Scion Deathwatch: 2011 Scion TC Design Inspiration Discovered
I’m in that odd camp of being both a Scion owner and a Scion hater. It has to do with their gen2 replacement models, which all arrive with a death wish. My scathing review/styling analysis of the gen2 xB launched a whole genre of reviews comparing it to various greasy foods. The current xD escaped my wrath; I just couldn’t be bothered. And both the current xB and xD are selling at one-third the level of their predecessors: the gen 1 xB sold at about a 5k/month clip in 2005-2006; the current xB is down to about 1700/month. The xD has dropped similarly from 2400/mo (xA) to 800/mo. And now it’s the tC’s turn.
All right, it’s a bit of a stretch. But that’s what comes to mind when I see that up swept C-pillar on the new tC, as well as its high belt line. As well as just the general boredom of it. The generic front end reminds me of so many cars from the late nineties, I can’t even put my finger on it. The interior looks equally uninspired, and hard as a rock. Why not call it what it is: a Corolla Coupe? I predict right here and now that the new tC will substantially undersell its predecessor.
And so what does Scion have in mind to keep/get its sales volumes up? How a bout a five-door variant of the tC? In a story at Ward’s, Scion VP Jack Hollis says that a 5-door is “possible”, explaining that Toyota’s MC platforms, which also underpins the Avensis and Lexus 250h, comes in sedan, hatch and wagon styles in Europe. Bring them on! It’s just what the youth of America is waiting for!
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For whatever reason, Toyota seems unable to design good-looking cars. Inside and outside. Maybe they have only engineers and no designers. Yeah, that must be it. Engineers care more about the functionality, not about how it looks. It's hard to find more practical cars than Toyotas.
If the iQ manages to have an instrument panel placed in front of the driver, as opposed to the center-mounted instruments of the Yaris, it will be much more pleasant to drive than a Yaris. And hopefully, Toyota will leave the 3-cylinder version of the iQ in Japan and Europe and just give North America the 4-cylinder version. I suppose that some buyers will cross-shop the iQ and the Yaris, but I really think they're going after 2 different segments. Yaris buyers are probably more concerned with a low purchase price and low operating expenses. iQ buyers, not so much, although they don't dislike those qualities. With the iQ it's not about price. The iQ will appeal to urban buyers looking for something hip and trendy that is easy to drive and park in cities. Those are the types of buyers Smart hoped to snag, but they were put off by the Smart's under-powered 3-cylinder engine, weird transmission, awkward ride and handling and tales of unreliability (transmission, electrical, fuel injection, rattles). The iQ will probably also be purchased by buyers who are older and more well-to-do than Yaris buyers. (Not the demographic that Scion says they are going after, but a sale's a sale.)