer Ty Dillon, the third-place finisher in the race, expressed a common refrain following the news of Busch's injury. "I think we're to the point now in NASCAR we should have SAFER barriers at a place like this, we're going so fast. I think we could probably afford it," said Dillon. Matt Crafton will drive the No. 18 Toyota today at the Daytona 500 today as a substitute for Busch, but it's not yet clear if he will continue to drive the car following Daytona. Kurt Busch, Kyle's older brother, will also miss the Daytona 500 due to the domestic violence case against him in Delaware. Video footage of the wreck can be seen above. It goes without saying, but we wish Kyle a speedy recovery and a return to his stock car as quickly as possible.

Toyota recalls 4,000 Tacoma pickups over valve springs

When you build as many cars and trucks as Toyota does, you're bound to run into the occasional recall. In the past month alone, the Japanese auto giant has recalled over 800,000 Camry, Avalon and Venza models over problems with the air-conditioning units, and 10,000 more before that over windshield wiper issues. Now Toyota has issued another recall notice, but this time for far fewer vehicles.
The recall revolves around the engine valve springs in the 2013 and 2014 Tacoma, specifically those fitted with the standard 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine and not the optional 4.0-liter V6. The issue is that the valve springs are prone to cracking and breaking over time, and results from improper maintenance of the manufacturing equipment used by one of the two suppliers that outfit Toyota with the components in question.
All told, some 4,000 vehicles will be subject to the voluntary recall, the owners of which will receive notice by mail. If you think that could be you and want to get a jump on the problem, you can read the announcement below and call Toyota yourself.

2019 BMW Z5 shows off its soft top

BMW continues development work on the Z5, which will succeed the Z4 in its lineup for the 2019 model year. These latest spy shots again show off the Z5's classic sports-car proportions during testing on European roads. As expected, the roadster will switch to a cloth top instead of the retractable hardtop the Z4 uses. The much-anticipated Z5 will be based on a rear-wheel-drive platform that's jointly developed with Toyota. Rumors persist Toyota's version will mark the return of the Supra name, though the Japanese automaker has been silent on the matter. Reports say the cars could be assembled by Magna Steyr in Austria. We expect the Z5 will run four- and six-cylinder engines, and the soft top will help the roadster reduce weight and likely improve performance. It's also possible BMW will build a fixed-roof Z5. We predict the Z5 will appear on the auto show circuit within the next year. The long-running Z4 launched for 2009. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 BMW Z5 View 10 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Design/Style Spy Photos BMW Toyota Convertible Performance bmw z5