When Toyota Motor Company introduced Scion to the American car scene in 2004, it had one goal in mind: Sell inexpensive, yet funky cars to the young Generation Y driver as a way to develop their loyalty to the brand. There was the tiny xA, the toaster-shaped xB, and the cute tC. As soon as these cars started rolling off the back of the delivery truck, they rolled right into people’s garages, being a frugal, fun and reliable choice over the competition.

Shortly after the sales numbers started coming in, two very big surprises popped up: one was the most popular model in the line-up was the box-on-wheels xB; the other was the average owner age was 46, nearly twice the age Scion had originally projected.

To us car nuts, it doesn’t really matter who is buying what, but why. What makes the Scion xB hatchback, now in its second generation, such a popular choice for a car? Let us find out. Continue Reading…

Throughout the history of the automobile, certain models have accumulated a fair number of devoted followers who go above and beyond to show their pride and loyalty in the form of metal and plastics. From the timeless Ford Motel T of yesteryear to all the Camaros and Mustangs of the 1960s and 70s, and even some of today’s products like the Honda Civics and BMW M3s, these vehicles find their way into the hearts of many.

However, there is one company who is not only new to the world of four wheels, but has strummed up a large enough of a cult following to begin hold regional events for owners to gather and share their passions with one another.

That company is Scion. Continue Reading…

Scion’s newest model, the xD, is now on its second Release Series (RS) edition. The RS 1.0 released last year gave us unique paint, a body kit, color matching interior, and lowering springs for an extra $2,000. This year, they focus more on electronics.

The 2009 xD RS 2.0 comes only in the strange “Electric Wasabi Green” color, and adds interior lighting and of course Release Series badging all over the place. The main attraction here are the added media options. The new system is a touch-screen Pioneer A/V Navigation with flash memory (faster than hard drives,) voice recognition, bluetooth, and iPod connectivity. You can add music via USB or SD card as well. The navigation system is unique in that you can plan a road trip on your home computer via a free program, then transfer that into your GPS with a USB or SD device. Continue Reading…

Here’s odd/interesting news from this year’s New York courtesy of Scion, it’s called the iQ Concept, but it sure looks like they could produce it starting tomorrow. Scion, Toyota’s “youth oriented” brand has been a huge success, both with those of limited budget, and with those who like to customize. The new and hopefully upcoming iQ is potentially aimed at those two groups, but also at another, as yet unchallenged market: Smart Car owners.

Continue Reading…

2009 Scion tC RS 5.0

Scion announced their most recent limited edition Release Series (RS) tC, which will be unveiled at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show this week. The 2009 Scion tC RS 5.0 will be a limited run of about 2,000 cars, and will feature mostly upgraded parts from Toyota’s racing division, TRD.

The tC RS 5.0 has a gloss black finish, 18-inch matte black with red trim alloy wheels, and an available black lip spoiler. Interior changes include a black leather steering wheel with red stitching, black seats with red accents, and floor mats with the TRD logo. Performance enhancements include red TRD lowering springs, a red TRD rear sway bar, and a TRD sport muffler (just the muffler, not the exhaust.) Continue Reading…

Scion just announced their latest Release Series car - the xB RS 6.0. Scion has been well known for their Release Series vehicles, which are specialized, limited edition runs of an existing model. There will only be a total of 2,500 of this latest edition made.

The 2009 Scion xB Release Series 6.0 comes exclusively in Absolutely Red, which is that almost matte-finish bright red you see above. Changes start with the black-finish front grille sans Scion logo, special Release Series wheel covers, red-accented interior trim, illuminated door sills, and a numbered holographic badge. Continue Reading…