Latest news with #ToyotaYaris
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Rachel Kolisi swaps ‘humble' Yaris for brand new Jetour X70 Plus
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi's estranged wife now drives an SUV worth at least R454 900. Rachel Kolisi, the estranged wife of double Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has recently been in and out of the news a bit more than she perhaps would have expected. The furore centres around her very public on-off choice of wheels, which went from a luxury Mercedes-Benz to an old Toyota Yaris, now back to a brand-new sponsored Jetour X70 Plus. In a since deleted Instagram post, Rachel posted that 'Life has a funny way of humbling you just when you think you've got it all figured out. One day you're riding high, the next you're asking a friend to borrow their spare car and googling 'how to parallel park a Yaris with dignity'. Rachel Kolisi's Instagram post has since been deleted. Jetour jumps at opportunity A post that many just took as a single mom throwing it out there about what she was experiencing as she begins to adjust to life away from the spotlight and perks of being the wife to one of the most recognised rugby players on the planet. But it was also a post the raised the ire of many who were quick to point out that they could only wish to own the somewhat tatty-looking old Toyota Yaris Rachel affectionately called Betsy. Many believed she was only in it for public sympathy and pitching for a new car after enjoying a somewhat pampered lifestyle. Despite this somewhat spicy reception to her post, Jetour South Africa were quick on the draw. The manufacturer announced that Rachel was now an ambassadors for the brand. A fact she then confirmed in a new post on Instagram. 'Very excited and very grateful to be apart of the @jetour_south_africa family! Thank you @lmgsportsmanagement!' Once again the public response has varied from those that wish her all the best and praise her hustle, to those that dismiss this as a cheap publicity stunt. Either way, Betsy the old Toyota Yaris is now out of the picture. And a smiling Rachel Kolisi has a brand-new set of wheels. ALSO READ: Kolisi divorce: The many millions Rachel will score from Bok captain Siya Rachel Kolisi 'perfect fit' Jetour South Africa chimes in by saying: 'Rachel Kolisi is the perfect fit for the Jetour family. As a busy working mother, comfort, space and safety in the vehicle that she drives is paramount. As someone constantly on the move between school runs, fitness sessions, business meetings, and family life, Rachel embodies the dynamic spirit of Jetour's flagship seven-seater, the Jetour X70 Plus.' The seven-seater Jetour X70 Plus is one of the Chinese carmaker's two models on offer in South Africa, with the other being five-seater Jetour Dashing. The X70 Plus costs R454 900 for the Momentum and R484 900 for the Deluxe. The Dashing Momentum and Deluxe sell for R439 900 and R469 900 respectively.
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
A California man was last seen in March. His family says he was likely kidnapped.
Authorities in California are still searching for a 74-year-old man who has been missing for four months. His family believes he may have been kidnapped. Naiping Hou lives in Rancho Cucamonga and was last seen on March 18, his family said on a website created after he went missing. His family first reported him missing on May 4, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a July 7 press release. The day his family reported him missing on May 4, investigators went to his home for a welfare check, his family said on the missing person's website. Investigators did not find him, but 'evidence indicated Naiping may have been kidnapped,' his family wrote. Here's what's known so far about his case. Police: Fraudelent transactions found in missing man's account The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department shared an update on Hou's case on July 9 in hopes of generating new leads. According to detectives, they found 'extensive fraudulent transactions' that were conducted around the time the man went missing. They also think someone impersonated him using his cell phone to communicate with his family members. Investigators said they are looking for information about a silver Toyota Yaris in connection to his disappearance. Investigators did not immediately respond to requests for more information on July 21. Family: $1M in retirement savings was wiped from man's account According to his family, there have been unauthorized sales of his vehicles, items gifted, and someone tried to rent his home. His family added that based on evidence found, those connected to his alleged kidnapping may have ties to Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, a metro area east of Los Angeles County, centered around Riverside and San Bernardino. 'The suspects are believed to be using sophisticated and deceptive tactics and are considered highly dangerous,' Hou's family wrote. His son, Wen Hou, also created a video shared to the family's site to ask for help finding his father. 'It took six weeks to discover my father was missing and the reason why it took so long is because whoever took him used his phone to impersonate him,' his son said. 'They drained about $1 million from my dad's bank account. That was all his retirement savings. We're very devastated and we're deeply concerned for his safety." What we know about missing man Naiping Hou Originally from China, Hou is a husband, father, and grandfather who has lived in the Rancho Cucamonga area for the past 20 years, his family said. His family said he was in 'semi-retirement' when he went missing, and likes to spend time woodworking, playing ping pong at a local recreation center, and staying active in his community. Hou's family said he stands at 5-foot-7, weighs 170 pounds, has gray hair (possibly dyed brown or black), and dark brown eyes. They noted he has a birthmark on his left upper shoulder and a surgery scar on his lower back. His family said there is a $250,000 reward being offered for information that leads to Hou's safe return, or the identification, arrest, and conviction of the people responsible. Authorities ask that anyone with information contact Det. Vanayes Quezada of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's Specialized Investigations Division at (909) 890-4848. Tipsters can also submit information at Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
The South African
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
Shade at Siya? Rachel Kolisi posts about 'loyalty'
Rachel Kolisi has shared another cryptic quote, seemingly about her marriage split from Springbok captain Siya Kolisi. Last October, the mother-of-two announced her separation and has been navigating life as a single parent ever since. Rachel has been accused of 'milking public sympathy' with her social media posts ranging from her anxiety attacks to her driving a 'humble' Toyota Yaris. In an Instagram Story, Rachel Kolisi shared another cryptic post on her Instagram Story. It read: 'The only people I owe my loyalty to are those who never made me question theirs'. In recent months, Rachel has posted several quotes that her followers believe are related to her relationship status. Image via Instagram: @siyakolisi In February, Rachel Kolisi suggested that she was being stalked by someone she had purposely blocked. Her post read: 'You block someone on everything, and all of a sudden, xajdhjsd stars are watching your story.' Over the festive season, another read: 'Let the kids believe in Santa. You believed in your ex 25 times.' In his 2023 documentary and autobiography, Rise , Siya admitted to having a rocky relationship with Rachel after confessing to excessive partying, heavy drinking, being addicted to porn, and frequenting strip clubs. There was also the impression that Siya had been unfaithful to his wife. While Siya and Rachel Kolisi have sadly gone their separate ways a year ago, they were still very much in love. Amid the July Springbok test series, Siya posted a collage of images that included his then-wife Rachel and children, as well as fellow players Cheslin Kolbe and Eben Etzebeth and their respective families. In the pics, Rachel and Siya embraced as they smiled for the cameras. Rachel reposted the images, captioning them: 'A Saturday full of my favourite things'. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rachel Kolisi (@rachelkolisi) Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Facing our biggest and fastest challenge yet at the Toyota GR Cup: East London's Grand Prix Circuit
Round five of the National Extreme Festival at the East London Grand Prix Circuit promises to be a fast drive in the #60 Toyota Yaris. Image: Supplied Here we go again! The difference this time at Round five of the National Extreme Festival at the East London Grand Prix Circuit this weekend, it's a race we have been looking forward to with some trepidation. First time For most of us in the Toyota GR Cup Challenge, this will be our first outing around the 3.92-kilometre track with a mix of fast, sweeping corners like the legendary Potter's Pass and Rifle Bend, and a tight, technical infield with only two real opportunities to pass. When management at Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) sends out a document taking you on a step-by-step guide around the track and suggesting time on the sim racer, you know things are about to get serious. It's been a track that we've put in the back of our minds since the season started, precisely because it's so daunting with little to no room for error, but there's nowhere to hide when practice starts first thing on Friday morning. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading With 25 cars in the Toyota GR Cup field focus will be key. Image: Supplied Dangerously fast The talk around the paddock and with colleagues who have gone before us focuses on Potter's Pass, the first corner after the main straight. Advice varies from going flat-out to a slight lift or dab on the brakes before turning in. Either way, it's still going to be fast, and I'll take my cue from the TGRSA driving instructors when I'm on the sim. Running out wide onto the apex, it sets you up for Rifle Bend, a kink where the Independent Media/IOL #60 GR Yaris will be doing well over 200km/h, the fastest we have yet driven. Braking will be a crucial factor throughout the weekend because a hard stomp on the brakes slows you down to 60km/h for Cocobana hairpin, the first possible place to pass (or be passed). 'Brake hard otherwise you're going to the beach,' according to our notes, gives us an idea of what to expect. The East London Grand Prix Circuit is known to be tough on brakes, tyres and drivers' necks. Image: Supplied Complex corners More hard braking after the Beach Straight for Butts Bend to set up for The Complex, a grouping of sharp left and right turns putting strain on the car, brakes and our necks as you drift out from The Sweep flat out towards Beacon Bend, the final hairpin before the main straight, and the second area to make a pass. Big field In theory it looks fine but the GR Cup Challenge with six media racers in our GR Yaris', dealers in GR Corollas, and GR Academy youngsters in their GR 86s make up a field of 25 cars. So, apart from focusing on my own race, keeping it on the black stuff and monitoring the brakes and tyres, there will be a lot of distracting activity to avoid in order to make the best of what promises to be a daunting weekend. Bring it on!
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Harrowing new details revealed of the horrific scene immediately after elderly driver lost control and fatally mowed down two grandparents - as rescuer reveals how toddler survivor's family are struggling to cope
The rescuer who plucked a toddler from a horror crash which killed his grandparents has revealed how the child's parents have been shattered by the tragedy. Full-time carer Tracey Jean, 56, rushed to cradle the two-year-old boy after a 91-year-old woman driver lost control of her Toyota Yaris near a Wantirna South playground in Melbourne 's east. The car mowed down all three from behind as they walked through the park on Thursday afternoon, fatally injuring the elderly Asian-heritage grandparents. She shielded the youngster from seeing his dying grandparents, and has kept in touch with his family as the toddler recovered at the Royal Children's Hospital. 'They are beyond devastated,' she told Daily Mail Australia on Monday. 'They're beautiful people, and they need time to process this, and they just need time to deal with it, if they will ever deal with it - I don't know.' Ms Jean has said she will now remain lifelong friends with the toddler's 'brave' parents and vowed to offer them any help she can as they deal with the aftermath. 'I'm here for them,' she said. 'The very brave parents have allowed me to see the little man, and I did see him yesterday, he's good.' Ms Jean said she reunited with the little boy on Sunday afternoon after he was released from hospital. '[The boy] is very, very connected with his parents, very wrapped in his parents, which is great,' she added. 'I will help them but they need to be left alone for now, until they are ready, and I'm more than happy to speak to whoever for them.' She said the family have just been focused on their loss and what happened to their son rather than the elderly driver of the car which hit them. 'I haven't really heard anything about the driver and to be honest, I've just got those parents and that little boy in my heart,' she added. The vehicle careered 200m along the nature strip, knocking down a street sign and smashing through a fence before it crashed into a park bench just metres from a playground. The grandmother died at the scene, while her husband lost his fight for life in hospital surrounded by loved ones two days later. Ms Jean told Daily Mail Australia she was one of the first people who rushed to the crash scene. Ms Jean said she heard a loud bang shortly after she arrived at her parents' home just before 12.30pm on Thursday. "I was around here when the accident happened on Thursday, I didn't actually see it, I heard a loud bang and came out, the accident had already happened,' Ms Jean told the Daily Mail Australia. 'I walked around the corner to where the car came from and there were two people lying on the ground and a little boy under a tree. 'I just went for the little boy and just tried to comfort him as much as I could because he was only two years old.' Ms Jean said the boy was crying and had grazes on his face but he was standing when she first laid eyes on him. 'He was crying, he had some grazes on his face, but he was actually standing when I saw him, so I just knelt down in front of him, and that's when he wrapped his arms around me and just gave me a cuddle, and then I just held on to him,' she said. Ms Jean said paramedics rushed to help the boy's grandparents before turning their attention to the toddler. 'They didn't actually realise at first that the little boy was in the accident,' she said. 'They were too busy with all the other things going on, yeah, it was a horrible, horrific scene.' Ms Jean showed Daily Mail Australia how the out-of-control car mounted the kerb near her parents' home and crashed into the family who were metres away walking by a neighbouring home. 'The car came onto the footpath along here, I found the little boy under that tree just over there [on a neighbour's property],' Ms Jean said. 'His pusher was scattered around here, and grandma and grandpa went down that way a little bit further.' A floral tribute has been started near the spot where the car struck the family. A young girl stopped to add a flower to the tribute which Ms Jean described as 'beautiful'. Ms Jean previously fought back tears as she revealed harrowing details about the family's pain. 'The (boy's) mum was texting me while she was in the hospital saying goodbye to her dad,' Ms Jean told media. 'She told me that her dad is now with her mum.' Local mother Katie Mahon started a floral tribute in the little park near the bench where the elderly driver's vehicle finally came to a halt. She said it was 'extremely lucky' no one else was killed or seriously injured as the playground was usually full of kids, especially during school holidays. 'Thank goodness she's gone through the fence and stopped at the bench,' Ms Mahon said. 'It's extremely lucky no more people were hurt, this playground is usually packed with 20 kids, as a mum it's very scary.' Ms Mahon said she has lived in the area with her children and toy poodle Murphy for five years and the road where the accident occurred is known by locals as a notorious stretch for hoons, with several accidents over the years. 'My son said to me, "Mum, I don't want to live on that road",' she said. Neighbour Maggie, who described the accident as 'tragic', said her friend regularly saw the victims walking and pushing the toddler around the area but neither she nor various other locals knew them personally. Knox City Council had already repaired the street sign and playground fence since the accident while the Daily Mail Australia witnessed workers remove the crushed bench from the park. Debris including fragments of the car could be seen around the bench prior to its removal. Police are yet to interview the elderly driver, who remains in hospital, and there has so far been no explanation why she lost control of the vehicle. The fatal crash has renewed calls for the Victorian state government to overhaul retesting requirements on elderly drivers. Unlike other states and territories, there is no requirement for medical assessments or tests beyond a certain age. In the wake of the tragedy, Acting Premier Ben Carroll indicated support for more frequent retesting of elderly drivers to ensure they're fit to drive, in line with other states and territories. 'In relation to people who are elderly and driving, I think it is a valid question … around testing,' Carroll told reporters on Friday. 'There are a range of initiatives in place through our general practitioners right around Victoria when it comes to making sure that Victorians continue to get tested for their driver's licence.'
