Car News

Toyota has expanded its Takata recall for the 2001-03 Avensis, 2001-07 Corolla, and 2006-11 Yaris Sedan. As with all Takata-related recalls, airbags in the affected vehicles are fitted with propellant that could degrade when exposed to heat and humidity. If one of those cars is in an accident where the airbags are deployed, the metal inflator housing could explode under too much internal pressure sending shrapnel shooting into the cabin.

The next Volkswagen Golf GTE is the latest variant in the next-generation Golf range to be spied undergoing testing. We've been seeing prototypes of the eighth-generation Golf in various states of undress for quite a while now. Although there have been more than a few sightings of the new Golf with almost no disguise, this vehicle has a silver body, rather than black, so it's easier to see some of the car's finer styling details.

Customisation is in vogue at the moment, but choice can be seriously confusing. In our configurator challenge, we let the CarAdvice team loose on a manufacturer’s website to create their ideal spec of a certain model. This week, we've taken on the 2020 Land Rover Defender. Let us know what you think in the comments, and which cars you’d like to see next! Alright. Cards on the table, I wish this was a '90' but Land Rover won't let us configure that yet.

Plenty has happened in the world of car news over the last 24 hours. If you haven't had time to read all the news on CarAdvice.com, catch up on your way home with Car News Daily, as Mandy Turner reads each news story word-for-word. Today's download: LISTEN: Car News Daily podcast LISTEN: Automotive Industry Insights podcast LISTEN: Reverse Gear podcastMORE: All CarAdvice podcasts

Ford expects 54 per cent of its sales in Europe to come from hybrids and fully electric cars by the end of 2022, with the rest featuring conventional petrol and diesel engines. It should be noted Ford includes mild hybrids, as well regular hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicles, in its calculations. So far the company has announced or put into showrooms mild-hybrid versions of the Fiesta, Focus, Kuga, Puma, Transit, Transit Custom and Tourneo Custom.