Toyota subsidiary held ransom for $8 million by hackers – report

A large-scale cyberattack has crippled the financial arm of Toyota on two continents, with hackers attempting to blackmail the company for millions of dollars.

Hackers have infiltrated the computer systems of Toyota Financial Services in Europe and Africa this week, demanding $US8 million ($AU12 million) from its victim within 10 days.

The business, which provides equipment finance and fleet management services to Toyota customers, released a statement claiming to be bringing its systems back online following the cyberattack.

According to cybersecurity website Security Week, an unknown ransomware group known as Medusa or MedusaLocker have taken credit for the attack – threatening to release stolen information unless the ransom is paid.

“Toyota Financial Services Europe & Africa recently identified unauthorised activity on systems in a limited number of its locations. We took certain systems offline to investigate this activity and to reduce risk, and have also begun working with law enforcement,” the company said in a written statement.

“In most countries, we have started bringing our systems back online. We are working diligently to get systems back online as soon as possible and we regret any inconvenience caused to our customers and business partners.”

MORE: Toyota data breach – Millions of Japanese owners affected, Australia safe for now

Toyota Office

Cybersecurity experts suspect the attack was the result of a recent IT system vulnerability which was identified and exposed online, making Toyota Financial Services susceptible to hackers, according to Security Week.

It’s believed to be the same vulnerability which caused significant disruptions at major sea ports across Australia earlier this month.

It’s understood IT systems used by the ports of Melbourne, Sydney, Fremantle, and Brisbane were forced to be taken offline – though a report from the Sydney Morning Herald suggests there was no ransom demand in this case.

While the disruption lasted a number of days, ships were still able to unload cargo and there were no reports of delays to new-car shipping services.

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BMW’s first electric M high-performance car named – report

BMW has previously said the next M3 will be electric – and now it seems we know what it will be called.

The name of the first electric car from the high-performance BMW M division appears to have been unearthed.

A trademark application discovered by CarBuzz suggests BMW is preparing to name its first electric M car the ‘iM3’ – amid reports the next-generation M3 will expand to pure battery power when it arrives in 2027.

In September 2023, BMW development boss Frank Weber announced the electric M3 would have four electric motors producing up to 1000kW, telling UK publication Autocar “the next M3 will be battery-electric – full battery-electric”.

In October, BMW M CEO Frank van Meel confirmed the four electric motors would be controlled by a central computer, nicknamed the “Hand of God” – also previously referred to as a “Heart of Joy”.

MORE: Next BMW M3 to go electric – and the wagon is set to live on

However, there will reportedly be some overlap between the launch of the iM3, and the end of production for the current petrol-powered M3 – with the car maker one of only a handful to refuse to commit to a solely electric-car line-up.

As previously reported by Drive, BMW is set to drop the ‘i’ from the end of its petrol-powered model names – to avoid confusion with its electric cars, which add the letter to the start of the badge.

It now appears that nomenclature will continue to its high-performance vehicles with the discovery of the ‘iM3’ trademark filing.

While BMW has put M badges on electric cars before – in the i4 M50 and iX M60 – these are mid-tier ‘M Performance’ vehicles in the same vein as the M135i, M340i and X3 M40i, rather than the full-strength M3, M4 or X3 M.

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Opinion: The seven crimes a passenger should never commit

If you’re lucky enough to have a friend or family member give you a lift, we’ve outlined the unspoken passenger etiquette rules to observe at all times.

Ah, the season of family holidays and road trips. A time of travel, togetherness, forging bonds, making memories and quietly fostering a deep, unbridled rage towards your spouse, children, friends or extended family members.

Let’s face it – spending endless hours on the road with your relatives can turn from blessing to curse pretty quickly.

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Boredom, carsickness and bickering aside, a lot of our road trip frustration can arise from poor passenger etiquette.

To that end, there are no excuses for bad behaviour when you have the privilege of sitting in the passenger seat.

While kids can get away with acting out in the back seat, there are certain things no adult passenger should ever do.

Whether you’re sick of your partner’s back-seat driving, or tired of your clueless cousin’s commentary – we’ve devised the seven commandments for passengers. Obey them or else…

Thou shalt not do the courtesy wave on the driver’s behalf

That is the driver’s right and privilege. They can thank their fellow road users when and how they like.

Trying to usurp the courtesy wave rights from the passenger seat undermines the authority of the driver and makes you both look like idiots.

Thou shalt not sit in the back seat when the front seat is empty

No, this isn’t an Uber and you’re an adult, not a six-year-old. If the front seat is empty, you should be sitting in it, unless you have a toddler to supervise or an infectious illness of some kind.

Get in the front seat like a grown-up and, while you’re at it, give any directions politely instead of barking orders.

Unless you’re a kid or in an Uber, don’t do this

Thou shalt not make a stressful situation more stressful

If the driver is merging across three lanes of traffic at 100km/h an hour, don’t tell them about your relationship problems.

Similarly, if someone is attempting to navigate a tricky traffic situation, or listen to complicated directions from the sat-nav, don’t tell them there’s a new techno song you’d love to play for them RIGHT NOW.

Thou shalt not touch the soundsystem

Under no circumstances should a passenger ever touch the soundsystem without express permission.

Changing the track or lowering the volume are crimes that can and should be punished by immediate ejection from the vehicle.

Thou shalt not fiddle with the air conditioning

Dual-zone climate control exists purely to solve this problem.

If you’re lucky enough to have your own temperature-controlled zone, by all means fiddle away.

But if you’re in a single-zone situation, adjusting fan speed or playing with temperature controls should be strictly forbidden.

Thou shalt not show the driver photos on thy phone

You might think it’s innocent, but showing the driver a meme or some holiday snaps on your phone could land them in a sticky situation.

In every state and territory, drivers can be hit with a hefty fine and demerit points for looking at a display operated by someone else in the vehicle.

Wait until you’re safely parked to share the hilarious TikTok video.

Thou shalt not tune out on long drives

Someone else might be driving, but you’re still on this journey together. That means no putting headphones in, watching social media videos and laughing at inside jokes with friends or snoozing.

Your poor driver can’t do any of these things and their only option is to listen to music or chat to you, so you better make sure you provide some damn good topics of conversation.

So, what are your passenger crimes? Let us know in the comments below?

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Chinese newcomer Nio faces trademark challenge from Audi in Australia

Audi could be standing in the way of plans by Chinese electric-car brand Nio to launch in Australia by 2025.

Chinese electric-car start-up Nio hasn’t begun selling its cars in Australia yet, but already it’s facing its first obstacle.

Audi has opposed trademark filings from Nio over the names of its forthcoming models, which the luxury German brand claims too closely resemble the badges of its own cars.

According to information published on IP Australia – the Federal Government’s patent and trademark website – Audi has opposed Nio’s trademark applications for the nameplates ‘ES6’, ‘ES7’, and ‘ES8’.

Audi currently offers the S6, S7, and S8 performance models in Australia, and claims the Nio badges are in violation of local trademark laws.

In its submissions, representatives for Audi say the “use of [the trademarks] is contrary to law,” and are “likely to deceive or cause confusion” due to being “substantially identical or deceptively similar [to its own trademarks]” – which it asserts have acquired a reputation in Australia.

It’s common industry practice to add ‘E’ to the start of a model name in order to distinguish the electric version, such as the Peugeot e-208, Ford E-Transit, and the LDV eT60 and eDeliver 9.

MORE: Mazda BT-50 appears to have killed a Ford Ranger variant for Australia

However, there are also examples of vehicles sharing badge names – including the Mazda 3, the Tesla Model 3, and the Polestar 3.

While Audi first notified authorities of its intention to oppose the trademark filings in December 2022, the two parties have only now reached the point of waiting for a hearing for their arguments to be heard.

Nio first unveiled the electric ES8 SUV in December 2017, with its dual electric motors producing 480kW and 840Nm for a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.4 seconds, and a claimed driving range of 355km – or up to 500km with a larger optional battery.

In December 2018, the Nio ES6 was revealed as the company’s smaller and more affordable electric SUV. The vehicle uses an 84kWh battery to power dual electric motors, with a claimed 510km of range and the ability to hit 100km/h from a standstill in a claimed 4.7 seconds.

It wasn’t until June 2022 when Nio showed off the ES7 – a large electric performance SUV with a claimed 930km of range, producing up to 480kW and 850Nm with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds.

MORE: 2020 Nio ES6 review

The Audi S6 is the petrol-powered performance version of the A6 sedan, with the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 producing 331kW and 600Nm for a claimed 0-100km/h of 4.5 seconds – while the S7 is the large five-door hatchback version of the S6.

Meanwhile the Audi S8 – arguably made famous by the Jason Statham film Transporter 2 – is the range-topping performance sedan based on the A8, powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, and able to hit 100km/h from a standstill in a claimed 3.8 seconds thanks to 420kW and 800Nm.

In December 2021, Nio announced its intention to launch in 25 regions by 2025 – with Australia assumed to be one of those markets.

Drive approached Audi Australia for comment and this story will be updated with its response.

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YouTuber who destroyed $700,000 worth of cars is selling the shredded parts as trophies

Who would have thought that destroying a Ferrari F8 and Mercedes-AMG G63 would be so profitable?

A YouTube personality in the US who destroyed a Ferrari F8 supercar and Mercedes-AMG G-Wagen is selling shredded parts from the car as trophies to his audience – and appears to be making a profit doing so.

Cody Detwiler, who films and publishes videos destroying cars under the moniker WhistlinDiesel, has destroyed at least two very valuable vehicles this year for his 6.6-million-strong online audience.

In late 2022 he purchased a Mercedes-AMG G63, which is valued at around $US140,000 ($AU210,000), and earlier this year added a Ferrari F8 Tributo for a further $US350,000 ($AU530,000).

Both vehicles have featured in a number of videos where they have been tested and punished beyond their limits.

In August this year, the Ferrari caught fire while being filmed driving through a dry cornfield and burned to the ground. The Mercedes was subjected, over the course of about 12 months, to ever more brutal treatment before being destroyed last month.

While this may seem like a financially risky decision, the videos featuring these cars have amassed some 68 million views on YouTube. At a base monetisation rate of $US5000 per one million views on the videos, this alone has earned Detwiler about $US350,000 ($AU530,000).

But wait, there’s more.

This week, Detwiler has announced to his audience that you can buy a small Perspex cube featuring shredded parts of each car. Limited to 899 examples each, the cubes are being sold individually for $AU354 for the Ferrari and $AU292 for the Mercedes.

This means, on the sale of these alone, he will recoup $318,246 and $262,508 respectively. That’s a total of $AU580,754 in addition to the YouTube monetisation.

And if you think this is a silly idea that will never work, the video explaining this has been live for two days and has already generated 2 million views. Additionally, all the Ferrari cubes have already sold out.

Round it all out, and it seems there is $1 million in revenue in destroying nice cars for a large and hungry audience. There are likely production and marketing costs to account for as well, but we’d be amazed if there wasn’t at least a 20 per cent profit margin in the works.

We philosophically don’t agree with destroying nice cars for clicks, but you almost have to appreciate the understanding of how the digital media space can be monetised at work here.

You can tip your hat or shake your head, but well played.

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2024 Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster production begins, due in Australia next year

The first Ineos Grenadier Quartermasters have rolled off the production line in France, but the Land Rover Defender-inspired utes are not due in Australia until next year.

Production of the 2024 Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster ute has commenced at the factory in France previously home to Smart city cars.

The Quartermaster is the dual-cab pick-up version of the Land Rover Defender-inspired Grenadier four-wheel-drive wagon, built by a start-up founded and backed by a British billionaire and the chemical company he started.

While deliveries in Europe are scheduled to commence in December 2023, Ineos says “shipments to Asia-Pacific” are due to follow “soon after” – including Australian arrivals scheduled for the first half of 2024.

The Grenadier Quartermaster was previously expected in local showrooms by the end of this year.

Orders have been open since July 2023, priced from $110,000 to $123,000 plus on-road costs – between $12,000 and $13,475 more than the Grenadier wagon, which arrived in Australia earlier this year.

Ineos says a cab-chassis version “using the same frame as the Quartermaster pick-up will enter production in 2024”, which it claims “will be specifically aimed at conversion specialists and commercial body builders.”

The Quartermaster ute sits on a 305mm-longer wheelbase than the wagon – at 3227mm – with a ladder frame, and a tray (1564mm long and 1619mm wide) said to be large enough to fit a Euro-sized pallet between the wheel arches.

It offers the same choice of 210kW/450Nm 3.0-litre turbo inline six-cylinder petrol or 183kW/550Nm 3.0-litre turbo inline six-cylinder diesel engines as the wagon – sourced from BMW – with an eight-speed automatic transmission and selectable four-wheel drive.

Ineos quotes a payload of up to 832kg for the diesel and up to 907kg for the petrol, an 800mm wading depth, and 264mm of ground clearance.

All Grenadiers are manufactured in Hambach, France – in a factory formerly owned by Mercedes-Benz and used to build Smart city cars.

After European deliveries begin in December 2023 – pending any delays – Ineos says “shipments to Asia Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East [are planned to follow] soon after,” ahead of North American “sales … scheduled to begin in early 2024.”

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Ford F-150, Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado pick-ups rated ‘poor’ in new US crash tests

A new crash test in the US has slapped the three full-size US pick-ups sold in Australia in right-hand drive – the Ram 1500, Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado – with ‘poor’ ratings.

The three best-selling full-size pick-ups in the US – now sold in Australia in right-hand drive – have received ‘poor’ ratings in new crash tests by a leading US safety body.

It comes amid reports the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) in Australia and New Zealand is looking to test the safety of US pick-ups – either through traditional crash testing, or evaluation of their advanced crash-avoidance systems.

The Ford F-150, Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado – the only three models in the booming US pick-up category to date – have been put through strict new crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, one of the US’s primary independent safety bodies.

The IIHS – which categories its results into four ratings: ‘Good’, ‘Acceptable’, ‘Marginal’ and ‘Poor’ – subjected the three top-selling pick-ups to its newest crash tests, the ‘Moderate Overlap Front Test’ and ‘Updated Side Test’.

IIHS awarded ‘Good’ scores for the Ford F-150, Ram 1500 and Toyota Tundra pick-up – also included in the crash tests, and due in Australian showrooms in 2025 – and an ‘Acceptable’ rating for the Silverado in the Updated Side Test.

However the F-150, Silverado and Ram 1500 were rated ‘Poor’ in the Moderate Overlap Front Test – with the rear seatbelts of the Ford, tested in the crew-cab body which will be sold in Australia, criticised as ‘inadequate’ – while the Toyota earned a ‘Marginal’ rating.

The Moderate Overlap Front Test was primarily designed to rate second-row passenger safety following data showing back seat passengers are more likely to be injured than front-row occupants.

It uses a crash-test dummy in the second row, behind the driver’s seat, the size of a small female or 12-year-old child.

The IIHS reports measurements taken from the rear-seat dummy in the F-150 and Ram 1500 “indicated that chest injuries and head or neck injuries would be likely”.

“For the Tundra, the risk of chest injuries was also too high due to poor belt positioning, but the risk of head or neck injuries was only slightly elevated,” the IIHS said in a media release.

“Like most other vehicle classes, large pickups don’t perform as well in the new Moderate Overlap evaluation as they do in the Updated Side Test,” IIHS President David Harkey said a written statement in the IIHS report. 

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