To help with the on-going rollout of Scion, Toyota has added the 2005 tC hatchback to the mix. This model uses the platform of the Europe-market Avensis with a Camry engine under the hood and unique exterior and interior designs.
The overall look is supposed to suggest the BMW 3-Series coupe to everyone except, apparently, the German firm's copyright lawyers.
Jim Farley, Scion vice president for Toyota Motor Sales USA, says ''The tC was developed specifically for Scion and the U.S. market with an aim to deliver a level of style, performance and value that will be flat-out impossible to beat.''
According to Farley, the design target for the tC was to offer a ''sporty coupe with sophisticated styling and surprising versatility.''
He says that ''traces of Scion DNA can be found in the interior with use of amber illumination, metal-tone trim and innovative instrumentation panel grains.''
Performance will match the tC's sleek styling, Farley claims, describing the new car as ''a tenacious road handler'' equipped with a double-wishbone rear suspension, front MacPherson struts, 17-inch six-spoke alloy wheels, and four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes.
The 2.4-litre inline-four Camry engine will deliver 160 hp at 5,700 rpm and 163 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm, and there'll be a dealer-installed supercharger package developed by Toyota Racing Development that will be offered later in the year.
''The turn-key performance option with an output of approximately 200 horsepower can be purchased with the vehicle, or added later,'' Farley says.
