Autoblog

Although Toyota has recently claimed the title of the World's Largest Automaker in terms of global sales, the Japanese-giant is finding out that life at the top isn't all it's cracked-up to be. While the Camry, Corolla, Yaris and Prius sedans are reportedly brisk movers, the same thing cannot be said about Toyota's line of trucks and sport utility vehicles. Toyota has cut Tundra and Sequoia production already, but dealers are still declining to purchase them, pushing the number of unclaimed units to an all-time high. Automotive News quotes an unnamed Toyota dealer as saying, "Last month, Southeast Toyota had 9,700 vehicles that had been turned down twice by dealers and are either sitting at the port or at sea. That's a significant number." Right now, Toyota/Scion has a high 58-day supply of available inventory on hand.

Some dealers, though, see the high number of available units as a blessing-in-disguise. "We've been asking for more inventory for two years and now we finally got it. This is a great opportunity. You have to take it when you can get it," says Steve Cain, general manager of Lewis Toyota-Scion in Topeka, Kansas. Regardless of your viewpoint, we expect that Toyota will align itself with market realities in order to bring production in line with actual sales sooner rather than later. In other words, if you've been in the market for a Toyota truck, chances are good you'll get a decent deal.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Scion has selected iBiquity Digital to provide HD Radio technology in some of its audio systems. Scion hasn't said how it plans to integrate iBiquity into Scions, or which cars will get the systems first, but the partnership marks another incursion of HD Radio into the mass market -- BMW, Ford and Jaguar already offer it, with Volvo opening the HD spigot next year. HD Radio offers stations the ability to transmit multiple programs over a single FM frequency with crystal clear reception -- and there are more than 1,600 stations across the nation, available to 83-percent of the country. In the future, HD plans to introduce features that will match or better those offered by satellite radio. But unlike satellite radio, HD is free.

[Source: Toyota]

Click above to view video after jump

While the Scion tC Release Series 4.0 is little more than a body-kit and a paint job for a sporty two-door in need of a redesign, we imagine that a few more of them could move off the lots with cool advertising like you see in the video pasted after the break. This type of interactive advertising is pretty cool, in a Minority Report sort-of-way. If we are going to be continually bombarded with billboards, they may as well be cool to look at and interactive. From the looks of things, the game-like display that Scion and InWindow teamed up to create is rather attention grabbing. Click after the jump to view for yourself.

[Source: Youtube via Engadget]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Scion xB.

Scion announced pricing for the 2009 xB and tC today, and if you want to get your hands on the love-it-or-hate-it toaster on wheels, you'll have to pony up an extra $100 this year. The xB's base price is now $16,370 (including shipping), and comes equipped with a five-speed manual as standard equipment. If you can't stand swapping your own cogs, you can shell out another $950 for a four-speed automatic. The tC's price remains the same as the 2008 model, starting at $17,620 with a five-speed manual and $18,420 for the four-speed auto 'box. Sales of the xB begin this month and the "slightly tweaked" tC will arrive in May.

Scion's press release is available after the jump.

Click above for a huge high-res gallery of the RS*R Scion tC drift car.

We've enjoyed our fair share of front-wheel-drive hijinks in empty parking lots with our right hand firmly grasping the e-brake, but in the end, tail-out antics are always more enjoyable behind the wheel of something with the proper wheels driven. "Proper," however, isn't the way we'd describe how Scion decided to go about campaigning a tC in this year's Formula Drift series.

With backing from Toyota, the aftermarket firm RS*R converted a run-of-the-mill tC into a rear-wheel-drive monster utilizing a BEAMS-built 3S-GE engine and taking advantage of the Toyota Avensis/Caldina all-wheel-drive chassis on which the tC is built. RS*R ripped out the abysmal 2AZ-FE 2.4-liter four-pot from the stock car, fabbed up a series of new mounts to facilitate the transverse to longitudinal conversion and dropped in the 3S-GE after fitting the four-cylinder with an HKS GT3037 turbo, intercooler, Blitz dual SBC boost controller and an AEM EMS engine management system. Approximately 400 hp is now routed to the rear wheels through a Tilton triple carbon clutch and a G-Force, five-speed sequential gearbox. RS-R coilovers keep things suspended on all four corners, and are hidden by the custom wide-body kit and Enkei RPF1 wheels wrapped in Toyo Proxes R1R rubber.

The RS*R tC will be piloted by Ken Gushi, the youngest driver ever to compete in the D1 series, beginning at the season opener on the Streets of Long Beach on April 12th. Hit the jump to read the full press release and check out Formula D's website to see when the competition will be heating up in your area.


[Source: Toyota]

Click above for more pics of the Scion xB post-fire damage

An auto dealer service center is a lot like a doctor's office for your car. When something is wrong or your ride needs a check-up, a technician can set things right. Of course sometimes doctors make mistakes like taking off your left foot when they're supposed to amputate the right one, and things don't always go as planned in the hands of a trained tech. One Scion xB owner took his modified baby to the dealer for a Technical Service Bulletin, and it ended up engulfed in flames. The fire completely destroyed the little xB, but the good news is that the dealer has taken full responsibility for the problem and is giving the owner a new ride for his troubles.

We had auto shop in high school, but we can't seem to remember any reason a car should blow up when being worked on. We don't know what Scion xB TSB was being done, but if trying to fix it could blow up your car, that's probably not good. Check out the gruesome pics in the gallery below


[Source: Scion Life via Motive Mag]

Click above to vote at Jalopnik

The Scion Hako is one of the ugliest concept cars any of us have ever seen. Seriously, in New York, our watches stopped working in its presence. At the vehicle's introduction, Scion called its orange-hued affront to the senses a "sporty version of a box" -- a turn of phrase we're still trying to wrap our brains around. What's next? Record execs selling us the "easy-listening version of Slayer"? But we digress.

Our friends at Jalopnik were equally uninspired by Hako, so they asked their readers to build a better concept using the magic of Photoshop. They have winnowed down the entrants to a group of five finalists -- a mail truck (above), a better coupe (shown at right), a hot rod, a Hako-mino, and a Deora-ish pickup. Follow the jump to see the latter three and then head over to Jalopnik to vote for your favorite. The winning 'chopper will be announced tomorrow. His or her prize? A taste of sweet internet celebrity and some Scion hats. Don't delay, vote today!

[Source: Jalopnik]

Scion keeps coming up with all kinds of ways to let owners customize their owner's club credentials. The latest is Scion Speak, which gives users the power to create a custom coat-of-arms to show their love for Scion Nation. When you've got your family shield -- or Scion gang affiliation -- properly gussied up, you can have it turned into a window sticker, or, get this: have it painted on your car. We'd recommend starting with a sticker. As with a tattoo, there's nothing like trying to explain that pink shield emblazoned with the middle finger and Team Hamster underneath when your situation changes. And those are all real options. There is quite the range of icons, from a toilet to sperm to a teddy bear, to... nun chucks. But don't use those... And to the xB owner in Oklahoma City, nice work!

[Source: Scion Speak via Carscoop]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Scion Hako Coupe concept.

Scion sales have hit a slump in the last 17 months, with a peak of 175,000 units sold in 2006, the youth-marketed brand's sales have dipped to 130,000 vehicles last year. The solution will likely come from three new vehicles to be released in the next few years. Scion's veep, Jack Hollis, told Automotive News in an interview during the Big Apple bash, that Scion is "studying two or three models in conceptual form right now." Unfortunately, one of those was the Hako Coupe concept that was unveiled in New York and was met with considerable backlash from attendees and those of you following the show from home (check the comments Scion).

While a two-door xB was the prototypical answer to a question no one asked, Hollis questioned (out loud) what products are in the pipeline. "Could it be a truck? A hybrid? An SUV? A subcompact roadster? We are not limiting our search." We'll answer those for you: no, maybe, no and Hell yes. The Scion rep said that the current 130,000 mark is good for the three "core" vehicles in its lineup, but products that are more niche oriented – comprising annual sales around 20,000 to 25,000 units a year – are being seriously considered. If that means more models aimed at enthusiasts, something that's been sorely lacking since the brand's introduction in 2003, then we're all for it. The rumors of a RWD, Subaru boxer-powered coupe are still swirling and that could be a serious hit if Scion decides to bring in Stateside.



[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Scion Hako Concept

Any hope that Scion would be revealing the next iteration of the tC, or a clean-sheet sports coupe with which to replace it, were dashed this afternoon in New York when the wraps were pulled off the Hako Coupe Concept. The Hako is essentially a Scion xB that's lost a couple of doors and gained a massive schnoz, a seriously upright windshield and some highly stylized accents. Scion's PR people insist that the coupe's design is inspired by the "emergence of American vintage style among young Tokyo trendsetters," which may be true, but Scion's veep, Jack Hollis' remark that the Hako "is the sporty version of a box." Oxymoronic? We think so.

As with most of Scion's concepts, the Hako is a combination of form and functionality, with an emphasis on living the Scion life that the brand has fought hard to establish. As such, there's a focus on lifestyle elements that find their way inside, with storage crevices for magazines and mobile phones, flat-screen monitors and a videogame-inspired dash that would be all the rage if you were eight and it were 1992.

While the Hako is technically a coupe, it's not what we were hoping for, especially considering that Scion insists that the brand has its finger on the pulse of the youth market. What do young, car-crazed youths really want? We'd suggest that it's a few stands away, sitting at the Hyundai booth in the form of the Genesis coupe.

Scion's full press release is posted after the jump and a gallery of official shots is below (live shots are forthcoming!).





New York 2008: Scion Hako Concept - Official Pics