Toyota FT-86 Concept Coming as a Scion?

Toyota, at one time seemingly viewed by consumers and the media as "invincible", had seen a lot of issues plague it over the past few years.

Aside from the unintended acceleration fiasco, Toyota has also seen itself trending upward in buyer age. To us, there is an easy explanation - product.

President Akio Toyoda has supposedly set out to fix that, and one of the signs of that realization was the FT-86 Concept at last year's Tokyo Auto Show.

The FT-86 Concept is a vehicle that looks very close to production, and offers a compelling specifications list. A price tag in the $20K range, two-doors and a rear-wheel drive layout is something that appeals to enthusiasts.

At the time, production was pegged as a certainty. Not a whole lot has been heard about it recently, but a little over a year later the rumor mill is churning about the car's future. If a report from the Wall Street Journal is to be believed, Tthe car that was supposed to attract a youth element to the Toyota division could instead be badged as a Scion.

Scion hasn't quite exactly filled out its original directive, and that has a lot to do with a lack of product. That is being remedied with the 2011 tC, but more than that is needed.

Could a production FT-86 make a good fit for Scion? We think so, but it seems to defeat Toyota's original purpose for the car. Regardless, we'll take whatever we can get in the way of performance from Toyota or Scion.