Car News

An immaculate 1981 Toyota HiLux is being advertised for an astronomical $USD50,000 – the equivalent of $AUD73,000 – in the US, in yet another example of classic Japanese cars starting to fetch big dollars. By comparison, the current 2020 Toyota HiLux range tops out at $62,990 drive-away for a Rugged X or Rogue edition. The 1981 Toyota HiLux Trekker is regarded as the “forerunner to the 4Runner” because its ute tub was converted to carry passengers, and fitted with seats and carpet lining.

News agency Kyodo News is reporting an explosion at a Honda factory in Suzuka city in central Japan. Local police said two workers were checking an electrical distribution board when the explosion occurred on Sunday morning. Both men, aged 21 and 27, were taken to hospital with burns to their faces and upper bodies. The explosion comes less than a week after the Japanese car maker suffered a ransomware attack by hackers. At this stage there are no links between the two incidents.

Korean car maker Kia has added the electric e-Soul Cargo – an e-Soul city hatch converted for light commercial duties – to its line-up in the Netherlands, however it’s unlikely the model will see Australian showrooms. The Kia e-Soul Cargo trades its rear seats for a flat-floor with six tie-down anchors. A safety partition is also added between occupants and cargo, and a (presumably vinyl) wrap on the rear windows keeps cargo away from prying eyes.

When we’re not creating it ourselves, the CarAdvice team spends a lot of time finding and consuming motoring content from all over the world. Here’s a handful of the photos, articles, videos or social media posts that most caught our eye last week. Some of them are brand new, others have been online for a while. Enjoy them – just not too much, okay? Just when you starting losing faith in humanity, a story like this one comes along to restore it.

An official trailer released overnight shows the first glimpse of a new documentary about Australian racing car driver Peter Brock. Set for cinematic release later this month, Brock: Over the Top was produced with the Brock family's endorsement, and includes an interview with his partner of 30 years, Bev. Interviews were also conducted with Brock's closest colleagues, family, and many of his peers throughout his long racing career.