Scion Fuse concept

Do you want this to be the model-year 2009 replacement for the tC? Scion says it's showing off the Scion Fuse concept as one of several possible designs that could replace the current car. One thing's for sure, the Fuse concept car shown at the 2006 New York Auto Show is much more muscular than the current tC, a sign that Scion wants to skew this one much more to young male drivers than young female drivers. Why? Well, young men are more likely to add the all-important, profitable dealer accessories to their cars, and Scion is about to increase the dealer accessory list from 40 items to about 150, not including a new clothing line. Strip away the pie-in-the-sky, high-tech stuff stuffed on the concept, and you've got a pretty compelling design, with a strong c-pillar, deep tumblehome and strong rear fenders spicing up the car.

Toyota's Advanced Products Strategy Group and CALTY California design center collaborated to "expand the design and performance" of this car over the tC, and used Haro Super GT race cars, the JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) race series, as inspiration for the Fuse. Its high beltline is supposed to make you sit low in a kind of "racing tub" cockpit. The wraparound windshield is made to look like a racing helmet, but coincidentally also mimics the '54 Buick line's reverse a-pillar. The hood scoop suggests that you might add a turbo to the four-banger, and there's a speed-actuated rear spoiler. And it has "butterfly" doors, already appearing on some hyper-modified Scions.

As for the "dealer accessories," a few million in your bank account should duplicate this: thin headlamps can change colors, LEDs on the 20-inch wheels act as turn signals, and the twin pipes in back are surrounded by a backup light and a rear foglight. The front badge conceals an LCD video screen, and there's a steering wheel that's a combo of F1 driver's wheel and video game. There's a kind of widescreen video on the dash via two 10.5-inch monitors that only work when you're not driving the thing. In this video mode, the front passenger seat folds flat to become a footrest or table, from the back seat. (The car also has Wi-Fi, of course.) In cargo mode, the rear seats also fold flat, and the tailgate has a sliding hatch to convert to outside seating, with a curb-high bench and a pair of foldout rear speakers.

Nope, this is not your older sister's Scion coupe.

Click here for the 2006 New York Auto Show Photos & Coverage that includes dozens of debuts and image slideshows!