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Scion reveals SEMA concepts, Tuner Challenge finalists

Scion has become something of a tuner favorite, so it's only fitting that Toyota's youth-oriented brand have an array of show cars ready for SEMA each year. And this year will be no exception.
Scion itself is bringing five cars to SEMA this year, and as you might expect, they're mostly based on the FR-S. There's a black one done in partnership with DJ Steve Aoki with an onboard mixing station, another (in white and black) done with Bulletproof Automotive with a 500-horsepower engine and fresh bodywork, a grey one done up with GReddy with a 750-horsepower turbocharged engine and, the slickest of the group, the Style J concept (pictured above) with matte grey bodywork, a Scirocco-style nose and a full leather interior. There's also a stretched xB done up by Cartel Customs and laden with tech.
Aside from Scion's own show cars, the automaker has also released the details on three entries for its Tuner Challenge: one each from the East Coast, Pacific Northwest and Southern California. Scion gave each builder a stock tC, 90 days and $15,000 to build their concepts that will be judged by an expert panel at the SEMA show, with the winner taking home a $10,000 prize.

Scion FR-S SEMA showcars salute sun, style

A brand like Scion is sort of a natural fit here at SEMA, what with the customizable schtick that it's trumpeted since being born in 2002. We've already seen some weird takes on the xB, but SEMA's magic wand has once done interesting things to the FR-S, seen here in a quartet of concepts.
Something that kind of piques our interest is this roofless, let-the-sun-in FR-S, but not in a way that we've seen before. Tuner Jeremy Lookofsky of Cartel Customs put the two-tone, topless FR-S together, and his creation also features an all-metal wide body with an integrated rear spoiler. It's decked out in a unique Azzuro California Blue (looks pretty beachy to us) and includes upgrades like a louvered rear window, 19-inch wheels, a center-mounted exhaust, big ol' turbo kit, KW coilover suspension, upgraded brakes, and a super-powerful audio system.
Also featured in FR-S land is the 10th annual Scion Tuner Challenge, in which three tuners received $15,000 to modify the coupe, taking cues from the Release Series 1.0 that debuted earlier this year. The three cars were done up by Super Street magazine, GT Channel, and Speedhunters. A panel of judges will look at the customs and a $10,000 grand prize will be given to the winners.

Scion pondering move upmarket?

Scion is simultaneously celebrating its ten-year anniversary with the 10 Series models and trying to figure out what to do with itself over the next ten years. Once a go-to consideration for young, first-time buyers who wanted something cool and different, in 2013 it has a model everyone is still talking about in the FR-S, a model few are still talking about in the iQ, and three models in between in the tC, xB and xD that make everyone wonder, "What happened?"
Automotive News spoke to Toyota's North American CEO, Jim Lentz - he was the VP in charge of Scion when it launched - about the options, and Lentz said one of them could be a move upmarket to challenge the established luxury brands that are moving downmarket. "There's going to be a big need in the $25,000 range for a fun-to-drive, nice-looking, value-oriented product," he said, and the FR-S, which starts at $25,255, could provide the platform for Scion to climb up a notch or two in price and perception. An idea like this could conceivably work in tandem with a proposal to move entry-level Scion products over to the Toyota brand - but remember, this is all just ideas on a whiteboard at the moment.
As opposed to an "entry-luxury fighter," the brand could swing back to the other option that was considered when it was formed, directly challenging the Korean makes that have usurped its cachet with first-time buyers. Lentz said Scion could go either way, and the tone of the piece seems to indicate that the final direction is still a ways away from being resolved.