Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Scion xB.

My older brother Brian drives a Scion xD. He's 39 years old, and probably considered anything but cool by 18-24 year-old standards. He bought his little xD because he was tired of filling up his AWD 2001 Chevy Astro conversion van, and he's gone from getting 12 mpg to about 30. While that's a big-time win for Scion sales, the brand's marketing arm has to cringe. Scion was built to be Toyota's youth-oriented brand, with cars that would finally bring younger buyers into the Toyota showroom. The early days of Scion were a boon, with 80% of Scion buyers having never shopped Toyota before. Young people were clamoring for the xB and tC, and 100-200k online shoppers flocked to the Scion site each month.

Only a year after the redesign of the xB and xD, the Scion site is seeing less than half the traffic. Overall, year over year sales fell for 17 strait months until March, when gas prices skyrocketed. Even then, sales were back down by June, which was the peak of high fuel prices. The problems began to surface when the redesigned Scions were little more than larger versions of their former selves. A larger xB became more attractive to the mother of two, while losing some of the edginess that made it a smash hit with teens and early-20-somethings.

Scion's leadership would like to turn the tide by creating a fourth member of the Scion family that exudes cool for under $20k. It could be an SUV or a hybrid, but Scion execs want it to be free from the grasps of the parent company. The current models also have to be refocused to once again attract the coveted 18-30 crowd. That's a tall order, and a lot of work for a brand that's only five years old.



[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Scion owners recently submitted pics of their personalized vehicles, including tC, xA, xB, and xD models, to the company for evaluation. The loyal owners were participating in Scion's "United by Individuality" brand campaign, designed to put individuals' modified vehicles in magazines, on billboards, even projected onto movie screens. More than 300 cars made the cut, and they soon found themselves in the Nevada desert for a photo shoot that included racing, tuning events, and even music performances. Shown above is a stunning aerial shot of more than 200 cars parked – very well we might add – at the event. The ad campaign launches in movie theaters July 21, while the other media won't go live until August 4th.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]

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 the picture to view the video

Here's a little something we've been cooking up for a while. We've seen your cries for more video reviews, and it's on our minds, too. We've been trying to bring you more video in a lot of ways lately; Chris Shunk recently walked us through the new Grand Caravan, and Damon and Sam shot some video when they went to visit Tesla to drive the Roadster. You can visit our YouTube Channel to see just how many videos we've been producing lately.

We decided to try our hand at producing an In the Autoblog Garage new car review on video, and you'll find our results after the jump. Let us know what you think of our first video review, which stars the 2007 Scion xB, as we hope to make it a regular feature. Also check out Sam Abuelsamid's review of the 2007 Scion xB in written form.

click above for more high-res iamges of the V8-powered Scion xB

Forget about body kits, custom fiberglass enclosures for your woofer and LCDs in the headrests. This is the only way to make the Scion xB entertaining in our humble opinion. Oh yeah, Scion wants you to think its cars are more fun than a box of rocks, but like Flava Flav said, don't believe the hype. We'll even forgive the fact that there's a big, dumb carburetor sitting atop the Chevy-based small block. This first-generation xB is owned by a guy named Rick, who apparently knows his way around plasma cutters, nibblers and welders. It's not quite finished yet, as evidenced by the photos showing a stripped interior and lots of zip ties, but Rick's Scion is already quite the sleeper.

Peering inside the engine bay, it's the tidy dimensions of the small block FTW. A transmission hump/center tunnel had to be added, and the chassis was converted to rear-wheel drive, too. Keep in mind, this is the smaller, original xB. The overinflated second-generation would have even more space in the engine room for this sort of chicanery. There's obviously some time and money spent to give this ho-hum little box a big infusion of epic cool, and we bet that's all worth it when you can take in the looks of discongruity as you blow the doors off the unsuspecting.

[Source: Carscoop]

click above for more high-res images of the 2008 Scion xB R.S. 5.0

Scion does this all the time – unveils a special Release Series version of a model and affixes an X.0 appendage to the name like it's a firmware update. Very hip, edgy stuff. The newest one and first special edition Scion model for 2008 is the xB R.S. 5.0. This edition's main selling point is its Gold Rush Mica paint job since it's the same color that appeared on the xB show car unveiled at last year's Chicago Auto Show. It also features a body kit by KenStyle that's tasteful enough, but the tuner vibe is totally killed by the set of exclusive Release Series wheel covers that the vehicle is wearing. This thing needs solid alloys if it wants to be taken seriously. The R.S. 5.0 is the first of the new xB models with a moonroof, however. Not much has changed with the interior except for a splash of the same Gold Rush Mica on some trim pieces and the seats.

One thing that the Scion xB R.S. 5.0 will be is exclusive, since only 2,500 will be made and priced from $15,650 for the manual and $16,600 for the automatic. The only option appears to be a rear spoiler dipped in, what else? Gold Rush Mica paint. That adds another $320 to the bottom line. The xB R.S. 5.0 will go on sale in February at your nearest Scion dealer. No need to rush, we doubt there'll be a line unless a TRD supercharger suddenly becomes an option.

[Source: Scion]

When it comes to comprehensive suspension tuning, Hotchkis has established itself as a premium player for both domestic and imported performance rides. Their WRX sway bars have proven to be some of the strongest and lightest on the market (not to mention three-way adjustable), and they've constantly been ahead of the curve by offering new products for vehicles soon after they appear on the market. Unfortunately, they're not as good about keeping their website up-to-date or being able to rattle off the diameter of their sway bars when inquiring minds, well... inquire.

Regardless, by the end of 2007 Hotchkis will begin offering sway bars for the E92 BMW 335i and they've got prototype bars for the Infiniti G37, due to be on sale in the beginning of 2008. They're already offering Stage One kits (springs and sway bars) for the Volkswagen GLI and the new Scion xB, and have begun to sell sway bars for both the Mazdaspeed3 and Audi RS4.

Click the image above to view a couple of Scion's SEMA entries.

"These are our people!" has always been Scion's mantra at SEMA. Car customization and personalization is the cornerstone of Toyota's "youth"branded division, despite the number of retirees buying up xBs to shuffle between the doctor's office and the Elk's Lodge.

While there were a number of Scions adorning the show floor, the automaker's own booth only had a couple of vehicles worthy of our attention... and your time.

Two models, an xB and an xD, both featured chopped roofs and plenty of show-only go-fast bits. The latter, built by Team Koshak, featured a wet injection Nitrous Express system, Magnaflow exhaust, custom 19-inch rollers, and an Extreme Dimension body kit swathed in Samurai Green Tea paint. Inside, it's all about eye-grabbing accouterments, sometime at the expense of good taste. While the Status Racing seats blend a bit of functionality with an attractive design, the blue and green plaid upholstery apes the Mk V GTI in the worst possible way. You can check out the rest of Team Koshak's mods on their display plaque and peruse the gallery below to see both vehicles at the Scion stand.

While the redesigned Scion xB has been floating around the U.S. for a few months now, Toyota has seen fit to rename it the Rumion in the homeland, and is offering it in more enticing flavors.

Two engine choices are available, either a 1.5- or 1.8-liter four, both of which are mated to Toyota's Super CVT-i, and can send power to just the front wheels or all four depending on spec. Whether you're partial to the mildly tweaked front clip and headlamps is strictly a matter of taste, but the optional front and rear spoilers, mudguards and rear roof spoiler all do a better job of making the rolling tissue box look a bit more planted.

Make the jump to view Toyota's full press release.

According to Mazda President Hisakazu Imaki, "As soon as North American dealers see this, they ask for it." That, in reference to the new Mazda2, a freshly styled sub-compact that is set to go on sale in Europe this fall.

The only problem is that Mazda execs are still waffling on whether or not to throw their hat into the ring in N.A. to compete with the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris. Currently, Mazda's focus is set on the ever-expanding crossover segment, and Mazda's corporate cousin, Ford, is working on the release of a Mazda2-based vehicle for sale in the U.S.

But Mazda (and Ford's) delay is causing buyers to head on down to their local Honda dealer to place an order for a Fit. The only rub: they still can't keep enough in stock. Honda's production plans for the Japanese-manufactured Fit is only 54,000 units per year, and both Honda bigwigs and U.S.-based dealers admit that it isn't enough to keep up with demand. In 2006, 27,934 Fits were sold in the U.S., and in the first six months of this year, they've moved 23,769 units off the lot. In a fuel-efficiency crazed market, demand is off the charts, but until Mazda/Ford and Honda get its act together, buyers are laying down their cash for the Yaris, xB and Versa.

[Sources: Mazda2 – Automotive News (Sub. Req.); Fit – Automotive News (Sub. Req.)]