Ever since the brand was first launched by Toyota Motor Sales, Scion has been recognized for its brilliance in grassroots and guerrilla marketing, partnering up with car builders in the import aftermarket scene and youth lifestyle brands like URB to help promote the strong branding to the youth market. Scion has also released limited production "themed" cars to make certain models of its cars more exclusive. Apparently, the exclusive car for this year will be the Scion tC Release Series 5.0 (tC RS 5.0), which will have a black-on-black Toyota Racing Development theme.
Even though it looks like it may be flat black from the photos here, don't worry, you won't be seeing that trend on this new RS 5.0 Scion. The car has gloss black exterior paint, and comes with a big set of 18 inch TRD wheels, finished in matte black with red trim, which are reminiscent of the ever popular Volk Racing black/red Time Attack series finish.
The RS 5.0 comes with a leather wrapped steering wheel with red stitching, which is a bit reminiscent of the Nardi "deep corn" steering wheel, minus the deep offset.
Black and red seats continue the look inside…
The RS 5.0 comes with a polished stainless TRD sport muffler, which looks pretty nice in my opinion. Also, notice the red TRD sway bar and red TRD springs? The sway and the higher rate springs will help the high speed cornering and stability of the new TC RS 5.0 quite a bit over the normal non-TRD equipped Scion TCs.
Here's the side profile, which shows a bit more detail in the 18 inch wheels, the front and rear bumpers, and sideskirts. (NOTE: Although the press release says the Scion tC RS 5.0 comes with "TRD lowering springs," it doesn't look low at all from this photo. Anyway, this is most likely just early photoshop mockup, since the shadow underneath the car isn't real. Hopefully the real car will be lower. When it comes out, we'll check it out, take our own photos, and let you know if it is actually lower than the car mocked up in these photos.)
TRD release series badging on the trunk…
Last but not least, TRD floormats continue the theme of this Scion RS 5.0 TC.
Only 2000 of these RS 5.0 Scion TCs will be built, and from what Scion says, they will be releasing them with numbered badging to make the cars even more unique and exclusive.
-Antonio Alvendia
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
This is a very nice, cheap coupe, too bad Toyota is not selling it in Europe!
You know people bag on the tC but for what it's mission is the car is a total success. When the news about this new RS 5.0 hit LeftLane everybody couldn't shut the hell up about "another useless tuning package with no power upgrades wahhh." Personally I think for only like 2k more this package comes well equipped and all that TRD themed stuff will make it a more enjoyable experience for the driver on the whole. BTW Antonio I don't think they lowered it either because it certainly doesn't look that way on these live photos from the LeftLane's Chicago show coverage.
http://www.leftlanenews.com/scion-tc-release-series-5.html
nothing says sports car like a glass roof.
This car is obviously marketed towards 17yr olds whos' parents will be buying them their first car and require a new-car over a used one. The kid knows nothing about cars, and thinks its sporty because of the badging, floor mats and fancy colors.
If i were 17 and could get a car for around $17,000, I'd get something used for 5-10k and put the rest into sorting it out, adding braking, wheels, power and suspension and have a car that is more personal, more fun and alot cooler. Perhaps a 240SX, AE86, X71 Cressida, RX7, etc.
worst release series ever
it doesn't look low because the TRD springs barely even lower it, still looks like a monster truck. The height looks about right
Very Nice! I wish the Scion brand would be sold here in Germany....
Jeez, seriously? Another one? When will Toyota stop sponsoring RICERS...
boring car
It keeps on going, and going, and going, and going,, FAIL
eclip5e; while I agree with your thinking and would do it that way myself, not everyone has the skills and knowledge of putting a car together. Building a fast car can be cheap if you install your own CAI, springs, headers, exhaust, etc etc etc the list goes on. But imagine someone who likes to drive fast but doesn't have a lot of mechanical expertise (there are tons of them); they have to take their car to a shop and have them install everything on top of the car and aftermarket parts price which at the end of all that with labor being $90-120 an hour these days ends up being extremely costly. Now we can all say the obvious which is that nobody who "truly likes to drive fast" buys a Scion, and that is true but the fact remains that their is a market for these cars and if you take it for what it is 2k is not a lot of money for exclusivity among your fellow tC tuning brethren.
did they really have to copy us?
When are they going to fully update this car already? What they should do is bring out a kick RWD version with some decent power. Stop throwing minor things on it and call it a new model. I dont want to bag on it but its the truth mannnn.
The RS*R tC is the only good tC around.
Looks bone stock to me. lol
In a sense, I think its pretty much weak sauce.
TRD these days seems pretty lower in standards vs NISMO,RALLYART,etc
But the market for Scion is mostly towards affordable youth market that is NOT really the same as performance of Speed, Handling, braking of close to street cars. But this kind of car is pretty much a nice show car kind of urban youth lifestyle.
BUT this car is Toyota Racing Development theme. NOT TRD Performance.
I bet they are just going to plan to throw a supercharger. Like anything else they do these days.
F3INT: Exactly, this car caters to mediocrity. Some kid who works at Best Buy who wants to impress his Cracker Barrell waitress girlfriend with red pleather seats and some 18" rimz and has acquired his tastes in cars from watching Pimp My Ride, music from MTV and internet saavy from MySpace.
Its sad the marketing department at Toyota even managed to wrangle the TRD badge from the engieners onto this car. I'm sure not a single TRD engineer had anything to do with this car. its 100% marketing-lead product development.
Meh, its not bad... I dont think its ment to be a performance car.... besides Toyota dosent do performance cars anymore (except the IS-F wich I love).
It seams like it would be a nice stylish, reliable daily driver to me.
if only Scion would open up a branch at my country
Eclip5e: HAving a girlfriend that works at Cracker Barrel wouldn't be a bad thing, as long as she wasn't like 50 years old. Man, their sweet tea and lemonade are pretty effin delicious.
I agree, a RWD Scion would be AWESOME. I know they would sell lots of them, especially if it came with a decent motor.
TougenoMikado: you forgot the IS250 6-speed. That thing is SUPER FUN. HAndles great, has good power, and looks awesome too! And good gas mileage!
I couldn't agree with what Ron (eclip5e) just said.
This car is marketed to young-spolied kids just out of high school that don't know any better of sports cars.
Antonio, this article just goes to show you how many people appreciate the car.....and the article in general.
BTW, Rays/ Volk Racing did not start the whole "Time Attack" red-stripe theme. Let's stop calling them Time Attack rims. NASCAR did, a long time ago.
sorry but Scion = fail -_-l
if this aint rice then i dont know what is....
might as well get a stock TC and decorate it cause its the same shit.
this car is fake you can buy all the extra stuff after market