Scion to Unveil the iM Concept in LA

Scion iM Concept Teaser (Credit: © Scion)

Where has 2014 gone? It seems as if we were just celebrating the new year and opening the major auto show year with the Detroit Auto Show in January. Now here we are, deep into 2014 and about the open the gates to one of the last major auto shows of the year in Los Angeles. In preparation for this auto show, Scion has just announced that it will debut the iM concept car in LA and released a few teaser images of the concept.

The iM concept appears to, at the very least, show off an change in styling that’s soon to make its way across the Scion portfolio. And by the looks of these pictures and the accompanying text, the Scion lineup will be sportier and more youthful than ever. These teasers show off an angular grille, stylized projector headlights, triangular fog lights stacked in clusters of three, and a shapely front bumper.

Scion iM Concept Teaser (Credit: © Scion)

From the side, the car starts to take shape, as the short nose means that this will be a rather compact model, and the flared wheel wells indicate that this concept may be setup to tackle some of the performance compacts in the segment. What also leads me to believe that this is a high-performance piece of machinery are the two-piece, cross-drilled rotors squeezed by what appear to be monobloc calipers, and Yokohama S.drive tires. You simply don’t see these features on an economy car.

Toyota Auris (Credit: © Toyota UK)

All of these performance features bring me to the wild idea that this may be more than just a design-language preview and possibly a preview of a new production car. One area that Scion is really missing the mark is the hot-hatchback segment, and the size of the front clip and the stylized front end fit this segment well. This is wild speculation, but this may preview Scion’s first entry into the hot-hatch segment, and maybe a replacement for the aging xD that’s due to get the axe in 2015. My best guess based on the details I can see is that this will be a Scion-badged Toyota Auris — a hatchback available in the UK — with some performance goodies and a sporty facelift.

We’ll find out more details as we approach the LA Auto Show, which kicks off on Tuesday, November 18.