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Toyota preparing Scion-badged Nissan Juke fighter

As we've said on multiple occasions, the sub-compact crossover market is The Next Big Thing™. With that in mind, Toyota's lack of a competitor to the new breed of super-small, super-cute crossovers like the Nissan Juke, Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, and Jeep Renegade has been especially glaring. But as these photos show, the hole in the Japanese giant's lineup could soon be filled. Our spies captured this heavily disguised prototype testing in the deserts of the American southwest, signaling that Toyota is preparing to wade into the Nissan Juke's space by offering a tiny, but very heavily styled crossover of its own. Our spy photographers call the cute ute's look "aggressive," citing inspiration from the Toyota C-HR concept from the 2014 Paris Motor Show. Based on the meaty wheels and tires and what we can see through the camo, we're inclined to agree with their assessment. Underneath that sheet metal, we're told the new car rides on Toyota's new NGA platform. Like the Juke, a four-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission will be on offer, although there's no telling whether Toyota will follow its rival's enthusiast beat and offer a six-speed manual version. What we find most interesting about all of this conjecture, though, is what it means for Scion, rather than its parent. Introducing a small crossover is the next logical step for Toyota's troubled sub-brand, and would serve as a delectable followup to the recently released iA sedan and iM hatch. Such a three-model lineup, when combined with the enthusiast-oriented FR-S, would transform Scion into a force to be reckoned with in the entry level space. Supporting this conjecture isn't too hard, either. As the spy photos show, this camo'd tester is being supported by a xB, the closest thing Scion (or its parent company, for that matter) have to a sub-compact CUV. It's unclear just when this new model will make its debut, but if Toyota hopes to make inroads into this popular new segment, this CUV will need to arrive before its extremely competent rivals can establish a solid foothold. Related Video:

Dubai claims debut of Toyota GT86 sedan concept

Typically, when the organizers of an auto show reveal that a new car will debut at their show, we take notice. But this particular claim from the Dubai International Motor Show ought to be taken with a grain of salt.
As our compatriots at AutoGuide discovered, the Facebook page for the Emirates auto expo includes a post with an interesting claim: that a sedan based on the Toyota GT86 (known in the US as the Scion FR-S) will debut at the show. The Facebook post is accompanied by the image above, purporting to show the concept in question.
The strange part is that the organizers claim the four-door GT86 concept will make its "regional unveil" at the Dubai show, which would seem to indicate that the concept in question would make its international debut at an earlier show. Considering that the doors open in Dubai on Tuesday, that seems increasingly unlikely. All of this begs the question, If this isn't actually a four-door GT86, what might it be?

2013 Scion FR-S

The New Poster Child For Cheap Thrills
Let me tell you about a man named Larry. Larry works for a company called STI Fleet Services, one of a few companies that are responsible for the cleaning, prepping, maintaining, scheduling, delivering and picking up of the cars we test on a weekly basis, not to mention a whole slew of other duties. STI and its competitors are the silent heroes of this whole automotive journalism biz. Larry is one of the guys responsible for a lot of the grunt work - he's been delivering cars to me for nearly seven years now, and because of that, we've developed a bit of a rapport. Now that I think about it, my history with Larry goes back farther than several of my friendships, as well as every romantic relationship I've ever had... combined.
With that much history behind us, Larry knows my taste in cars pretty well. And even though he doesn't voice his own opinions about what's being delivered to me, Larry silently knows when he's about to hand me keys to something truly special. When Larry arrived at my door with a bright red 2013 Scion FR-S, I tried to play it cool. But Larry knows me better than that.