New Gen Y Buyer Survey Spells Trouble for Detroit

Auto pricing website TrueCar studied the car buying behaviour of four million Gen Y (18 to 27 year-old) over a twenty-four month period and here’s what they found.

Scion took the crown for top brand, with 37.4% of the market and for top model (the tC coupe), with 21.2%, while second place went to Mitsubishi (32.1%) and their Lancer sedan (20.3%).

Mazda was the third most visited brand for Gen Y buyers, though only 17th in terms of model. The top four vehicle choices were Japanese, with a German in seventh place and a South Korean in ninth.

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All-New 2012 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid Coming this Fall

Toyota officially placed the arrival of the all-new 2012 Camry sedan and its hybrid sibling (2010/2011 Camry pictured above) in the U.S. market for this fall during the company’s annual national dealer meeting which took place on Wednesday in Las Vegas.

The Japanese company said that the next generation of its best-selling model will move away from the conservative designs of the past.

“Designed to meet the changing needs of the 21st Century driver, the new Camry will provide technologically advanced features, a contemporary design inside and out, improved performance and refined ride and handling,” Toyota said in a press statement.

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Scion Releases Pricing on 2012 xB, Unsurprisingly it gets New Audio Systems

When Scion announces a new model year change for one of its vehicles, more often than not, it concerns an upgraded audio system and nothing much else. That’s the case with the 2012MY xB which enters the new model year with a standard AM/FM/CD/HD/USB 160-watt maximum output Pioneer audio system, which includes HD Radio technology and Bluetooth connectivity allowing for both hands-free phone connection and streaming audio capability. Read more »

Scion Introduces Updated 2012 tC and New tC RS 7.0

It’s only been eight months in the market but Scion has already announced a 2012 model year version of its latest tC sports coupe. Leaving aside the equipment upgrades for the basic model, the most important news for the 2012MY is the launch of the first release series for the second-generation tC sports coupe. Read more »

Scion’s People Talk About the FR-S Concept Coupe

While Toyota’s European engineers are putting the final touches on the production version of the FT-86, here in North America, the Japanese company’s Scion brand is trying to keep the hype going around the FR-S concept car, which debuted at the New York International Auto Show in April.

Scion released two new videos on the its upcoming rear-wheel drive sports car hosted by Ken Gushi, a resident Scion Racing driver who currently pilots a 2009 tC in the Formula Drift series, and Jack Hollis, the Japanese firm’s Vice President.

The two men talk about the FR-S and how it came to be. You can watch the clips by following the jump below.

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Toyota Sees North American Production Returning to 100% in September

Toyota on Thursday revised an earlier forecast predicting that North American production would return to 100 percent towards the end of the year with the company now stating that it expects normal output levels to be achieved in September.

Following the problems that arose after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Toyota and its suppliers ramped up their efforts and as a result, eight of the company’s 12 North American-built models returned to 100 percent production on June 6.

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VIDEO: Toyota FT-86 Freshly Spied at the Nurburgring Race Track

If anything else, spy photographers have their work cut out with the new Toyota FT-86 sports coupe. As we are nearing closer to the launch of the production model, the Japanese automaker has increased its presence at the Nordschleife circuit in Germany to fine tune the chassis and mechanical hardware, with this latest scoop video showing a camouflaged prototype in action. Read more »

New Toyota FT-86 / Scion FR-S Sports Coupe Scooped on Video

By now, you have probably already seen our spy shots of the kitted-out Toyota FT-86 prototype with the Supra-like rear wing, which was snagged during testing in Germany, but one scoopster managed to film the sports car on the road as well.

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Poll: What’s Your Favourite Toyota FT-86 Concept?

Toyota’s FT-86 sports coupe has to be one of the most hotly anticipated cars of the last ten years. A sporty, lightweight, front-engined and rear-wheel-drive spiritual successor to the legendary AE86, brought to you by the same company that built the Celica, MR2 and Supra? Yes, please!

So far, we’ve had three iterations of the “AE86 Nouveau”. First, there’s the original, scene stealing Toyota FT-86 Concept from the2009 Tokyo Motor Show. Then there’s the much derided FT-86 II Concept from Geneva 2011. And lastly, there’s the Ferrari-emulating Scion FR-S that took the 2011 New York Auto Show by storm.

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VIDEO: Scion Walks us Around the New FR-S Sports Coupe Concept

Toyota’s North American subsidiary, Scion, surprised us today at the opening of the 2011 New York Auto Show with the world premiere of its new FR-S sports coupe concept. We say ‘surprised’ not because we weren’t expecting a Scion-badged Toyota FT-86 to make its appearance in the Big Apple, but because of its refined design that made us forget about the FT-86 II concept we saw less than two months ago at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Read more »

2011 NYIAS: New Scion FR-S Concept Brings Sexy Back to the FT-86

The most hotly anticipated model of the New York Auto Show, Scion’s version of the Toyota FT-86 sports coupe concept, finally made its world premiere today. The study is named FR-S, which stands for ‘Front-Engine, Rear-wheel drive, Sport’, though we prefer the definition given by Jack Hollis, Scion vice president, during the New York Show presentation.

“FR-S stands for Front-engine… Rear-wheel drive… Sport. Pretty simple. I personally believe it should stand for Friggin’ Really Sweet… but the legal department at Toyota was NOT feeling the same way,” said Hollis.

The first thing most readers will notice about the FR-S is the refined design compared to the latest concept version of the Toyota FT-86, shown in Geneva this past March. Though it’s hard to pinpoint all the changes without having the cars side by side, the photos reveal a tweaked front end with revamped headlamps and a different bumper design without the aftermarket like add-on LED strips.

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Scion FR-S Concept: First Photos of U.S. Market Toyota FT-86 Leak Online

Anticipation is running so high for Scion’s version of the Toyota FT-86 sports coupe that some couldn’t wait for the official reveal of the FR-S later today at the New York Auto Show, and dropped the first pictures of the car onto the web.

From what we can tell from these two photos, the Japanese automaker has changed the design again with the FR-S sporting a new front bumper that does away with the Geneva Show FT-86 II’s aftermarket-like LED strips, while also featuring a different rear bumper and diffuser, as well as more pronounced rear fenders. The gaudy side vents are also gone while the study is equipped with different exterior mirrors.

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Breaking: Scion Teases FT-86 II Concept RWD Coupe Prior to NY Show Debut

Toyota has been teasing us with its upcoming compact rear-wheel drive sports car since the original FT-86 concept at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, which was followed up by the FT-86 G Sports study a year later at the same show, and more recently, by the almost production-ready FT-86 II concept in Geneva. Now it’s time to get our first glimpse of the North American version of the FT-86 that will be marketed under the Scion brand.

Even though the Japanese firm’s North American subsidiary only makes word of a new Scion Concept to be revealed at the New York International Auto Show on April 20, 2011, without giving any further details, the car shadowed in the teaser video below leaves few doubts that the model in question is the FT-86.

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Toyota Reduces North American Production Due to Lack of Parts from Japan

The devastating consequences of the March 11 Japan earthquake and tsunami on the country’s auto industry continue to unfold. Today, Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it will reduce its North American production because of the lack of parts. The Japanese auto giant said that over the next few weeks, its American vehicle plants will operate on a reduced schedule, with production suspended on April 15, 18, 21*, 22, and 25. The same goes for most of the company’s North American engine and component plants that will follow a similar schedule.

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Price Increases for Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the U.S.

The Toyota group has announced price increases for most 2011MY cars, SUVs and trucks it sells under the Toyota, Scion and Lexus brands. These increases will be applicable for cars produced from May onwards. The only models that will keep the same prices are the Tacoma pickup truck, Yaris sedan, Scion tC, Scion xB, Lexus CT 200h and Lexus LFA.

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Source Code: Toyota Fights to Limit ECU Code Viewing in Legal Battle

Could Toyota's source code hold the answer to its sudden acceleration problems? Possibly, and it's currently working with attorneys to smooth out how this code will be analyzed in its ongoing unintended acceleration legal woes.

For those of you too fried to remember, Toyota had a bit of a flub a couple years ago regarding unintended acceleration in some of its vehicles; the problems were originally blamed on floor mats, poorly designed pedals, and driver error.

Currently, plaintiffs and their attorneys are still fighting for a proper explanation and compensation even though "the [U.S.] government's comprehensive review of Toyota's source code found no electronic causes of [unintended acceleration] in Toyota vehicles."

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LA Show 2010: Scion Unveils New xB RS 8.0 Special

If there's one thing we can be sure to see at U.S. motor shows it's a limited production version of a Scion model. For the 2010 LA Show, Toyota's small car division has readied the 2011 xB Release Series 8.0 that will begin arriving in dealerships later this month.
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2011 Scion tC Coupe Tuning Galore: Five Projects Heading to SEMA Show

Highlighting Scion's presence at next week's SEMA Show will be five customized examples of the Japanese firm's all-new 2011 tC Coupe. When it leaves the factory, the tC is motivated by a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine pushing out 185-horsepower.

As you'd expect, most tuners chose the turbocharging route to increase the tC's performance under the hood, with GReddy being the only company to announce output figures (340hp and 325 lb-ft of peak torque). Scroll down for photos and full details (in the spec sheets) for all five tCs.

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Scion has Humor: All-Stretched out Cartel xB Limo

With the annual SEMA Show near the world's most famous Strip almost upon us (November 2 to 5), automakers and tuners alike are rushing in to give us an early preview of their custom proposals. The most recent case-in-point: the "All Stretched Out Cartel xB".

The name says it all, but just to clarify, Cartel [King] is the nickname of one of the tuners involved in the creation of the VIP themed, super-long Scion xB, Jeremy Lookofsky. Though, we could see this customized xB being a hit with certain other cartels... Gallery after the jump.

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