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Pulled Ahead? Scion dealer reportedly says iQ headed for U.S. in 2010 [w/POLL]
Scion iQ Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
Last we heard, Toyota was planning to bring the diminutive iQ to the American market badged as a Scion in either late 2010 or early 2011 as a 2012 model. According to AutoWeek, that date may have been moved up a few months as a major Scion dealership (which declined to be named) has confirmed the car for next September or October. If true, that could mean that the car will carry a 2011 designation, and might also pull the iQ ahead of the replacement for the tC coupe, which was previously said to be the next Scion in waiting.
It's no secret that the Scion brand has been hit harder than most in the face of the worst economic downturn in recent memory (down 57.8 percent for the year through July), and it's apparently thought the 66-mpg Smart-killing iQ is just what the doctor ordered to spruce up the automaker's lineup.
Speaking at the iQ's debut in Scion drag at the New York Auto Show, company Veep Jack Hollis said that "the interest was so high that it would be silly for us not to fight for [the iQ], but the next-generation tC is our top priority now." That next-gen tC is rumored to drop sometime in mid-to-late-2010 with more aggressive styling and a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine with 200 horsepower. Armchair quarterback time: which new model is more important for the Scion brand, the iQ or the tC? Click past the break to take part in our poll.
Gallery: New York: Scion iQ Concept
[Source: AutoWeek]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
2004m3driver 5:00PM (8/17/2009)
Wheres the "how about a damn Supra successor" button. Guess that would make the poll too lopsided.
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Cypher09 5:28PM (8/17/2009)
Cheap RWD sporty coupes? Only Hyundai is forward thinking enough to actually listen to their customers and deliver the goods. Scion = Toyota = more front wheel drive appliances.
Not THAT Matt 6:25PM (8/17/2009)
I'm glad to hear a Scion is getting a real engine finally - the tC always looked pretty good (at least on the outside), but was pretty anemic compared to... everything but a Corolla or Civic.
The Scions already get crap gas mileage. At least now they'll have a little bit of power to back that up.
AMcA 8:59PM (8/17/2009)
Unquestionably the iQ.
It's a category of one car, that I think has huge potential. I, personally, a 911 driver, find the idea of a really small car appealing. But Smart cars scare me - too small and tippy. The iQ, from that I've read, is a small big car. Wide enough to be stable, etc. It seems to me class above most tiny cars. (And then there's that weird rumor about the Aston-Martin variant . . . .)
It's the first Toyota I can ever recall wanting.
inteller 10:46PM (8/17/2009)
can you drive one of these up a wall like the ones you buy at Wal-Mart? Will you be able to buy this at Wal-Mart? Where do the batteries go?
naggs 12:28AM (8/18/2009)
i am certainly interested in driving a iQ
anything that small has to be fun, unless its got a garbage transmission that is
Ken Stamper 5:04PM (8/17/2009)
So I'm a little confused- you say "next September or October"- is this literally the next September, which is in a month, or the one after that? It is somewhat unclear as to what is meant exactly.
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Paul 5:09PM (8/17/2009)
next year, 2010 september.
phunkyphoxx 5:08PM (8/17/2009)
Hm... I like the IQ concept. Really. Small and looking very aggressive. The styling made me think of this immediately
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU44KwIfBXM
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Farmboy 5:08PM (8/17/2009)
Really, I'm not a fan of the iQ at all. Well, old people rejoice, you're Smart car alternative is here!!!
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Jrejre 5:09PM (8/17/2009)
Pika!
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Danimal 5:11PM (8/17/2009)
Someone should tell Toyota The Fast and The Furious was SOOO 8 years ago.
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futurama 6:39PM (8/17/2009)
haha... exactly.
i'd rather have the stock iQ sold in Europe than this fast and the furious version.
ack154 7:42PM (8/17/2009)
It's a concept, guys... done by Five Axis. There's nothing anywhere that says this is what it is going to look like when it comes out. Of course, if you would have looked that up for yourself, you wouldn't be able to make a F&F joke about something you know nothing about.
Quan 10:21PM (8/17/2009)
There was also a Fast and Furious movie earlier this year that managed to do really well, so it's not quite accurate to say 8 years ago.
Danimal 9:39AM (8/18/2009)
Ack154: link or it didn't happen...
Quan: I don't know what's worse the Fast and the Furious movies or people who defend them.
tC 9:43AM (8/18/2009)
Here you go Danimal.
http://www.zcars.com.au/images/toyota-iq1.jpg
jaydubz 5:16PM (8/17/2009)
I can see this being Toyota's version of the Smart Car and just as much of a failure! $15,000 for a car with only 3 doors! The 60+ MPG is appealing , but it just doesnt speak to me. Nothing was better than the original Xb, Toyota screwed up by not bringing its next generation from Japan. Do these companies not listen to the customer base anymore?
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phil 5:24PM (8/19/2009)
Bingo. At the projected pricerange, the iQ will not sell well. Too expensive. If it were under $11-12k, then maybe it would be a decent vehicle.
Because of the expense of the iQ, I'll have to vote tC.
Or the Toyobaru. :)
patrickhuynguyen 3:24AM (8/18/2009)
next gen bb wasn't that great either. it wasn't ugly like the current xb. but it didn't have the charm of the earlier xb.