Scion Xb 2009, Automatic, Gray, Runs Great! Top Safety & Crash Rating. Love It on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 Scion tC with updated styling priced from $19,210*

Scion has released pricing information for a number of models, the most important of which being the updated 2014 tC that debuted at the New York Auto Show in March. The cost of entry for the tweaked coupe is now $19,210 with the standard manual transmission, or $20,210 if you'd rather the car did the shift-work for you (*both prices exclude the $755 destination charge). These numbers represent an increase of $485 versus the 2013 model with either transmission.
We have yet to drive the refreshed tC, but Scion says it ought to provide a much more engaging experience from behind the wheel. Automatic-equipped models now enjoy faster shift times with dynamic rev matching, and regardless of transmission, the tC is said to have improved handling dynamics thanks to reworked shock absorbers, stabilizer bar hardware modifications and retuned electric power steering.
In addition to the obvious re-schnozzing of the tC, other updates for the 2014 model year include a new standard auto display, featuring a 6.1-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, HD radio and steering wheel-mounted controls.

Aston CEO claims Cygnet cancelled because Toyota is dropping iQ in 2014

While slow sales and a $50,000 price tag may have been contributing factors to the Aston Martin Cygnet being cancelled last month, Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez is pointing the finger at Toyota for the demise of this luxurious little city car. In a discussion with Autocar, Bez is quoted as saying that the ultimate reason the Cygnet was cut is because Toyota plans on dropping the iQ (on which the Cygnet is based) in 2014 - a claim denied by the Japanese automaker.
Interestingly, the article also cites another publication reporting that a Toyota importer in the Netherlands heard the same news as Bez, and it has already stopped importing the cars. If the European Toyota iQ is cancelled, that would likely spell the end of the slow-selling Scion iQ in the US, which has sold just 3,365 units through September (a drop of 51 percent year over year).
Regardless of why production of the Cygnet ended, Bez also says that a lack of support from Toyota on the project prevented it from being offered in the US or receiving a supercharged engine, which are two factors that likely would have made the car appealing to more buyers.

Toyota to offer sedan version of GT 86?

Sources in Australia are reporting that we'll be seeing a small, rear-drive sedan from Toyota, based on the GT 86/Scion FR-S. Yes, a convertible variant is still in limbo, but a four-door sedan is in the works. It's unclear if the rumored GT 86 sedan would spawn Scion and Subaru variants (it's hard to cross all ten fingers while you type, but we're having a go).
Working with remarks made by the car's chief engineer Tetsuya Tada in his blog and a rendering from Japanese magazine Holiday Auto, the Australian site Motoring is claiming that the new model's wheelbase will grow about four inches over the current GT 86's 101.2-inch wheelbase.
Besides the larger overall space between the axles, the sedan will offer a more potent engine option over the current 2.0-liter, flat-four. Promising 268 horsepower, which is a big jump over the current car's 200 ponies, the new powertrain will be derived from the Hybrid R setup, shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show. If, like us, you're reaching for the salt, and we don't blame you.