2008 Scion Tc 5 Speed Manual 2-door Hatchback on 2040-cars

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2016 Scion FR-S gets slight price increase, updates

Scion has bumped up the starting price of its rear-drive FR-S for the 2016 model year, although as the manufacturer tells it, an improved interior and more standard equipment makes the extra cost easier to bear. The FR-S with the six-speed manual has gone from $24,900 to $25,305, while the automatic's former $26,000 entry price has received an identical $405 bump. Those prices do not include a $770 destination charge. Offsetting the price increase is a new audio interface with a standard seven-inch touchscreen display and integrated rear-view camera. Scion's designers also touched up the cabin, adding bright silver accents throughout, while the customers can opt for two new exterior finishes. There's a blue named Oceanic, and a new red, called Ablaze, which you can see in the gallery. Check out the gallery up top, and then scroll down for the full press release. Related Video: New Style, Safety, Sounds and Sales Price For 2016 Scion FR-S April 30, 2015 TORRANCE, Calif. (April 30, 2015) – Scion's FR-S performance sports coupe is getting its style on for the 2016 model year. With interior improvements, two new colors, a new standard audio system and a rear-view back up camera, the next FR-S also sports a new price. The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the six-speed manual transmission FR-S is $25,305 while the six-speed sequential automatic transmission with paddle shifters and Dynamic Rev Management technology is $26,405. This price excludes the destination, processing and handling (DPH) fee of $770. The 2016 FR-S has a new premium feel with bright silver interior accents on the steering wheel bezel, shift bezel, door grip, and along the sides of the center console. Also inside the FR-S is a new standard audio system with a large 7-inch touch-screen display and voice recognition technology. For added safety, comfort and convenience, a rear-view backup camera has been integrated into the FR-S, as well. Adding to the new look, two new colors will be available with a new red called Ablaze and a new blue called Oceanic. The 2016 FR-S will be available in dealerships beginning in June.

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.

Incrementally better than ever | 2017 Toyota 86 First Drive

We'd love to tell you that the incremental upgrades bestowed upon Toyota's rear-wheel-drive coupe as it made its transition from Scion FR-S to Toyota 86 have transformed it into a perfect sportscar. If only a few more horsepower, shorter rear-end gearing, and tiny aero updates were enough to quell all the complaints that enthusiasts have leveled at the machine since the platform first hit the road in 2012, this review would have been so much more satisfying to write. Sadly, that's not the case. Don't get us wrong. The 86 is still extremely fun to toss around a twisty road. The chassis is impressively balanced, the steering is direct, and the shifter is sweet. Sorry to impart upon you this well-worn trope, but the old adage that it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow is, in this case, completely accurate. The 2017 Toyota 86 is nothing if not entertaining. But it's not completely new. It hasn't been transformed. It is, in the end, the same as it ever was. It will take about three minutes of your time to watch the videos below, in which we cover pretty much everything that's new for the 2017 Toyota 86. Toyota 86s equipped with manual transmissions get a five-pony boost to 205 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque. Automatic models soldier forth with a carryover 2.0-liter four-cylinder that puts out 200 hp and 151 lb-ft. Apparently, more than half of Scion FR-S buyers chose the automatic. That's unfortunate, as it drains a good deal of the fun out of the 86 experience. Choose the manual and you'll be rewarded with an easy clutch and a rewarding short-throw shifter. And, as we said, five more ponies, courtesy of intake and exhaust tweaks and the polishing of some internal engine components. The only upside to the automatic is improved fuel economy of 24 miles per gallon in the city and 32 on the highway. Manual 86s are EPA-rated at 21/28. Along with the small bump in power, the 2017 86 gets a 4.3:1 rear-end gear ratio in lieu of the old 4.1:1 unit. That ought to translate into a small improvement in acceleration that really only matters on paper. In the real world, on actual roads, the difference is negligible. To eke the most out of the 86, you have to constantly work the shifter and keep the engine north of 5,000 rpm. It's still not particularly quick, but it's definitely fun. There's plenty of noise inside the 86, from the wind, the road, and the engine.