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PSA: Toyota wants to save your life, needs an hour of your time

Toyota wrote Autoblog to ask if we could spread the word about the Takata airbag inflator recall. Defective inflators remain installed in tens of millions of cars made by 19 carmakers, with manufacture dates that go back to the year 2000. Each inflator compounds the risk of serious injury or death in an airbag-activating crash. With a new ad campaign called "in about an hour," Toyota wants to make sure that unaware owners, or overly busy owners, know they can get their Toyota, Lexus, and Scion vehicles repaired free of charge in about the time it takes to do a load of laundry. The campaign focuses on cities in three so-called Zone A states where hot, humid climates worsen the threat of the ruptured inflators: Los Angeles, Dallas, and Miami. However, every owner everywhere who cares about his life, or his child's life, should at least check to see if his car is affected. All it takes is a quick VIN entry at the dedicated recall site at Toyota.com/Recall. The results will let you know if your car is affected and, if so, locate a local dealer for the free fix. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said the Takata affair has become "the largest and most complex safety recall in U.S. history." The numbers so far suggest the recall covers more than 42 million vehicles and more than 60 million airbags. Autoweek keeps an updated list of Takata information, including every make and model on the recall list. Consumer Reports published a list of frequently asked questions covering issues directly related and tangential to the recall. The 19 automakers maintain pages dedicated to the issue; Fiat Chrysler lists every relevant model and how it prioritizes repairs by Zone, Honda says it offers a free rental car while owner cars are repaired, Daimler vans says its fix only takes about an hour. And of course NHTSA serves all owners with its own VIN lookup site. We encourage you to check your vehicle — the life you save could be your own. Related Video:

Lexus LX to get diesel engine?

Australian consumers appear poised to get another diesel-burning luxury SUV in the near future, and word is it's coming from Lexus, of all automakers. Sean Hanley, chief executive of the company's branch in Oz, recently told Aussie website Drive that he's "pretty confident" that the new engine for the LX is getting the green light.
Like in the US, the LX in Australia is currently only offered with a 5.7-liter, gasoline-burning V8. However, sales of the big SUV are presently minuscule Down Under, with Drive reporting just 153 LX570s sold in all of Oz last year. Hanley is negotiating with Japan to get the new diesel in hopes of boosting flagging sales. If his efforts are successful, it would be the first diesel engine offered in a Lexus there. Hanley didn't specify exactly which mill the SUV would get. However, given the LX's close relationship with Toyota Land Cruiser, the diesel 4.5-liter twin-turbo V8 already available in the Toyota in markets outside of North America seems like a natural choice.
Don't expect the variant to be hopping across the Pacific, though. Lexus spokesperson Allison Takahashi tells Autoblog she has heard "nothing" about an oil-burning LX coming to the US. That's not a huge surprise, though, because neither Toyota nor Lexus offer any diesels in their lineups today. Also, Lexus has only sold 1,981 LX570s through June, which only placed it ahead of the LFA supercar in the brand's sales. It's probably just not worth certifying the engine for such a low-volume model.

Lexus LC500 Convertible gets Marine Blue interior and top ... in Japan

Japanese customers of the Lexus LC will soon have a wider selection of exterior and interior colors, including a stunning Marine Blue option exclusive to the LC 500 Convertible. The announcement came on Thursday, along with news of some minor handling improvements. The Marine Blue selection adds an tidy navy lid to the LC droptop, paired with a matching interior. However, the entire cockpit hasn't been slathered in blue. Instead, the cobalt hue has been applied judiciously to the steering wheel, dash pad, gear selector, and sections of the door panels. Most of interior is actually white, giving the two-tone cabin an elegant nautical feel. In addition, Lexus is introducing two new colors to Japan's LC palette: Sonic Iridium, which looks like yet another silver variant, and Terrain Khaki Mica Metallic, which looks like the beautiful Nori Green special edition we got in the U.S. and was previously exclusive to the convertible, is now available on the LC500 and LC500h coupe. Buyers can tick a box for new orange brake calipers as well. Lexus says they've also improved the LC's steering feel, ride quality, and controllability during high-g cornering by making minor adjustments to the coil springs, dampers, and stabilizers. Coupled with tweaks to the settings of the variable gear ratio steering and dynamic rear steering systems, Lexus says the overall responsiveness has been improved. Lastly, the LC coupe's panoramic roof now uses a tinted privacy glass.  The Lexus LC menu has always been slightly different between the U.S. and Japan regions. For example, we get three interior options — tan, black, and a red-on-black two-tone. Even before Marine Blue Japan had a fourth, black-and-orange. It's not quite as Halloween-y as it sounds to American ears; the orange is more of a saddle brown. Lexus hasn't said whether Marine Blue (or any of the other improvements) will come to the U.S., but the LC is likely to receive a refresh soon. If the new interior is part of the package, we won't complain. Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.