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Scion iA and iM rolled into Yaris and Corolla lineups for 2017

The Scion brand may be going away, but most of its cars (sorry, tC) are living on. We'll see the 2017 Toyota 86 (nee Scion FR-S) at the New York Auto Show next week, and the automaker already confirmed that the Scion iA and iM will be rebadged as Toyotas. But instead of standing on their own, the former Scions will be rolled into existing model lines. "Yaris iA" and "Corolla iM" will be the official names of the cars, effective for 2017. It's a smart move, paring the relatively new Scion nameplates with well-known, existing Toyota monikers. Scion spokeswoman Nancy Hubbell tells Autoblog that the iA already exists as the Yaris in the Canadian and Mexican markets, so "that connection was already there." Plus, it's better for marketing. The combination of the two vehicles all under the Yaris nameplate means Toyota can focus its advertising dollars on one vehicle line, simply saying that you can now have the Yaris as a four-door sedan or a five-door hatchback. "The same goes with Corolla," Hubbell explains. She says the existing Toyota sedan and the Scion iM "paired really well," and again, it means Toyota can advertise the Corolla as having two body styles moving forward. There are benefits from a sales perspective, too. Never mind that Scion division sales were already included in Toyota's overall numbers – calling the new cars Yaris iA and Corolla iM means the company won't have to report these cars individual sales separately. It's like when Toyota made the Matrix – its technical name was Corolla Matrix, so its individual sales didn't have to be broken out. That means an extra boost in overall numbers for the Yaris and Corolla, even if the cars would have been reported under Toyota's numbers had they kept their Scion badges. View 18 Photos Related Video:

Scion grabs Franco and Urkel in Weird move to sell iM and iA

Scion is prepping the advertising campaign for the new iA and iM and as so many automakers have done before, it's recruited some celebrity talent. It's choice of actors, though, is kind of strange. First, we have Mr. James Franco, star of This Is The End and generally weird dude. He pitches both the iA and iM, playing two different roles. While in the iA, he's James Franco The Actor, while the iM sees him shift into an "experimental artist." Along with talking about how strange it is that "someone so complex" would drive a "practical" car, Scion's narrator goes as far as admitting that it's kind of weird that the budget manufacturer was even able to scoop the Hollywood talent. The second spokesman, though, is even stranger. It's none other than Jaleel White, best known as Steven Q. Urkel from 1990s sitcom Family Matters. He stars alongside, um, Urkel (not to mention a rather annoying laugh track). In a rather weird spot that highlights the dual-zone climate control, White stars alongside a wax figurine of his iconic television character, even dropping one of his famous lines at the end. And finally, while this one doesn't have a celebrity endorsement, Scion prepared a third spot to support its new iA. Featuring a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man, it's perhaps the weirdest of the three videos. We have Franco's video at the top of the page, while the Urkel/White spot and wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man clip are available below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Scion Brings the 'Weird' with James Franco and Jaleel White New Ad Campaign for Scion iA and iM Celebrates Everything Out of the Ordinary September 14, 2015 TORRANCE, Calif. (Sept. 14, 2015) – Scion has always been a little weird. With no-haggle pricing, standard premium features and cars shaped like toasters, Scion has proudly done things differently. Now, actors James Franco, Jaleel White, and an inflatable tube man take the all-new Scion iM and iA for a spin in the brand's newest ad campaign, titled "Weird, Right?" This is the largest marketing campaign for Scion since the brand's launch in 2003. The wave of weird contains three :30 TV spots.

Toyota GT86 convertible could debut in March

The dates are lining up, now we wait to see how the badges align. Just before the Toyota GT 86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ line-up was introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show last year, there was a report that Subaru was considering a convertible while Toyota wouldn't even comment on it. That got swapped around when earlier this year the chief engineer on Toyota's side said a convertible was coming, and then a Scion FR-S droptop was confirmed for early 2014.
Autocar now reports that the Toyota GT 86 convertible will make its first appearance at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show in March. In a car whose specs like weight, packaging, horsepower and center of gravity were all tightly controlled to get the most from the least, the changes necessitated by chopping the roof could make this a very different car. It's said to employ a fabric roof to keep a "small" weight gain check, and the suspension will be softened to work more harmoniously with the decreased body stiffness. And somewhere in all that the back seat and trunk space will need to take a hit.
In other news, Autocar says the hi-po GT 86 with some kind of capacitor system instead of batteries is being worked on for 2015.