First of all, I thought I had already been to the launch party. Wrong. I thought I had driven the thing. Wrong. I learned today this was a pre-announcement-pre-party, and the cars I had seen were "production prototypes." I see. Then, this splendiferous event with a rock band, canapés and apple juice must surely be the launch festa, I thought. (The dear reader knows by now that the average Toyota launch event in Japan entails a card table, two speakers, PowerPoint and a bottle of water.) Wrong again. It's kind of a pre-announcement. The car itself will come in we'll talk about that when we talk timing.

However, I was told that today, that now we have real specs and prices, and the cars (which looked deceptively like the production prototypes) are the ones that will be sold. In Japan. As for America we'll get to that. Here are the vital stats of the hachi-roku JDM spec:

Trim levels: RC, G, GT, GT "Limited."
Weight: From 1,180kg (2,601 lbs) for the RC version to 1,250kg (2,756 lbs)
Engine: DOHC horizontally opposed 4-cylinder direct injection
Output: 147kW (200hp) / 7,000 rpm
Torque: 205nm / 6,400 6,600 rpm
Wheelbase: 2,570mm

And to answer a burning and often asked question: Yes, a tape deck, even a CD radio with USB are available. As options.

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With the Scion FR-S destined to arrive on North American soil rather soon, it was no surprise that the sub-brand for Japanese automaker, Toyota, decided to give their website a new identity. It appears that Scion hopes to give themselves a more of a "grown up" image too with the FR-S's arrival, which will undoubtedly be the first real sports car for the young brand.

Up until now, Scion is most well-known for its quirky models that appeal to the young automotive enthusiast interesting in customizing their vehicle to match their personality. And while the tC was an attempt at making a sporty coupe, most would agree that it doesn't have or even come close to the appeal that the FR-S brings. We already have no doubts that the FR-S as a car is a hit (read our review here), but it'll be interesting to see if buyers can get over the "Scion hump" of knowing that it doesn't boast a Toyota badge, but rather a badge that's been heavily associated to a younger generation of car enthusiasts.

Either way, the new website is clearly an indication that Scion wants to trend away slowly from the reputation it has established over the years. Rather than a dark-themed and Flashy website, it now incorporates a friendly-on-the-eyes design with everything just a couple of clicks away. In other words, it's... [Read More]

Unless you've been living under a rock that's inside a cave the last couple of months, you might have heard of the Toyota GT 86 which will be coming to America as the Scion FR-S. But in case you haven't heard of the FR-S (you can read our review here), Scion went out and shot a commercial recently with drifter Ken Gushi behind the wheel.

ATTIK creative agency was called upon to direct the ad, with Simon Needham at the helm. ATTIK is also known for Scion's wacky Zeus Release Series campaign that was well, wacky. Scion Vice President Jack Hollis also spent the day at the commercial shoot and even had time to speak to Ken Gushi to get his feedback on the new sports car.

The behind-the-scenes look that Scion has shared with us is pretty neat, seeing all the cameras and contraptions utilized to film the commercials. Three unique commercials were shot that day and will air nationally this spring when the FR-S goes on sale. We're definitely interested to see what the results were and expect nothing but excitement with Gushi behind the wheel in the ads.

More: Scion FR-S Commercial Recently Shot [Behind the Scenes] on Autoguide.com