Rear-Drive Scion Possible, Could Be FT-86/FR-S

[St00k]

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...ft-86fr-s.html

Scion VP Jack Hollis has commented that a rear-drive model is a definitely possibility for the youth-oriented brand. In an interview with InsideLine, Hollis commented that a rear-drive car, “could absolutely work.” And if Scion were to go ahead with such a project then Hollis suggests an entry-level price at just over $20,000 – making the right-wheel drive model a new flagship for the brand. At that price point Hollis believes such a model would fit with the brand and would be accepted in the market.
Hollis even went so far as to draw he link between the Scion brand’s increased presence in motorsports (from drifting, to time attack, to the World Challenge Series), stating that, “there’s no question that a rear-drive car would be great for Scion.”
“The marketplace still demands fun, high-performance vehicles. Scion has positioned itself perfectly in that world with tuners and accessorization, and it would be great to top that off with a rear-wheel-drive application. Whether we can pull it off or not remains to be seen, but it won’t be for lack of trying.”
And that’s where the problem lies. Scion has just introduced its second-generation tC model, which company engineers admitted to AutoGuide was delayed in coming to market by six to 12 months due to the slow moving Toyota corporate structure.
However, Toyota does already have a platform in the works that would be suitable – the FT-86/FR-S. Development of that vehicle continues and as IL reports, one Toyota representative did commented that, “We’ve never said the FT-86 would be sold as a Toyota in the U.S.”