Spy Shots: A New Scion Sedan?
Many automotive companies test cars and components for resistance to radio frequency interference not far from where I live in suburban Detroit. There are a number of radio and television broadcast antennas in the area, so it’s not uncommon to see camouflaged preproduction cars driving in the neighborhood or parked in the shadow of one of the radio or tv towers.
I was running over to my ex’s to give my younger daughter a ride to her teaching job, when I spotted this car. The driver was concerned about getting into trouble so I told him that I’d obscure his face, but I suppose he was a bit freaked out that I knew what he was doing there because he pulled away and drove around the corner. My first guess, based on the shape of the headlamp units is that it’s a sedan version of the Scion xD, which is currently sold here as a five-door (Toyota has a large R&D center in Ann Arbor and a technical center in Plymouth), though it doesn’t necessarily have to be a car intended for the U.S. continent.
Automotive suppliers with R&D facilities in southeastern Michigan will sometimes test foreign market cars in the same neighborhood. What do you think it is?
Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, the original 3D car site.
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- Joe This is called a man in the middle attack and has been around for years. You can fall for this in a Starbucks as easily as when you’re charging your car. Nothing new here…
- AZFelix Hilux technical, preferably with a swivel mount.
- ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
- ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
- ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
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(scratches head)... Now I'm not sure what it is, but then again it's not the kind of car I'd be interested in anyway
The yellow windshield labeling indicate it's a PD fleet car via Ford. The upper left or right labeling gives it away as Ford is the only OEM dumb enough to label a preproduction build to make their future product stand out further. In this case, it looks to be a TT build of some sort.