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...