2006 Scion Tc Customized Coupe 2-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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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.

Toyota tops Kelley Blue Book's Resale Value Awards

Kelley Blue Book announced its annual Best Resale Value Award winners, and we weren't too surprised to see the list dominated by Japanese automakers - mainly Toyota and Honda. KBB hands out the awards based on the projected residual value of mostly all 2013 model year vehicles, and Toyota skated home with a number of awards including 10 of the 22 overall categories and having five of its products in the top 10 for models with best resale value. KBB's Best Resale Value Awards were announced in the same week as the ALG Residual Value Awards, and there were many similarities between both lists, especially when it came to Toyota.
To come up with its winners, KBB measures depreciation over the first five years of ownership, and looks for the cars it expects to hold its value the best after this time; on average, the report says the 2013 model year vehicles will lose 61.8 percent of its value in five years. Of the 22 categories, 15 slots were filled by Toyota, Honda and Nissan products, while the Camaro and Porsche (Cayenne and Panamera) each took home a pair of awards. If Toyota has anything to be upset about in this list of cars, it's that categories for Hybrid/Alternative Energy Car and Electric Vehicle went to the Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Volt, respectively.
The overall top 10 models for the best resale value in 2013 are, in alphabetical order:

Scion to unveil new sedan in New York

Scion is on a mission to inject some new life into its struggling lineup. It unveiled a refreshed and rebadged Euro-market Toyota Auris as the iM Concept at the LA Auto Show in November, and is bringing it to market with that same nameplate. But that's not all: the youthful division from Toyota has just announced it's bringing a sedan join the production iM hatch on stage at the New York Auto Show in April. Although details are scarce, the close association Scion has drawn between the iM hatch and the new sedan suggests that the two could be related. The iM (like the Auris upon which it's based and the Matrix that came before) is already essentially a hatchback version of the Corolla sedan, which US buyers can find in Toyota showrooms. So whether the new sedan will be essentially a rehashed Corolla sedan, or something else entirely, remains to be seen. If Scion were to take a similar approach and bring over another Toyota model sold overseas, the new model could borrow heavily from the European-market Avensis or even Japan's Mark X. Whatever form the car ultimately takes, however, this will be Scion's first sedan, believe it or not. The brand has previously offered only hatchbacks like the iQ, xD and xB, and two-door coupes like the FR-S and tC. The latter, for what it's worth, shares its underpinnings with the Avensis. Scion says the new sedan and the iM hatch will "represent two of the three new models Scion will bring to market in the next three years," so expect one more to follow sometime in the near future. New Names and Bold Bodies Coming to Scion in 2015 First-Ever Scion Sedan and Scion iM on the way TORRANCE, Calif., (Jan. 7, 2015) – Like many others, Scion has a New Year's Resolution to debut an all-new body by spring. And not surprisingly, all eyes will be on its backside as Scion will be adding its first-ever sedan to its line-up. The new sedan will be introduced in April at the New York International Auto Show along with the all-new Scion iM. The iM is the official name for the production version of the iM Concept car shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Together, the two vehicles represent two of the three new models Scion will bring to market in the next three years aimed at independently minded 18-34 year olds. The trio will bring exciting options for Scion's younger customers looking for vehicles to support both adventure and sensibility.