frS photos leaked before debut.

Just a couple photos. Not Hi res or anything. Apparently they were leaked last night and the guys at speedhunters.com happened to catch them.

Just Because Video Of The Week - Tanner Faust Drifts Mulholland Drive

2011 tC Gets 5 Star Crash Rating

1. Scion tC Receives Five Star Overall Rating for Crash Tests

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today awarded the all-new 2011 Scion tC sports coupe an overall rating of five stars – its highest rating.

The New Car Assessment Program, a consumer information program created by NHTSA, rates vehicles to determine crash and rollover safety. The test ratings are gathered during controlled crash and rollover tests conducted at the NHTSA research facilities.

The tC comes standard with a total of eight supplemental restraint system (SRS) airbags, including driver and front passenger airbags, seat-mounted side airbags, driver and front-passenger knee airbag and side curtain airbags.

All 2011 tCs come standard with Anti-lock Brakes and Electronic Brake-force Distribution, Brake Assist, Traction Control, Vehicle Stability Control and Smart Stop Technology. Additional features include a tire pressure monitoring system and newly adopted active front headrests.

Front Engine Rear Wheel Drive Scion Is Official

So I have been saying this for months now. Scion has made it official and announced the ft86 aka ftS aka frS will be a Scion. They have a teaser video up on www.sciondimension.com showing a bit of the hood and the reveal date and time. It will be unveiled at the New York International Auto Show on April 20th @ 1:40 p.m. and can be watched live via the website link above.

Apple Gives Scion A Little Uncool Coaxing

It appears as if Apple has given Toyota a little talking to about supporting the jailbreak community over the last week. There was a 2011 Scion tC Winterboard theme available since around early February on Cydia. It has been there pretty silently until it was recently discovered and people started to discuss how cool they thought it was that Scion would show support to the Jailbreak community. Well Apple wasn't too happy and asked Toyota to take it down. Toyota caved which is a shame considering all the new upcoming tech in Toyota products is going to Windows based. I hope someone else picks up the pieces and reissues another version of the theme. It was pretty clean. Here's a snap of how it looked.

iQ Scheduled for late June early July

The latest news I have received from a reliable source says we are on schedule for a late June early July release. I am personally very excited for this car to arrive. I am amazed at the actual room inside. There is not another car like it that come close to stacking up in interior space and gas mileage. It was also named Japans car of the year in 2008 and the Green car of the year by the EPA for 2010. No word on price yet but I am sure we will know soon enough.

FR-S aka FT-86 Photosoot Video

More teasing....go figure. If you are in the New York Area late April make sure to go to the Auto Show. That's where our version the "fr-S" is being debuted. I'm sure it will be another concept version but by officially announcing it will be one step closer to launch. YAY Launch!

Just Because....Rouge Status Supra Powered RWD xB Drifting Video

Skip To 1:52 To Watch It Get Sideways

More Pictures Of The fr-S

I have uncovered some more photos of the refreshed concept. Toyota had it displayed at the Geneva motor show recently and they say it will be on sale in Europe in 2012. What does that mean for the Scion version? I am not 100% sure but I am willing to bet we will see it around the same time. Scion has announced that the car will be on display at the New York Auto show which runs April 22 until May 1st. Now I know what I'm doing on my birthday. This incarnation of the fr-S is much closer to production then the previous version. So with out further ado I present the ft86 II / fr-S concept.

Our Heart Felt Sorrow Goes Out To Japan

We just wanted to wish everyone in Japan the absolute best. We hope you have a speedy recovery and are truly sorry for your loss. Keep your heads high and your spirits higher!

Breast Cancer Awareness xD

It's Done FINALLY!!! After a little bit of a hiccup with the first vinyl place we were contracted with FTR Graphics in Emmaus Pa stepped in to help us out. They did an amazing job and had it done in 3 days from start to finish. Here are some photos of the final product. I hope you enjoy it and remember we are donating $500 to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coallition in the buyer of the xD's name. Enjoy!

New FT-86 Teaser

This is supposedly a near production teaser of the FT-86. Still no word on what moniker it will carry when Scion finally puts it into full production. It looks like sooner than later and thats a great thing. This car is destined to be the most exciting thing we have seen from Scion so far....Move over tC your meaner younger brother is on his way over from Japan.

Scion tC Review by Automobile Magazine

The Scion tC used to be the sort of coupe you'd direct your girlfriend to buy and then secretly enjoy driving. With this new model, you can throw out the pretense. Credit mostly goes to the bigger four-cylinder, which packs a real mid-range wallop and is paired with a fantastic six-speed manual. The formerly lifeless steering is still way too light and slow, but now firms up nicely at highway speeds, where the tC is more confident and stable than just about anything in its price range save for a Mini Cooper.
REVIEWS: 2011 Scion tC January 20, 2011
By Joe DeMatio, Eric Tingwall, David Zenlea, Amy Skogstrom About that price. I've become accustomed to underestimating how much test cars cost, but this one lists for about two grand less than I expected. For $18,995 out the door, you get iPod connectivity, eighteen-inch wheels, and a 300-watt sound system. I'll bet those three things I just mentioned sit pretty high on the list of modifications teenage boys usually make to their first cars.
Having taken the tC so far, Toyota really should go one step further and challenge the big boys of the sport compact segment (Honda Civic Si, Volkswagen GTI et all). That would mostly entail a more sporting suspension -- the tC is a resolute understeerer -- retuned power steering, and a little bit more power. - David Zenlea, Assistant Editor OK, I was in agreement with my colleague David Zenlea all the way until the last five words of his comments. The Scion tC does not need "a little bit more power"! It's got 180 hp and 173 lb-ft of torque in a very sharp looking, sporty coupe that, as he points out, is remarkably well equipped for $19K. Let's not encourage Scion to make the mistake it made with its xB (made it bigger, heavier, and more powerful). Let's remember that, relatively speaking, 180 hp is a LOT of power, especially in a car that weighs only 3060 pounds. This is a great car just as it is. - Joe DeMatio, Deputy Editor Next to the Lexus LFA and IS-F, the Scion tC is one of Toyota's most compelling cars. The chiseled styling and gangster-chic flat roofline that are new for 2011 revive the tC with an additional dose of sportiness and masculinity. Unfortunately, Scion's two-door doesn't have the driving passion to back up the looks. It starts with a driving position that's compromised by an awkward steering wheel: it's oddly shaped and awkwardly thick at the three o'clock and nine o'clock positions. The engine is plenty powerful, but it's neither eager nor satisfying to rev, and it is easily the tC's weakest attribute as a sporty coupe. To deliver on the coupe body and youthful styling, the tC needs a powertrain more in line with Volkswagen's turbocharged engine or a screaming Honda four-banger; not more power per se, but more a more aggressive character.
The cabin materials and surface finishes are low-cost, but on a dark night, the tC's simple, functional control layout with its extreme cant toward the driver looks very slick. The car is comfortable, fairly spacious, and -- in Scion tradition -- comes equipped with every feature you'd want as standard equipment. Those traits would make for a fine -- even exceptional-four-door Toyota, but I want more passion and fun from a two-door Scion. - Eric Tingwall, Associate Editor We had the first big snowfall of the winter on the evening that I drove the tC, so I only averaged about 20 mph during my commute. It handled quite well in the snow, with no slipping or sliding.
I found it interesting that a car that is aimed at younger drivers has a stereo whose design looks to be about ten years old. The buttons are small and fiddly, especially the power button. There's also no knob to change the station; instead, there's a button that you have to push left or right, and it's easy to accidentally move it the wrong way. I suppose it's all a moot point if you use the steering-wheel-mounted controls instead, but my personal preference is to use the dash-mounted controls.
The climate controls, on the other hand, are the height of simplicity. There are three round dials, one for temp (no degree settings, just a cool/warm gradation), one for the fan speed, and one for the mode. - Amy Skogstrom, Managing Editor Automobile, January 20, 2011
2011 Scion tC Base price (with destination): $18,995 Price as tested: $18,995
Standard Equipment: 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine 6-speed manual transmission 4-wheel disc brake with ABS 18-inch alloy wheels Vehicle stability control Traction control Tire pressure monitoring system Sport front bucket seats Panoramic glass moonroof with power tilt/slide Power windows/locks/mirrors Remote keyless entry Air conditioning Cruise control Pioneer 300-watt sound system with 8 speakers AM/FM/CD with auxiliary and USB port iPod connectivity Sport steering wheel with audio controls Leather-trimmed steering wheel Tilt/telescoping steering column 60/40-split reclining/fold rear seat First aid kit

Tokyo Auto Salon 2011

TAS Happened over the last weekend and while Scion is not represented in Japan, Daddy Toyota and Grand Pappy Lexus were there in full effect. Seeing as they had a souped up iQ there to represent Toyota and it will soon be here in the states as a Scion I figured I would show you a few pictures from the event.

The Right Customer.....

Scion sales down 20%, but "we have the exact customer we want"

by Jonathon Ramsey c/o Autoblog.com (RSS feed) on Jan 14th 2011 at 10:29AM

A chat with Scion Vice President Jack Hollis was probably the biggest 'Let's get something straight' moment we had at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. Sales were down 20 percent in 2010, the new 2011 tC didn't get the warmest reception from its former proponents, and the perception is that Scion is losing a grip on its youth-oriented message. Hollis sought to address those points and more:

• "Some people have the impression that we've lost youth... but it's about identical: the median age for the tC was 28 last year, now it's up to 29. It's still the youngest in the market." As a brand, Scion has a median age of 41.5 years, up from 40.
• Scion's sales were down 20 percent last year, but Hollis says that's only the point "if volume is your goal." He went on to say, "We could double sales, but we don't rely on traditional incentives." Sale prices remained non-negotiable throughout the recession and the only two cash incentives – $1,000 off for college students and military personnel – are handled through Toyota Financial Services. Hollis is more focused on "Who is the buyer you're capturing? The average age of our buyer in a recession was under 30. We have exactly the buyer we want." That means that "we lost numbers, not youth. That's not a Scion problem, that's an industry problem."
• "The key tenet of Scion is to sell to people who have never purchased a Lexus, Toyota or Scion before." Seventy percent of buyers of the first xA and xB had never bought into the Toyota group before, and Hollis says that although the second generations of both models were very different, they achieved the same percentage of first-time buyers. "It's not my intent to have loyalty retention, but Toyota brand retention," to get the buyer started on an investment in Toyota's products.
• Still, volume is on his mind. "My goal is to increase sales." The 2011 Scion tC had an 80 percent increase in Q4 last year compared to 2009, and "I have the tC all year this year." Hollis expects sales better than last year, "absolutely," and even to make gains on 2009 numbers.
• On keeping up the momentum, he's admits that "Scion has got to find new ways to attract youth," adding "I think Scion will take the lead."
• If you have your eye on a Scion iQ, it's "coming out in summer," and you'll be able to tweak it as you would any other Scion. There will be less customization possible than on a tC "on a percentage basis," but the ethos remains, "when you bring out a Scion you need to have personalization."

Scion Ed Note: This confirms my little birds story on the push back of the iQ...awesome

Mr.Toyoda: Scion will Soldier On

by Jeff Glucker (RSS feed) on Jan 12th, 2011 at 11:31AM

2011 Scion tC – Click above for high-res image gallery

Scion came out swinging when it launched in 2003 and sales hit a peak of 173,024 units in 2006. Since that time, however, things have been spiraling downward. In 2010, Scion sold just 45,678 vehicles. That represents a 21 percent decline compared to 2009 sales. Despite this lull, Toyota President Akio Toyoda says the youth-oriented brand isn't going anywhere.

According to Automotive News, Scion represents a way for Toyota to reach a young demographic, and it doesn't plan to lose that gateway anytime soon. One of the problems has been that folks under 30 have been hit by the economic recession just like everyone else. Another is that recent models have failed to capture the imagination – and sales – that models like the original box-like xB did. Analysts are predicting a sales rise in 2011 but will that rise include Scion's demographic? Toyota recently redesigned the brand's most-popular model, tC, trying to make sure it does.

Super Famicom Inspired xB

Two of our dearest loves wrapped up together in one big ball of awesome. Video games and the Scion xB. Enjoy...