Toyota busted for faux leather seats by ACCC

The vehicles involved in the ACCC investigation were variants of the Aurion, pictured, Camry, Kluger and Prado.

THE new-car smell in almost 100,000 Toyota cars sold in Australia is not what it seems.

Toyota has been busted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for making false claims about leather seats across several car ranges sold between 2005 and 2009.

They were in fact partial or faux leather.

''The ACCC was concerned that consumers were likely to have been misled by these claims. If consumers are prepared to pay a premium to have quality finishes for their car interiors, they are entitled to get what they paid for,'' ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.

Toyota issued a statement today apologising to customers: ''Toyota Australia acknowledges the statement from Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. We apologise if any customer felt they were misled as a result of our advertising.''

The vehicles involved in the investigation were sold between 2005 and 2009 and include variants of the Aurion, Camry, Kluger and Prado - about 98,500 vehicles, the car maker says.

''In most cases everything that people sit on or touch is genuine leather in the affected vehicle models,'' the statement said.

''The areas where synthetic material is used are those that are more prone to wear and tear, such as the back of the seat and door trim. This helps make the areas easier to clean and wear more consistently.''

Toyota says that as soon as it became aware of the issue it changed advertising to 'leather accent' or 'leather accented'.

''This change was made to indicate that the interior was a combination of genuine leather and synthetic material,'' the company said.

Toyota says impacted customers will receive $200 off the purchase price of their next Toyota vehicle - but only if they ask.

Julia Roberts versus Taylor Swift: who was worst dressed at the Globes?

Surprisingly, one of my most controversial tweets last night was NOT the one where I called Leonardo DiCaprio an “old whore” (he is, btw). No, the tweet that garnered the most yelling was one where I said I didn’t really hate what Julia Roberts was wearing. And you know what? I still don’t. GO AHEAD AND YELL. Was it the best thing she’s ever worn? Of course not. But I’m old-school – I don’t consider Julia to be any kind of fashion icon, nor is she one of my annual Ones to watch on any given red carpet. Julia, as I’m sure she will tell you, has more important things to do than care about fashion. So for a woman who doesn’t give a crap, this Dolce & Gabbana look was okay. Not great, but not awful.

What would have been a boring black column dress was given some life with the addition of a white blouse underneath (and I think the blouse is actually some sort of Evening Dickice). Was the sparkly belt confusing? Yes. Was her beehive dated? Of course. But considering all of the terrible hair and awful styling last night, Julia’s whole look was far from the worst.

Julia was at her patronizing best on the red carpet too, she practically shoved Taylor Swift out of the way. I have to wonder… is Taylor Swift’s future as some kind of Julia? Deep Thoughts. Anyway, Swifty wore this horrendous Carolina Herrera gown which… ugh. She might have felt princess-y in it, but it did not photograph well at all. It looked so cheap and just like a prom dress she would have gotten at the mall. There was some sort of “hidden bustle” too which made it look like she had a butt tumor. Also: HAPPY DAYS because Taylor Swift and Julia both lost their awards. And Taylor got some serious shade from Tina Fey on stage. All in all, it was a great night to be a Hater.

Julia Roberts supports Save Our Soils ahead of ‘Celebrating Soil’

Julia Roberts, Hollywood star will speak on behalf odf Save Our Soils

By the time you’ve read this, 9,378 m² of fertile soil has been destroyed. This is the message Julia Roberts is delivering to the world as she becomes the latest in a line of international VIP’s to call for action to protect our soils, many of whom will be speaking at the Celebrating Soil! Celebrating Life! Conference, 26-27 June in Amsterdam.

The Hollywood actress has become the newest face of the Save Our Soils initiative, following in the footsteps of several dedicated environmentalists including the Dalai Lama, Bishop Desmond Tutu, activist Vandana Shiva and conservationist Douglas Tompkins, IFOAM announced.

Many, along with Andre Leu, president of IFOAM – Organics International, will be presenting at the Celebrating Soil!  Celebrating Life! Conference. Highlighting the significance of soils for our sustainable future, Andre Leu stated: “By building soil organic matter, we can make farming systems much more resilient and better adapted to climate extremes and climate change.

“We also know that in the process of doing so, we can sequester a significant amount of CO2 even to the point where we can start looking at reversing the impact of climate change.”

Welcoming the support of Julia Roberts, Organic Ambassador Volkert Engelsman, who initiated the Save Our Soils campaign said: “We want to support growers to develop sustainable farming practices and save soil fertility. Likewise, we want to encourage consumers to buy sustainably farmed organic food and be conscious of production methods.

“There can be no sustainability without transparency. Saving the world’s soils is essential not just for our wellbeing, but for the survival of future generations.”

IFOAM said it is proud to partner the Celebrating Soil! Celebrating Life! Conference, which takes place as part of the 2015 International Year of Soils, at Amsterdam’s Royal Tropical Institute.