Toyota’s Scion “youth” brand will make its last auto show appearance next week in New York, the same show where Scion was first announced over a decade ago. After 14 years, Scion will sign off in August, and most of its models will transition to Toyota.
It’s perhaps fitting that the last new Scion will be a version of the brand’s perennial bestseller, and the only model in the current lineup that won’t live on as a Toyota. It will also be the last of the “Release Series” special editions Scion has, err, released periodically over its existence. It’s the 2016 Scion tC Release Series 10.0.
It may be the brand’s swan song, but this limited edition of Scion’s front-wheel drive coupe will get similar, low-key modifications to the previous Release Series models. Highlights include a body kit from Japanese designer Kei Miura, which includes a front lip spoiler, rocker panels, rear lower spoiler, and deck-lid spoiler. The car also gets special Barcelona Red paint, with blacked-out wheels and badges.
The interior is blacked out too, with some red accents, and each car has a sequentially numbered badge. Scion also threw in a Toyota Racing Development exhaust system and lowering springs, although the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine remains mechanically stock. Drivers still get 179 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque, channeled through six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.
Pricing starts at $23,895 for the manual and $25,135 for the automatic (both prices include destination). Only 1,200 copies will be made, and they’ll be available beginning in June. The tC Release Series 10.0 will be displayed in New York alongside notable past Scion concept cars, including the 2002 BBx concept that launched the brand.
Scion was intended to attract the younger customers Toyota itself couldn’t. But after years of slow sales and some neglect, it’s not in the best shape. Toyota tried to turn Scion around with a burst of new models, but now believes it is no longer necessary to have a separate brand just to target young consumers.
