Lexus SC430 2006 News

Only a fraction of the 1.2 million cars on Australia roads with airbags that can spray shrapnel have been fixed, new figures show.

Toyota issues its seventh recall in six months, doubles up on one from last year.

The Lexus SC430, the drop-top coupe from the Japanese luxury brand, has just picked up knee-protection airbags.BMW is touting the night-vision system in its flagship cars and the Honda Legend comes with an active all-wheel-drive system.It all sounds great if you have at least $80,000 in your new-car kick, but there are bigger benefits than a few cashed-up car owners with new bells and whistles.What they are driving today will eventually be fitted to ordinary cars for ordinary showroom shoppers.There was a time when only the most exotic cars had electric windows and mirrors, but now they are common. Parking sensors is still considered a semi-luxury feature, but is standard on the $13,990 Proton Savvy.We should all be keeping an eye on breakthroughs at brands such as Mercedes-Benz, which led the car world into the anti-skid braking era in 1978 - when only planes had the systems.It has recently previewed a range of safety systems that will trickle down to the rest of the car business. Its "Pre-safe" innovation, which senses an impending crash and moves the seats back and pre-sets the airbags and belt tensioners, is one of the best.Mercedes-Benz Australia says Night Vision Assist has been a hit this year, even if it is only available on the super-luxury S-Class - starting price $187,900 - and is pushing ahead with the second generation of its radar cruise system."More than one-third of our S-Class customers have taken Night Vision Assist. That's about 170 cars since the start of the year," Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy says.But it's not cheap."It's $4090 on the S-350 and $3590 on the S-500. It's standard on the S-600," he says.But that figure will fall as technology and mass production cut the unit costs."People recognise the benefits of technology from a safety perspective and it also makes driving less stressful. That's the same whether it is night vision or parking radar or Distronic Plus cruise control," McCarthy says.The latest version of Distronic will be available soon. It intervenes with more braking power if a vehicle ahead slows suddenly and can also bring a Benz to a complete stop and keep pace with stop-start traffic.And what's around the corner? Better radar parking systems, for a start, which tap into the low-speed engineering in the new version of Distronic. Benz is working on more and better airbags, with fuel-cell electric cars also on the program.

Car makers are following in the footsteps of Mercedes-Benz and Lexus by putting folding metal hard-tops within the reach of more car buyers than ever before.It's a case of Viva la France in this instance, as Renault and Peugeot have folding metal hardtops starting well under the $50,000 mark, with the Pug 307CC Sport the only transgressor at $55,000.The rest of the Peugeot drop-top range – the two 206CC models and the 307CC Dynamic – will feature on the Peugeot display at Wayville, giving wind in the hair motoring with French fl air for a $32,990 starting price.The base 206CC is powered by a 1.6-litre engine – there's a two-litre model as well – and it's only got decent room for two people, although it offi cially seats four. The 206 is nearing the end of its model life so stay tuned for a drop-top 207.The 307CC offers a little more room for the rearseat occupants, although it uses similar drivetrains. Holden might be sourcing its light and small car entrants from Korea, but its fashionable two-seater drop-top is still from Europe. The two-seater is keenly priced and, while only available in manual, will get plenty of attention from new car buyers. Holden's present Astra has a soft-top but expect the next one to follow in the Tigra's tyre tracks, although it's no sure thing for Australia.Mitsubishi will be showing something close to its drop-top contender, the Colt coupe-cabriolet, which has started production in Italy.The folding metal hardtop is built from the Colt fi ve-door platform and rather than the three-door, the 2+2 convertible will join a revamped Mitsubishi light car range.But don't think the rag-top has gone the way of the dodo – anything but.The reigning Wheels Car of the Year is Mazda's new MX-5, which retained its manual folding soft-top for the sake of saving weight.BMW's 6-Series drop-top might cost more than $200,000 but that pricetag buys a soft-top, albeit one that is well-insulated. The company's Z4 has retained a rag-top, as has the BMWowned Mini range.Chrysler's Crossfire – a feature of the brand's stand at this year's show – also has a rag-top.Volvo's new open-topped star, the C70, has ditched the cloth roof for a solid top, while the Lexus SC430 has offered buyers of the brand the security of a metal roof with wind-in-hair enjoyment since its inception.Bentley and Lamborghini will be wellrepresented in the megabuck drop-top realm with cloth lids, as will the all-new Jaguar XK convertible.