Scion will unveil two new models at the 2015 New York Auto Show this April, but one won’t really be new to anyone who paid attention to last fall’s Los Angeles Auto Show.
That’s because the new model in question is the iM, which was shown as a concept in L.A., and is based on the Auris hatchback parent company Toyota already sells in Europe.
In other words, don’t expect the production iM to be drastically different from the concept, since that version was essentially a production car to begin with.
The iM will give Scion a badly-needed new model and more or less replace the old Toyota Matrix, presenting a similar-sized hatchback alternative to the omnipresent Corolla.
It could borrow powertrains from the Corolla as well. The hybrid powertrain Toyota offers on the Auris in Europe probably won’t make it here.
Scion’s second new model is more of a mystery.
For now, the Toyota “youth brand” will only say that it’s a sedan. In its quest for hipness, that’s something Scion has never offered before.
Rumor has it the sedan will be based on the 2016 Mazda 2, which would be closer in spirit to the pint-sized first-generation xB and xA that made Scion a little more distinctive than it is now.
While the sporty FR-S and bizarre (and now, discontinued) iQ are good attention grabbers, Scion’s bread and butter models are the current xB and xD, mediocre compact hatchbacks that haven’t been update in years.
Scion hopes the iM, sedan, and a third new model will get it out of its current funk. We’ll see if that’s the case at the 2015 New York Auto Show in April.
