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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.

2014 Toyota Tundra to debut at Chicago Auto Show

The fullsize pickup market is dominated by trucks from Ford, General Motors and Ram, but this segment could get some hefty competition in coming years. We've already reported that Nissan is planning a redesign of its Titan truck for 2015, and now Toyota has announced that it will be revealing the 2014 Tundra next month at the Chicago Auto Show.
In the brief press release posted below, Toyota says that the 2014 Tundra will be "redesigned," but it's unclear as to whether this means we'll be seeing an all-new truck or just an extensive refresh. The current Tundra design has been around since 2007 and sales are hardly worrisome to the Big Three, so a new design would be a logical guess.
In any case, we only have to wait a couple more weeks for the new Tundra to debut on February 7, and we'll be on hand to bring you plenty of live coverage from the show.

Autocar pits McLaren MP4-12C against turbo Toyota GT86

The Toyota GT86, in all of its forms, is one of the best-handling cars money can buy, a trait that can put a smile on the faces of all but the most jaded car enthusiasts. But if good handling isn't what they're looking for, then what is? Our first guess would have to be more power, something the 200-horsepower Toyota would benefit from. Autocar tries out that theory by driving two turbocharged GT86s on track, then pitting the more powerful one against the 616-hp McLaren MP4-12C in a track battle.
The first GT86 turbo Autocar's Steve Sutcliffe drives makes around 255 rear-wheel horsepower and a bucket-load more torque than the stock car. That's plenty of power to either have a lot of fun or get into a lot of trouble. But the GT86 that Sutcliffe tails in the McLaren is race-prepped, stripped to the bone and wears slicks to harness a heavy-hitting 335 hp at the wheel. Weighing in at under 2,500 pounds, the Toyota can't overcome the MP4-12C's power-to-weight ratio of 5.3 pounds per horsepower, but it comes pretty close.
Enjoy a lot of chasing and drifting fun in the video below!