Scion tC

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Scion tC

Manufacturer	Scion
Parent company	Toyota Motor Corporation
Production	2004–present
Assembly	Tsutsumi, Japan
Predecessor	Toyota Celica
Class	Compact
Body style(s)	2-door hatchback
Layout	FF layout
Engine(s)	2.4L 2AZ-FE straight-4
Transmission(s)	4-speed automatic 5-speed manual
Wheelbase	106.3 in (2700 mm)
Length	174.0 in (4420 mm)
Width	69.1 in (1755 mm)
Height	55.7 in (1415 mm)
Related	Toyota Avensis

Scion tC (Japanese: サイオン ちし), based on the Toyota Avensis (豊田 アベンシス) platform, is a compact coupe introduced by Japanese automaker Toyota in 2004 as a concept car under its recently introduced Scion brand name. Toyota later debuted the production tC at the 2004 NAIAS with sales beginning in June 2004 as a 2005 model year. The Scion tC is generally considered Toyota's successor to the Celica whose production ended with the 2006 model year. The name tC does not fit in with its stablemates the xA, xB, and xD, because the name xC has already been taken by Volvo for its XC60, XC70 and XC90 models. According to Scion, tC stands for touring coupe. It's also possible that the tC was originally developed as a new Tercel to be badged as a Toyota, thus tC for "Tercel Concept".

The Scion tC was designed to appeal to the Millennial market^{[citation needed]}. Toyota hoped to do so by making standard features numerous and optional features extremely easy to add. The Scion tC shares its chassis with the Avensis^[1] and uses a MacPherson strut front and double wishbone rear suspension. Power comes from the Camry's 2.4 L 2AZ-FE I4 engine. Its low price (base MSRP of US$17,670 for the 2009 model with manual transmission) is a major feature, as well as the pure "monospec" pricing marketing style that Toyota has adopted.

Major standard equipment included a power windows, cruise control, air conditioning, keyless entry, mirror-mounted turn signal lights, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, a 160-watt Pioneer sound system with CD player, 17" alloy wheels and a panoramic moonroof.

Contents 1 2008 mid-cycle refresh 2 Specifications (2008 model) 3 Safety 4 Toyota Racing Development 5 Release Series line 6 US sales 6.1 Recall 7 Motorsports 8 References on television 9 Next generation 10 References 11 External links

2008 mid-cycle refresh

The Scion tC received a subtle makeover for 2008, with changed front and rear lights and enhancements to the interior. Projector headlights are now standard. The grilles changed from a honeycomb style to a metal drill out style on top and a three line plastic bar style on bottom. In the interior the seats inserts changed from blueish gray to white. Optional illuminated door sill enhancements were also offered. Also the LED's changed to a deeper orange-red color. A hidden Pioneer subwoofer was also integrated in the spare tire compartment.^[2] Side curtain air bags became standard on 2008 models. The engine is now ULEV certified.

Specifications (2008 model)

• Engine: 2.4 L Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC) 16-valve 4-cylinder with VVT-i, compression ratio of 9.6:1 for the 2005 and 2006 models and 9.8:1 for 2007-2009.
• Displacement: 2382 cc
• Power: 161 hp (120 kW) @ 6,000 rpm / 200 hp with TRD Supercharger
• Torque: 163 ft·lbf (220 N·m)@ 4,000 rpm / 185 ft·lbf with TRD Supercharger
• Transmission: Standard 5-speed manual transmission or optional 4-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission
• Highway fuel economy/consumption: 25-30 mi/U.S. gal (8.1 L/100 km) (automatic); 28-32 mi/U.S. gal (7.8 L/100 km) (manual)
• City fuel economy/consumption: 23-28 mi/U.S. gal (10.7 L/100 km) (automatic); 24-29 mi/U.S. gal (10.7 L/100 km) (manual)
• Fuel tank: 14.5 US gal (55 L; 12 imp gal)
• Curb weight: 2,970 lb (1,347 kg) (automatic); 2,905 lb (1,318 kg) (manual)

Safety

NHTSA crash test ratings (2006)^[3]

• Frontal Crash Test - Driver:
• Frontal Crash Test - Passenger:
• Side Impact Rating -
• Side Impact Rating - Rear:
• Rollover Rating:

The IIHS has not tested the tC.

All Scion tC's come standard with 4-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock brakes. For 2008 models, front seat-mounted side torso airbags, front and rear side curtain airbags, and a driver's knee airbag become standard.^[4] Vehicle Stability Control is not offered.

Toyota Racing Development

Similar to many other models of Toyota/Lexus/Scion, there are many upgrades available through Toyota Racing Development (TRD). From as basic as oil caps to performance oriented parts including the TRD sport muffler and TRD Supercharger, there is a multitude of opportunities for tC owners to customize their vehicles. Some of these parts can help increase the power of the vehicle, where others complement the handling and braking aspects of the car. These parts are available at Scion dealers, as well as online on TRD's website.

The TRD supercharger is capable of putting out 30 psi, although when installed by the dealership and under warranty it is set at 6 psi. Starting in 2008, Scion began making the supercharger with tamper proof pulleys. ^[5]

Release Series line

Beginning in late spring 2004, Scion launched the Release Series (RS) line, limited quantities of their current vehicles pre-packaged with individual numbered badging, exclusive accessories, and other special features. Limited edition vehicles from a marketing standpoint were used to create a buzz for the brandname, with their exterior colors tending to be loud or bright hues (i.e. orange, yellow, red, blue, green). Because of the growing popularity of the Scion product line and the scarce production runs (most dealers only get 2-3 of each RS model), these limited edition vehicles quickly sell out. Preordering is available at each dealership on a first-come, first-served basis. To the customer's benefit, Scion's "Pure Price" MSRP bounds dealerships against market-demand vehicle mark-up. Naturally, resale values of Release Series vehicles command a premium because of their packaged options and scarcity.

2005

• tC RS 1.0 only available in Absolutely Red with 2500 units produced

2006

• tC RS 2.0 only available in Blue Blitz Mica with 2600 units produced

2007

• tC RS 3.0 only available in Blizzard Pearl with 2500 units produced ^[6]

2008

• tC RS 4.0 only available in Galactic Gray Mica with 2300 units produced ^[7]

2009

• tC RS 5.0 only available in Gloss Black with 2000 units produced ^[8]

US sales

In terms of sales, the Scion tC is Scion's most popular model.

US Calendar Year	Sales
2003[9]	n/a
2004[10]	28,062
2005	74,415
2006[11]	79,125
2007	63,852
2008[12]	40,980

Recall

In early 2006, a recall was issued for some 2005 and 2006 tCs due to the possibility of the glass wind deflector being shattered by debris.^[13] In late 2006, a recall was issued for 29,542 2005 and 2006 tCs due to the possibility of the side airbags deploying as a result of slamming the door forcefully.

Motorsports

• With the demise of the Toyota Celica, the Scion tC is now used for the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race held during the Long Beach Grand Prix, beginning in 2006.
• There are several drag racing Scion tCs, the most prominent of which is raced by Christian Rado. Chris Rado's World Racing 2007 Time Attack SCION tC won first place at the 2008 Redline Time Attack event in the FF Unlimited Championship class. The World Racing Time Attack tC is currently being rebuilt, while another scion tc is in the process of being converted to AWD instead of the standard FWD which will be used as the future time attack tc.
• For the 2008 Formula Drift year, RS*R converted a Scion tC to drive as a RWD car. This was done by using the Toyota Avensis chasis (which the Scion tC is based on and is originally an AWD platform) and converted it into a RWD car. The car is powered by a tuned BEAMS 3S-GE engine. Ken Gushi currently competes with this vehicle.
• For the 2009 Formula Drift year, Tanner Foust will compete using a Rockstar, AEM and Toyo Tire sponsored Scion tC converted to RWD, built by Papadakis Racing. Foust's car is powered by a TRD (Toyota Racing Development) built V8 from a former Busch Series NASCAR.
• For the 2008 KONI Challenge season, Dan Gardner and Craig Stanton are driving a Scion tC in the Sport Touring Class.
• For 2009, a Supercharged tC will be entered into the SCCA WorldChallenge Touring Car class by Marshall Pruett Motorsports Engineering / Modified Magazine

References on television

After an insignificant amount of traditional advertising on television, the Scion tC has appeared on a few TV shows. The Scion tC was heavily promoted on a fictional talk show on the Adult Swim cartoon Frisky Dingo despite a character's opposition to the paid product placement.^[14] It was also featured in Spike TV's Bullrun. Scion tC appeared on one of the episodes of Comedy Central's Reno 911^[15] where Officer Raineesha Williams and Officer Clementine Johnson pull up in a blue metallic Scion tC. A full scale 2006 commercial was periodically screened at AMC Theatres prior to showing movie trailers. Starting in 2007, Scion began a marked increase in advertising, especially on television. This is due to the "Little Deviants" ad campaign, harking the Scions' "customizability".

Next generation

In February 2009, Scion Vice President Jack Hollis announced there will be a new tC replacement within the next two years.^[16] The third generation Avensis went on sale in January 2009 while the current tC shares its platform with the second generation model.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Scion tC

External links

• Scion.com Official tC Website
• Scion tC Release Series Page
• National Scion tC Owners Club
• [3]
• [4]
• Scion Puerto Rico webpage (Spanish)

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