Visionz

Looking to bring zip to the brand, Scion will add the iQ small car in the fall of 2010.
Jack Hollis, vice president of the division, would say only that he's fighting for the car, which is slightly longer than the 105-inch Smart. But dealers say they have been told it's a done deal.
"Jack told us it's coming next September or October," said one large Toyota dealer who did not want to be identified.

Scion badly needs new product. The three it has -- the tC, xB and xD -- have lost luster in the marketplace. Scion's sales were down 57.8 percent through July. So far this year its halo nameplate, the boxy xB, has been outsold by its funky new rival, the Kia Soul, which went on sale in February.

Yoshi Inaba, who recently returned as president and COO of Toyota Motor North America Inc., recently told reporters that he intends to recharge the Scion brand.

"Scion is a good business model that will be valuable and viable in the future," Inaba said, "but for the business model to be successful, product freshness is key."

The iQ went on sale as a Toyota in Japan and Europe during the fourth quarter of 2008. It is 117.5 inches long and seats three adults and a child. It gets about 66 mpg. It was shown as a Scion concept at the New York auto show in April. The concept was powered by a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine.

In New York, "the interest was so high that it would be silly for us not to fight for it," Hollis said, "but the next-generation tC is our top priority now."

The tC, Scion's sporty coupe, has not had a major makeover since it was introduced in 2004.
Hollis said the tC will be redesigned in mid-2010, but he was mum about specifics. One person familiar with the redesign expects the coupe's current 2.4-liter, 161-hp engine to be replaced by a 2.7-liter four cylinder that could produce up to 200 hp. He also expects more aggressive styling.

Dawn Ahmed, corporate manager of Scion, said Scion customers are begging for more power: "The top two requests are a more performance-based sports car and ahybrid."

Hollis said Scion will continue with only one trim level of each nameplate and encourage shoppers to personalize their vehicles. He said the brand isn't likely to offer engines with more than four cylinders or to build models larger than subcompacts.

"An expansion of our product is a necessity," Hollis said. "To go beyond three is the plan, but we don't know the right number."

Read more: Scion dealers say tiny iQ is coming in 2010: AutoWeek Magazine

187sks

I like the way it looks but I doubt it's something I could comfortably drive.

I'm interested to see what the next tC will be like. A 2.7l I4 is pretty big, I'm guessing it'll have a pretty low redline.

Visionz

I bet the tC wont quite be at 200 horses, but close enough, like maybe 190. Those cars weigh a ton too.

ereeves116

I like the looks of that but no one holding his man card can get in that car, let alone own it. I actually really like the tC, i was toying with new cars i'd like to get. every guy my age has one but it's a beautiful car on the inside, and since that's where i spend most of my car time, interior is number one on my list.