Auto blog

Scion iA and iM get wide bodies and whitewalls... thanks, SEMA

Scion has a quartet of customized vehicles on the way to this week's SEMA show in Las Vegas, two iM hatchbacks tuned as part of its Annual Scion Tuner Challenge, two iA sedans whipped up by the brand's lifestyle partners. Streetwear brand Crooks & Castles went with the widebody style that Japanese tuners RWB have been grafting onto Porsches and Liberty Walk has been bolting onto exotics for a few years now. Underneath the punched-out flares there's an air suspension that'll put one of those custom mesh wheels in the air, while the iM's insides are draped in black-and-white leather. Fellow streetwear brand illest worked up another iM in the manner of Japanese VIP cars, with 19-inch wheels outside and suede and leather inside. In the other corner, Eddie Huang, he of the TV show Fresh Off the Boat, took the lowrider route with his iA. The Scion boasts a mural-emblazoned metallic yellow paint job and root beer accents, chain-link steering wheel, and gold-dipped wire wheels and grille. Skybound Entertainment, the entertainment company that brings shows like The Walking Dead to life, forsook zombies for demons with its iA, cued off the theme of graphic novelist Robert Kirkman's latest book Outcast. You can read more about all four cars below, and we'll have live images from the SEMA floor soon. SCION SHOWCASES FASHION AND PASSION TORRANCE, Calif. (Oct. 29, 2015) – Creative visions of the Scion iM 5-door hatchback and Scion iA sedan are ready for Las Vegas lights. The cars were previewed in the downtown Los Angeles' Arts District ahead of their debut at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Nov. 3-6. For the 11th Annual Scion Tuner Challenge, remixed versions of the all-new sporty 2016 iM 5-door hatchback were created by prominent streetwear brands illest and Crooks & Castles. Each received a Scion iM and a $15,000 build budget to put a unique spin on the car. Mark Arcenal, creative director of illest, drew inspiration for his iM concept from the Japanese VIP world, a clear departure from the race-inspired tC he built at the 2008 Scion Tuner Challenge. "With a background in motorsports, I went with familiarity for my previous Scion Tuner Challenge experience. I wanted to push the boundaries even further this time," Arcenal said.

2016 Scion iM is the return of the Corolla Wagon

If you were expecting the Scion iM Concept to magically leap into production unchanged, well, you're a lot more optimistic than most. Predictably, Scion has toned down the production iM, revealing a vehicle at the 2015 New York Auto Show that's is only slightly spicier than the Toyota Auris on which it's based. Gone are the swollen wheel arches and center-exit exhaust of the concept, but the production version is still a handsome five-door hatchback. Compared the Euro-market Auris, first seen in 2012, the iM gets a more aggressive front end treatment. The angular grille and larger lower intakes and grilles are home to hexagonal inserts and gloss-black accents. Fitting with Scion's single-spec single-price sales model, 17-inch wheels come standard. The alloys are are wrapped in low-profile tires, which Scion describes as "fat." Flared side skirts run into the rear bumper, which sits well below a prominent set of taillights and a smallish rear window. The iM's sole engine is a 1.8-liter gas-powered four-cylinder. If that sounds familiar, it's because it's the same 2ZR-FAE engine found in the Corolla Eco model, and features continuously-variable valve timing and lift. With 137 horsepower, the iM cedes 3 ponies to its Toyota sibling, although we don't know if the torque figures are the same. Fuel economy, estimated at 37 mpg highway, is actually 2 mpg better than the Corolla Eco. Again, like the Corolla, the iM can be had with a continuously variable transmission. But fans of fun can enjoy a good ole' six-speed manual, something not available in the Corolla's hotter engine. As for the CVT, Scion claims it's been "sport-tuned for driving." The so-called CVTi-S features both a Sport mode – more aggressive transmission behavior and a more sporting steering sensation – and a manual setting with seven stepped shift points. The 2016 iM is expected to start at around $20,000, making it a potential challenger for the likes of the Ford Focus, Mazda3, Subaru Impreza and Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen. Deliveries should start this fall. Check back tomorrow for more details, as well as a full set of live photos. Until then, scroll down for the official press release.

Scion reveals iM concept ahead of LA debut

After dropping a teaser image on us a few weeks ago, Scion has revealed in full the new iM Concept it's bringing to the Los Angeles Auto Show next week. As expected, the concept is clearly a rebadged version of the Euro-market Toyota Auris, only with some "European Racing Circuit Styling" upgrades to make it look more aggressive.
Along with the Scion logos, the five-door hatch is treated to a deeper air dam flanked by angular vents with stacked fog lamps, beefed-up wheel arches linked by widened side sills and filled with 19-inch, anthracite-finish alloys on low-profile rubber. Vented brake discs and four-piston calipers join an adjustable suspension as show-worthy equipment upgrades.
The sporty treatment continues around back with a similarly aggressive rear bumper and roof spoiler. Even the wing mirrors are replaced with narrower units. Little wonder it's all done up in a shade Scion calls "incrediblue" that looks rather similar to what sister-brand Lexus would put on one of its F-branded performance models - or for that matter what corporate ally Subaru would put on an STI hot hatches like the WRX.