Scion tC |
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Wikipedia: Scion tC
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Scion tC page on 6 June 2017, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Scion tC and subsequent Toyota Zelas, is a sport compact coupe manufactured by Toyota from 2004 to 2016 over two generations: ANT10 (2004-2010) and AGT20 (2011-2016). Both generations were built in Japan and exclusive to Toyota North American Scion dealerships. The tC was introduced first in the United States in 2005 and then, beginning with the second generation in 2010, in Canada as well.
The tC is considered the spiritual successor to the Toyota Celica, made to appeal to the millennial market in the US. The name tC stands for "touring coupe." Beginning in 2011, the tC is sold as the Toyota Zelas in the Middle East, China and South America, a name derived from "zelante", Italian for "passionate" or "zealous."
First generation
Toyota debuted the production tC at the January 2004 NAIAS with sales beginning in June 2004 as a 2005 model year. The Scion tC is a spiritual successor to the Toyota Celica in order to appeal to the Millennial market. Toyota hoped to do so by making standard features numerous and optional features extremely easy to add as well as giving the car a sporty flair. The Scion tC shares its chassis with the Avensis and uses a MacPherson strut front and double wishbone rear suspension. 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. This generation was not sold in Canada.
Standard equipment included 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-inch alloy wheels, and a panoramic moonroof.
The tC received a minor facelift in 2007 for the 2008 model year that included a revised grille and new head and taillights.
A bare-bones version of the Scion tC known as the Spec Package was offered without many of the standard accessories. The Scion tC Spec Package replaces the 17-inch (430 mm) alloy wheels with 16-inch (410 mm) steel wheels and seven spoke wheel covers. The glass roof is fixed in place and the steering wheel is made of urethane instead of wrapped leather and lacks stereo controls; cruise control is also not offered and many other minor interior and exterior changes. This model, which is meant to serve as a blank slate to the tuner market, was offered in only four colors: Super White, Flint Mica, Black Sand Pearl and Classic Silver Metallic. MSRP was $1,400 less than the standard model. The Spec Package was discontinued for the 2009 model year.
The model was Scion's best seller, reaching over 79,125 units sold in 2006, but the car's sales quickly dwindled by 2010, only moving 15,204 units. A 2nd generation was released for the 2011 model year.
Car and Driver praised the 2005 tC for its list of accessories but criticized it for low headroom in the backseat and low cargo room.
Second generation: 2011–2013
The replacement model debuted at the April 2010 New York Auto Show, and appeared in U.S. dealerships in October 2010. It received a performance bump; with the new engine being carried over from the Toyota Camry being a 2.5 liter I4 2AR-FE engine producing 180 hp (130 kW) and 174 lb·ft (236 N·m). Like the first generation, the chassis remained a variant of the Toyota Avensis, the model using the third generation chassis. Visually, the second generation is a toned-down variant of the Scion Fuse concept, featuring a similar rear quarter-panel window line to the concept but with xB-styled blacked-out A-pillars. The headlights, taillights and grille received a makeover to make the car seem more muscular and angular. It continued to receive very high safety marks, an all-glass roof, roomy interior, and a hatchback design. Other changes included a wider track, standard 18-inch (460 mm) wheels, larger brake discs, faster engine, six speed transmission, and a performance-tuned electric power steering system. The Scion tC now comes standard with Vehicle Stability Control. A special FiveAxis body kit was offered for the car originally; however the TRD Supercharger is no longer available. The tC remained popular in the tuner market, with many aftermarket performance upgrades still being available. This model is available in the videogame Forza Motorsport 5
Second generation: 2014–2016
Sales of the second generation tC did not reach as high as Scion were expecting and to coincide with the launch of the Scion FR-S, the tC received a facelift for the 2014 model year. Inspired by the design of the FR-S, the 2014 tC received updated headlamps, grille, LED taillights, 18-inch alloy rims, body kit, a sport-tuned suspension, reworked faster shifting transmission, sport-tuned shocks, and a new touch screen audio system standard. For the first model year, Scion offered a Series 10 anniversary edition of the ten-year anniversary of the brand, limited to 3500 units. It included a new silver color, silver seat belts, a solar-powered illuminated shift knob, an LED Scion locator badge that lights up when the car is unlocked and a sequentially numbered interior badge. For the 2016 model year, the tC received some minor changes, such as a standard rear windshield wiper, new silver interior door handles, center console tray cover, and a leather-wrapped shift knob, the latter of which was formerly an optional upgrade.
The tC ended production in August 2016 after a final release edition as part of the phasing out of Scion brand. At 29, the tC sports coupe had the lowest-average age buyer in the industry according to Toyota.
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Custom 2005 Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden The Cars Time Forgot Car Show View photo of Custom 2005 Scion tC - 3,450KB |
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Custom 2005 Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden The Cars Time Forgot Car Show View photo of Custom 2005 Scion tC - 3,803KB |
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Custom 2005 Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden The Cars Time Forgot Car Show View photo of Custom 2005 Scion tC - 3,602KB |
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Custom 2005 Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden The Cars Time Forgot Car Show View photo of Custom 2005 Scion tC - 3,947KB |
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Photo ©2017 Bill Crittenden Green Street Cruise Night: 5 June 2017 View photo of Scion tC - 2.9MB |
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Photo ©2017 Bill Crittenden Green Street Cruise Night: 5 June 2017 View photo of Scion tC - 3.2MB |
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Photo ©2017 Bill Crittenden Green Street Cruise Night: 5 June 2017 View photo of Scion tC - 2.9MB |
| Date | Document Name & Details | Documents |
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| 15 October 2004 | Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS 135: Passenger Car Brake Systems 2005 Scion tC, 2-Door Hatchback National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |  PDF - 33.5MB - 71 pages |
| 1 November 2004 | Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS 214: Side Impact Protection (Indicant) 2005 Scion TC 2-door National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Part 1 PDF - 6.1MB - 183 pages Part 2 PDF - 1.4MB - 184 pages |
| 2 November 2005 | Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS 225: Child Restraint Anchorage Systems (Lower and Tether Anchorages) 2005 Scion tC, Passenger Car National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 18.3MB - 107 pages |
| 24 April 2006 | FMVSS No. 202a - Head Restraints: Indicant Test 2005 Scion tC, Passenger Car National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 3.9MB - 54 pages |
| September 2009 | Calspan On-Site Office of Defects Investigation Vehicle: 2005 Scion tC National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 1,087KB - 17 pages |
| 21 April 2010 | Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS No. 124: Accelerator Control Systems 2010 Scion tC Passenger Car National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 2.1MB - 75 pages |
| 30 April 2010 | Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS No. 114: Theft Protection 2010 Scion tC Passenger Car National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 3.8MB - 26 pages |
| July 2010 | On-Site Rollover Investigation Vehicle - 2009 Scion tC National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 1,026KB - 14 pages |
| 28 June 2011 | Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS 214: Dynamic Side Impact Protection (Rigid Pole) 2011 Scion tC 3-Dr Liftback National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 4.5MB - 116 pages |
| event May 2017 | Special Crash Investigations On-Site Air Bag Non-Deployment Crash Investigation Vehicle: 2006 Toyota Scion tC National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 2.5MB - 40 pages |
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
|---|---|---|
| 5 January 2009 | The 25 Hours of Thunderhill Can't Tame the Toughest Turbocharged Scion tC on the Planet | Turbonetics |
