2010 Scion Base Wagon on 2040-cars

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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.

2015 Toyota Auris freshens up in Geneva, prepares for New York debut

Toyota is preparing to bring its Auris hatchback to the US market as a Scion. That makes news of this refreshed Auris, debuting at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, a fairly noteworthy piece of news. Changes are decidedly light, befitting of a refresh. Toyota has tweaked the headlights, taillights and both bumpers for 2015, featuring a wider grille up front. In the cabin, changes are similarly limited, with updated connectivity equipment, particularly the area around the infotainment system, being the biggest change. A new instrument cluster looks to have been installed, as well. Aside from those changes, though, Toyota didn't do too much to the Auris. You can check out our full gallery of live images for Geneva, and you'll want to be sure to check back here next month, for the official coverage of the Auris-based Scion iM when it debuts at the 2015 New York Auto Show. NEW TOYOTA AURIS TO JOIN NEW AVENSIS ON STAGE AT GENEVA Motor show debut for British-built Auris hatchback and wagon Toyota will reveal its new Auris at the Geneva motor show (3 – 15 March), the British-built hatchback and Touring Sports wagon versions making their debut alongside new Avensis. New Auris enjoys a refreshed design that adds presence and prestige, together with an upgraded cabin and new comfort and safety equipment features. The hybrid remains at the heart of the range, having established itself as the leading powertrain in the line-up, accounting for around half of all Auris sales in Europe in 2014. Nonetheless, the new model heralds the arrival of new and improved petrol and diesel engines, developed with a focus on efficiency and performance. The simultaneous reveal of new Auris and Avensis follows on from last year's introduction of Aygo and Yaris to complete a full rejuvenation of Toyota's core European model range. Both Auris and Avensis will continue to be built side by side at Toyota Manufacturing UK's car plant at Burnaston, near Derby. Toyota will host its Geneva motor show press conference on its stand in Hall 4 at Palexpo, at 12.15pm on 3 March. Related Video:

Toyota CEO Lentz still envisions Scion as a small premium brand

Ward's Auto has published a piece on Scion that further confirms that we really have no idea what to expect from the brand. In speaking with Toyota USA CEO Jim Lentz about what was once firmly intended to be a hip, experimental youth brand, Lentz said, "I still personally believe small-premium is the direction we should be going." We'll walk right on by Lentz's use of the word "still" and focus on "small-premium" with the question: How? As much as we dig the FR-S, nothing in the brand's lineup can get within a whiff of the word "premium." It's even further away from being able to sniff the lifestyle-powered exhaust of a Mini or Fiat 500, and the production version of the forthcoming IM Concept (inset) will only draw it closer to its plain vanilla parent. Of course, Scion could head the premium way, but the amount of time and money needed to make it work would seem to go against everything the brand currently stands for. The murk stays just as murky when Lentz's words are placed next to those of Scion brand VP Doug Murtha, who spoke to Ward's at a different time. Murtha's response to the "small-premium" note was, "He may be having discussions at levels I'm not," and that such intent is "probably a longer-term proposition than we're looking at right now," with planning under way out to 2025. We're already being prepared for the iM to come in under $20,000, which will ensure the "attainability factor" of the "younger audience" that Murtha still views as Scion's base. And at the moment, Murtha is probably focused on adding desirability to the current lineup, halting the 14-percent year-over-year sales slide to a point that's just over half the annual volume necessary for profitability, and making sure he and his dealers have the support necessary to make the required splash with new product. Aside from all that, what might we expect? We know there'll be another product shown along with the production IM at the 2015 New York Auto Show, and Murtha isn't against a small crossover if they can come up with "something appropriately Scion-esque." So... there's that.