Scion

Some custom car modders put in massive engines, some load cars with LCDs, but Five Axis Design put a claw machine in a Scion xD, which is on display at the 2007 LA Auto Show. Looking through the back window of this specially modified Scion xD, you can gaze longingly at a pile of little stuffed toys. Start up the claw, and you have a limited amount of time to try to drop the claw on a stuffed prize by using the joystick mounted on the back of the car. If you are successful, the claw will drop the toy … Read more

Scion is primarily known for two things: its young, trendy customer base and the customizability of its cars. Now the automaker is taking those two ideas forward in a novel way by partnering with Ridemakerz, a specialty retailer that allows its customers to build personalized scale models of production cars. Scion made the announcement of the partnership at the SEMA show here in Las Vegas, where Ridemakerz had set up version of one of its interactive stores. We wasted no time in rolling up our sleeves and getting to work building our own Scion xB model. Check out our gallery … Read more

In the midst of all the bleak news for the American car industry, there was a ray of hope of sorts. A recent survey on "retained value" (what percentage of retail price a car maintains on the used market) has the Hummer coming in the top 10. As Autoblog reports:

"[T]he new Power Information Network retained value rankings for the automakers came out, and while the top ten list is pretty much owned by imports, Hummer crashes the party, coming in at the #8 spot. Hummer vehicles retain 63% of their original value, an increase of … Read more

After being intrigued by Scion's Little Deviant campaign ads, I stumbled across a link to the Little Deviant site and gave it a try. The ad campaign is pleasantly dark, and designed to market the new Scion xB and xD. The Web site features a series of small games, the premise of which is that Sheeple are making the city bland and boring. Your job as a Little Deviant is to kill the Sheeple, because you can use their blood to decorate your car. Along the way, you apply a little war paint to yourself. The games are pretty … Read more

Thursday morning was a good day for CNET Car Tech editors--we got to drive the 2008 Scion xB and 2008 Scion xD. Even since Scion was born (some say fully-formed, bursting out of Toyota's head), the xB has been a polarizing car: some hate it, some love it. Whatever your opinion, you have to admit that the car is unique. But the xB has been around for three years, and Scion needs to keep it fresh. The new xB has a smoother body and more powerful engine. It's also about a foot longer, with plenty of rear seat … Read more

Toyota's Scion division launched a new car at the Chicago Auto Show, the 2008 Scion xD. Scion made room in its model lineup by discontinuing the xA. The new xD looks like a five-door version of the xA, stretched for more interior room. But it also looks like Scion took the boxy xB and made it look more like a regular car. With this strategy, Scion can sell its xD to boring people, who can't stand the styling of the xB. But we're not done here yet. Our third take on the xD's design is that … Read more

Scion, Toyota's ultrahip brand, used the second morning of the Chicago Auto Show to launch the second incarnation of its hugely popular Scion xB. The boxy urban utility vehicle gets a makeover inside and out for its 2008 model year, with an all-new external profile, a bigger engine, bigger wheels, and some nice-to-have interior tech features. With rounded corners, wraparound headlights, and more sheet metal than its predecessor (1 foot longer, 3 inches wider, and 1 inch shorter), the 2008 xB has nearly eight more cubic feet than the previous-generation xB. To move its newly sculpted carcass around, the … Read more

When your avatar's feet ache from all that virtual walking around in Second Life, head over to Scion City. At Scion's new promotional area, which launches today at 4:00 p.m. PST, you can buy a Scion xA, xB, or tC for $300 Linden dollars each. I don't play Second Life, and I couldn't find Linden dollars on any of the online currency converters, but it sounds cheap. Players of Second Life will be able to drive their Scions and customize them. At Scion City, players will be able to "experience the Scion lifestyle,&… Read more