Our friends at Drive recently had the chance to get behind the new Toyota GT 86 sports coupe. Lead man Chris Harris gives us his take on the new rear-wheel-drive coupe from the Japanese automaker in the 30 minutes he had with the car on the track.

Check out the video after the jump.

Click here for our original post on the 2013 Scion FR-S.

Refresher: Power for the Scion FR-S / Toyota GT 86 comes from a 2.0 liter naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder horizontally opposed engine with Toyota’s D-4S injection system. The engine makes 200-hp at 7,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 151 lb-ft at 6,600 rpm. Its mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic. Sales of the 2013 Scion FR-S will start in the spring of 2012.

- By: Omar Rana

While putting together the commercial for the new 2013 Scion FR-S in Northern California, Scion Racing’s Ken Gushi, official stunt driver for the shoot, had a very close encounter with a deer on some mountain roads.

Fortunately, Ken and the deer were unharmed during the making of the commercial.

Click here for our original post on the 2013 Scion FR-S.

Check out the footage after the jump.

Refresher: Power for the Scion FR-S comes from a 2.0 liter naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder horizontally opposed engine with Toyota’s D-4S injection system. The engine makes 200-hp at 7,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 151 lb-ft at 6,600 rpm. Its mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic. Sales of the 2013 Scion FR-S will start in the spring of 2012.

- By: Omar Rana

Considering that Toyota’s latest collaboration with Subaru, the FT-86 (also coined Toyobaru), is upping the ante in the market of affordable sports cars, it’s not unreasonable to think that aftermarket-tuning companies are hard at work to prepare for the FT-86 tuning crowd.

And to pose as a small teaser for their work in progress, aftermarket tuner HKS has just released a video of the first attempt at putting the new Toyobaru on a dynamometer to see how powerful the car really is from the factory.

The result: 170 rear-wheel horsepower. Sure, that’s not the 200 crank horsepower that Toyota and Subaru announced at the unveiling of the FT-86, and the brands themselves recognize that themselves. They announced that there’s roughly a 15% drivetrain loss.

Check out the video after the jump.

- By: Chris Chin

Source: FT-86 Club

In a way that might almost make the cars collectibles before they have come out, Toyota/Scion offered up the first 86 Scion FR-Ss in a unique online contest with GReddy. Those interested in purchasing the new Subaru/Toyota sports car signed up in an eight hour and six minute window at www.ScionFirst86.com.

Out of the multitudes, 86 will be allowed to pay $500 to reserve their copies at their local Scion dealers. If you ask me, this is a clever way to capture enthusiasts for a brand that at least initially was about enthusiasts and customization.

Click here for our original post on the 2013 Scion FR-S.

Refresher: Power for the Scion FR-S comes from a 2.0 liter naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder horizontally opposed engine with Toyota’s D-4S injection system. The engine makes 200-hp at 7,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 151 lb-ft at 6,600 rpm. Its mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic. Sales of the 2013 Scion FR-S will start in the spring of 2012.

- By: Sawyer Sutton

As Toyota gets ready to come back to the market with a new rear-wheel-drive sports coupe – the Toyota GT 86 and the Scion FR-S – the company is looking back at its roots with a new promotional video showing the new GT-86/FR-S driving next to the S800.

Click here for our original post on the Toyota GT 86.

Introduced in Japan in 1965, the S800 was a targa-top sports car with a small 0.8 liter 2-cylinder engine making an outstanding 45-hp. Top speed came in at 100 mph. Toyota only built 3,131 units of the S80 between 1965 and 1969.

The Toyota GT 86 and Scion FR-S will hit the market next year.

Refresher: Power for the Toyota GT 86 comes from a 2.0 liter 4-clyinder boxer engine making 197-hp at 7,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 151 lb-ft at 6,600 rpm. The engine is mated standard to a 6-speed manual transmission with an available 6-speed automatic. The Toyota GT 86 will go on sale in the United States next year as the Scion FR-S.

- By: Omar Rana

Can the Scion FR-S drift? Pro drifter Ken Gushi answers the question along with a lot of handbrake and a lot of wet track.

Check out the video after the jump.

Click here for our original post on the 2013 Scion FR-S.

Refresher: Power for the Scion FR-S comes from a 2.0 liter naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder horizontally opposed engine with Toyota’s D-4S injection system. The engine makes 200-hp at 7,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 151 lb-ft at 6,600 rpm. Its mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic. Sales of the 2013 Scion FR-S will start in the spring of 2012.

- By: Omar Rana

As Subaru suggested at the LA Auto Show, there is room in this world for a even quicker version of the sub-3,000 lb rear-wheel-drive Subaru/Toyota sportscar and Toyota has announced that it plans on making even quicker versions of the GT 86.

Toyota’s chief engineer, Tetsuo Tada suggested some supercharging may happen, which makes sense if we look at the traditional Toyota Racing Development (TRD) parts bin. In the past TRD has thrown superchargers at the Tacoma/Hilux and Tundra, so it makes sense for this new sports car to get a supercharger. No official word is out on power upgrades, but speculation suggests 50 horses added to the existing 197 bhp mill from Subaru.

Toyota has suggested though that they are significantly beefing up the suspension of the GT 86, which means that a bigger upgrade could be in the works. In the past, the 233 bhp motor in the Tacoma has been cranked up to 301bhp, so this means that the quick version of the Scion FR-S, as it’s known in the ‘states, could fight the Nissan 370Z with 60 coming in under five seconds and a top speed of over 150 miles per hour. This might not be the next Supra, but Toyota, have made sure that the car drifts properly, a first for the company.

Click here for our original post on the Toyota GT 86.

As with the Subaru version, there is no word on when the quick version will happen. In Toyota’s case, it is unclear whether the TRD version will be its own trim level or available as an aftermarket package.

Refresher: Power for the Toyota GT 86 comes from a 2.0 liter 4-clyinder boxer engine making 197-hp at 7,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 151 lb-ft at 6,600 rpm. The engine is mated standard to a 6-speed manual transmission with an available 6-speed automatic. The Toyota GT 86 will go on sale in the United States next year as the Scion FR-S.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoCar

“Tonight will go down in history as not only the night when Scion introduced its fifth car, but more importantly…as the night Scion brought the ‘SPORT’ back to the ‘Car,’” said said Jack Hollis, Scion vice president. “A car that is truly made for the people in this room.”

Inspired by the AE86 and basically a rebadged version of the Toyota GT 86, the Scion FR-S (along with the BRZ and GT 86) features a compact, flat-shapped engine that is mounted mid-ship and extremely low, giving the car a favorable front-to-rear weight ratio of 53:47.

Click here for more news on the Scion FR-S.

Power comes from a 2.0 liter naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder horizontally opposed engine with Toyota’s D-4S injection system. Output comes in at 200-hp at 7,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 151 lb-ft at 6,600 rpm. The engine is mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic. The manual gearbox allows precise shifting with a short-throw while the automatic features sporty rev-matched down shifts with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Sales of the 2013 Scion FR-S will start in the spring of 2012. Prices will be announced closer to launch date.

Hit the jump for the complete list of specs.

Scion FR-S Preliminary Specifications

- By: Omar Rana

Lucky for you, we’ve put together a list of 37 brand new vehicles that will be hitting U.S. roads next year (some might start showing up a little earlier). Our list consists of brand-new models that have never before seen the light of day on planet Earth (or the United States); vehicles that have been on a hiatus for quite some time and are finally making their comeback to the United States; or vehicles that are a brand new variant addition to an existing model (ex: BMW 5-Series ActiveHybrid).

So kick back and check out the list by viewing the gallery above or simply hitting the jump for the full list.

Note: Only vehicles that have been officially confirmed by the automaker made the list. The list does not contain any vehicles that have been rumored to show up in 2012.

37 Brand New Vehicles You’ll See in 2012 (Alphabetical Order):

• Audi RS5
• Buick Verano
• BMW ActiveHybrid 5
• Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
• Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible
• Chevrolet Malibu Eco
• Chevrolet Sonic
• Chevrolet Spark
• Dodge Caliber (Compact Car)
• Dodge Viper
• Ferrari 458 Spider
• Fiat 500 Convertible
• Fisker Karma
• Ford Focus EV
• Ford Focus ST
• Ford C-MAX Hybrid
• Ford C-MAX Energi
• Hyundai Veloster
• Infiniti JX
• Infiniti M35h Hybrid
• Mazda CX-5
• Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series
• Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster
• Mini Coupe
• Mitsubishi i
• Pagani Huayra
• Range Rover Evoque
• Saab 9-4X
• Scion FR-S
• Scion iQ
• Subaru BRZ
• Subaru XV
• Tesla Model S
• Toyota Prius C
• Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid
• Toyota Prius V
• Volkswagen Golf R

- By: Omar Rana

A juror of 50 U.S. and Canadian journalists will pick the winner that will be announced at the 2012 Detroit AUto Show in January. Vehicles need to be new or “modified to change their nature” in order to be considered.

For 2011, the North American Car of the Year went to the Chevrolet Volt while the 2011 Ford Explorer took the North American Truck of the Year award.

Hit the jump for the full list of nominees or circle through our high-res gallery.

2012 North American Car of the Year Nominees:

Audi A6
Audi A7
Buick Verano
Chevrolet Sonic
Chrysler 300 (includes SRT8)
Fiat 500
Ford Focus
Hyundai Accent
Hyundai Elantra
Hyundai Veloster
Kia Rio/Rio5
Scion iQ
Subaru Impreza
Toyota Camry
Toyota Prius V
Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Passat

2012 North American Truck Of The Year Nominees:

BMW X3
Honda CR-V
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
Mini Countryman
Nissan Quest
Saab 9-4X

The 2012 xD Release Series 4.0 (xD RS 4.0) is available exclusively in a premium Blizzard Pearl exterior paint and rides on 16-inch alloy wheels that are finished in a smoked platinum color. The interior gets color-tuned trim pieces on the center console, steering wheel and door panels. The seats are also wrapped in a distinctively patterned soft-touch material and get white stitching. Of course you get some special floor mates and cargo mats with the RS logo and an individually numbered badge. Prices for the 2012 xD RS 4.0 start at $16,250 with a manual and $17,050 with an automatic.

The 2012 xB Release Series 9.0 comes exclusively in a Hot Lava exterior with a honeycomb patterned lower grille that cleverly incorporates the ‘SCION’ name. A cool feature is the illumination of the Scion badges on the front and back upon remotely locking or unlocking the doors. Inside, the xB RS 9.0 gets perforated synthetic suede front and rear seat covers that feature the Scion logo and Hot Lava color-tuned highlights.

Scion will only build 1,500 units of the xB RS 9.0 with prices starting at $18,110 for the manual and $19,060 for the automatic.

Separately, Scion said that all 2012 Scion models will come standard with a new Pioneer audio system that features Bluetooth hands-free, Bluetooth streaming audio and HD Radio technology.

- By: Omar Rana

The world debut of the new 2012 Toyota Camry marks a big point for Toyota Motor Corp. and their future. Because the brand has lost a significant amount of sales to rivals like Hyundai, ToMoCo wants to fight back…hard.

“They (Toyota) have been given a black eye over the past three years for different things, some beyond their control and some that showed kinks in their armor,” said Ed Kim, an industry analyst for AutoPacific Inc., referring to events such as the economic recession, recalls and the Japanese earthquake in March.

At its global launch, ToMoCo went above and beyond with the new 2012 Camry with PR events taking place all over the US, one of which took place at Hollywood’s Paramount Studios in Los Angeles featuring a New York City-themed backdrop with over 200 actors, dancers and musicians.

“It really starts with the all-new Camry; Camry is the keystone of the brand,” said vice president of US sales for ToMoCo, Bob Carter. “Then the cadence comes faster than I’ve seen in 30 years with Toyota.”

To further elaborate on Toyota’s strike back, they also have some significant plans for their own lineup, Scion’s and Lexus’s lineup.

Starting with Toyota, the company will be launching their hybrid Prius v wagon, the plug-in Prius and the Prius c compact hybrid, an updated Tacoma, a battery-powered all-electric RAV4 and a revamped Yaris subcompact. Additionally, for the coming years, in 2013, the Avalon and the Highlander will get a redesign while the RAV4 will be all-new. In 2014, the Toyota Sequoia, Land Cruiser and Tundra will get a redesign. Lastly, in 215, the Toyota Corolla and Prius will be redesigned with the debut of the new FT-86.

Scion will see the new Toyota-based iQ city car and the new rear-wheel drive Toyobaru/Scion FR-S sports car. More details for Scion include a redesign for the xD in 2013 while for 2014, Scion’s A-BAT will make its debut as well.

As for Lexus, the IS and ES will receive redesigns in 2013, the LS will see a redesign in 2014 and the HS and RX will be redesigned for 2015 with the debut of the LF-A roadster.

So the next several years are shaping up to be very important for Toyota as they strive to catch up in sales.

- By: Chris Chin

Source: AutomotiveNews

The compact pickup truck segment has slowly been dying off. However, it seems Toyota may be working to reinvigorate the unique segment. Rumor has it with some photos bouncing around that Toyota may introduce a small-truck through the Scion brand for the 2014 model year.

It would most likely be based off of the 2008 Toyota Advanced Breakthrough Aero Truck Concept that debuted in 2008. Called the A-BAT for short, the concept featured a hybrid powertrain, one that’s similar to other hybrid powertrains currently offered.

However, the last report that we heard said that Toyota axed the idea due to market uncertainties. But just recently, Scion’s vice president Jack Hollis held onto his hope for the A-BAT and is reconsidering it for production.

“Scion is about innovation and doing things differently, Hollis said. “That’s why if we were ever to do something crazy, it would likely be more like a ‘Surprise Utility Vehicle’ rather than a basic pickup truck.”

- By: Chris Chin

Source: PickupTrucks.com

You can pretty much buy anything off of the Internet. Whether it’s a house, boat, car, or just a new TV, the Internet has become, amongst a number of things, a worldwide shopping mall. As a result, Toyota’s Scion division is talking about adopting Amazon.com-style online retailing tactics in order to appeal more to the brand’s youthful customer base.

The idea is that the buyer configures the car to his or her liking, finds it using the regional inventory, gets his or her credit approved, and makes the purchase at a no-haggle price. Now all of this sounds pretty familiar since you can already get quotes and can build your prospective car to your liking. However, Scion wants to do this without the customer even setting foot in a dealer as vehicles can also be delivered to the customer’s house.

“People shop for homes online when they are moving. People buy boats online. So why not a car?” said Jack Hollis, Scion’s vice-president.

And these experimental trends aren’t new to Toyota as Scion has been considered a Petri dish to new ideas for ToMoCo in general. And Hollis is a firm believer that the Amazon-style approach goes well with Scion.

So what does that mean for the dealers? People can still go into dealers to test drive and buy cars, but Hollis said that he expects the dealers to become more of a concierge service if anything.

“It isn’t a large percentage [of the total market], but it’s our percentage,” he said. “Gen Y kids have been connected their whole lives with Amazon. Youths are not buying cars the same way or speed as other generations.”

- By: Chris Chin

Source: Automotive News

Need anymore proof that the new upcoming Toyota FT-86 and the Scion FR-S will be true sports cars? There has been some nice tidbit of information provided by a forum member of Club4AG. Known as Moto-P, the member apparently had a nice dinner with FT-86′s chief project engineer, Tetsuya Tada, where he gathered plenty of information on the upcoming sports coupe.

Click here for more news on the Toyota FT-86.

Tada told Moto-P that the Toyota FT-86, Scion FR-S was designed with a roll cage in mind. Not only that the model will get EJ20 Subaru engine with a flat-four layout. It has also been re-cast, right down to a whole new block design, and the Toyota-Subaru engine has been fine-tuned by Yamaha.

Click here for more news on the Scion FR-S.

Moto-P was also told that the car has been designed to be a ‘basic and pure’ sports car, to the extent that it may come without navigation or a CD player. Tada said that its pointless to offer such technologies in a car since we will all be in a tech-savvy world with smartphones come 2012. With that in mind, Tada doesn’t see the need fir such heavyweight optional extras.

Scion FR-S Concept:

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Club4AG (via PistonHeads)

Many reports were circling around the web yesterday that the upcoming Toyota RAV4 EV will not be available to buy for the regular customer. Well, you can forget that. Toyota has just released a statement saying that the 2012 RAV 4 EV will be sold to the general public.

“Recent reports have incorrectly stated that the 2012 RAV4 EV will only be marketed to fleet and car sharing programs,” Toyota said. We’d like to set the record straight. The 2012 RAV4 EV will definitely be sold to the general public. We anticipate robust public interest in the RAV4 EV and are keen to inform consumers that their future vehicle options include a battery electric Toyota.

Click here for more news on the Toyota RAV4 EV.

Toyota is the only manufacturer bringing two battery electric vehicles to the market in 2012 – the RAV4 EV and the Scion iQ EV.

Toyota said that the Scion iQ EV will be marketed to fleet and car sharing programs only.

Toyota RAV4 EV:

- By: Omar Rana

The 2011 Scion iQ will carry a price tag of $15,995 when it hits dealerships later this year (that price includes destinations). That’s a little more expensive then competitors like the Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Yaris and the Nissan Versa.

The 2011 Scion iQ will be released in four different phases. The West Coast will get it in October, while the South will get it in January. Those to markets will be followed by the East Coast and the middle part of the United States.

Click here for more news on the Scion iQ.

Like the Toyota version, the Scion iQ for the stateside sits on a 78.7-inch wheelbase and has an overall length of only 120.1-inches and a width of 66.1-inches. Inside it gets the same ’3+1′ seating like the Toyota iQ. The iQ will come standard with 10 SRS airbags, including the world’s first rear-window curtain airbag.

The 2011 Scion iQ is powered with a 1.3-liter, 4-cylinder engine that produces over 90 horsepower and features the latest dual VVT-i. It is mated to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) that helps a combined fuel economy in the high 30s (official figures coming soon).

2011 Scion iQ:

- By: Omar Rana

Scion today announced that the 2012 Scion tC Release Series 7.0 (tC RS 7.0) will hit dealerships later this summer and will debut the first limited edition release series for the second generation coupe.

Scion is launching the tC RS 7.0 with a new advertising campaign, starring a very lighthearted Zeus (check out the ad spot after the jump).

Along with the Zeus commercial, Scion will launch six viral videos as a part of a social media campaign – also starring Zeus.

Click here for more news on the Scion tC.

The 2012 Scion tC RS 7.0 comes with a TRD body kit and 18-inch alloy wheels. It also gets two-tone seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and individually numbered plaque.

Scion will only produce 2,200 units of the 2012 tC RS 7.0 with prices starting at $20,905 for the manual and $21,905 for the automatic.

Refresher: The 2011 Scion tC is powered by an all-new 2.5L inline 4-cylinder engine with dual VVT-i that makes 180-hp, 19 more than the previous model. The 2011 tC is offered with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic with sequential-shift. Prices start at $18,995.

2012 Scion tC RS 7.0:

2011 Scion tC:

2011 Scion tC:

- By: Omar Rana