Photo: Scion
Now, in case you happened to have just skimmed through the title and the first paragraph while raising an eyebrow, let us clear the air: the name ‘Scion’ is correctly placed there, even though iM and iA nameplates might suggest something else, related to BMW.
That being said, Scion is going ‘double or nothing’ at this year’s New York International Auto Show where it would debut two new models on March 31. Good, now let’s see what they’re saying about the double launch without confusing anyone.
Let’s start with the iM 5-door hatchback. As much as we would have loved the association between the letter i and M giving BMW’s recent affinity for alternative propulsion, this isn’t the case. But Scion officials say that ‘i’ stands for ‘intriguing’, ‘individual’ and easy on the ‘income’. Moreover, ‘M’ stands for ‘modern style’ while ‘A’ was chosen to reflect the ‘accommodating’ trunk and the ‘aggressive’ styling.
Now, let’s get down to proper info on the cars. The iM will be based on the European Toyota Auris which is a good thing, since it will probably kick the xD model out of production. Most likely it will still retain the 1.8-liter engine good for 130 HP and 140 lb-ft (190 Nm) but might also adopt a 2.4-liter four-cylinder mill in the process.
The Scion iA is announced as a sedan but all we get from Scion officials is that both models “are tremendous additions to our line-up and will appeal to young people with different perspectives and needs.” Well, let’s be honest and mention we’ll have to wait and see about that, rather than believing every marketing speech.
Our guess is that the iA will be wrapped around the Toyota Corolla, but at this time there’s only room for speculation at most.
Let’s start with the iM 5-door hatchback. As much as we would have loved the association between the letter i and M giving BMW’s recent affinity for alternative propulsion, this isn’t the case. But Scion officials say that ‘i’ stands for ‘intriguing’, ‘individual’ and easy on the ‘income’. Moreover, ‘M’ stands for ‘modern style’ while ‘A’ was chosen to reflect the ‘accommodating’ trunk and the ‘aggressive’ styling.
Now, let’s get down to proper info on the cars. The iM will be based on the European Toyota Auris which is a good thing, since it will probably kick the xD model out of production. Most likely it will still retain the 1.8-liter engine good for 130 HP and 140 lb-ft (190 Nm) but might also adopt a 2.4-liter four-cylinder mill in the process.
The Scion iA is announced as a sedan but all we get from Scion officials is that both models “are tremendous additions to our line-up and will appeal to young people with different perspectives and needs.” Well, let’s be honest and mention we’ll have to wait and see about that, rather than believing every marketing speech.
Our guess is that the iA will be wrapped around the Toyota Corolla, but at this time there’s only room for speculation at most.
Google News