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Refreshed rsquo14 Scion tC on sale in US in June
<p> <strong>Refreshed &rsquo;14 Scion tC on sale in U.S. in June.</strong></p>

Scion Unwraps Refreshed tC, Limited-Edition Anniversary Models in New York

The Toyota brand looked to its new rear-wheel-drive sports car, the FR-S, for design cues found in the &rsquo;14 tC.

Toyota’s Scion reveals an updated tC sport coupe at its New York auto show stand this morning.

The front-wheel-drive tC, which accounts for 40% of all Scions ever sold, gets several upgrades for the ’14 model year, including a tweaked exterior and the brand’s first Display Audio system with a 6.1-in. (15-cm) LCD touchscreen.

The tC was last all-new in 2010. WardsAuto data shows the next-generation tC is due in 2016 for the ’17 model year.

Scion says Display Audio is standard in all ’14 models, making it the only non-luxury brand in the U.S. with a touchscreen audio system across its full lineup.

Bluetooth, HD Radio and steering-wheel-mounted audio controls come with Display Audio.

The tC’s higher-end BeSpoke audio system also is new for ’14, now with full navigation and Aha smartphone connectivity, which lets users access 30,000 free radio stations, sports, news and Yelp and TripAdvisor ratings.

New headlamps, a “more muscular, open grille” and light-emitting diodes that trim the upper and lower grille, are new for ’14.

Scion looked to its new rear-wheel-drive sports car, the FR-S, for design inspiration in the rear of the ’14 tC. Low perimeter reflectors and a low center trim piece are cues taken from the sportier Scion.

An 18-in. alloy wheel with a dark gray finish is new for the ’14 model, as are two new paint colors, Absolutely Red and Blue Streak Metallic.

More premium materials are featured in the tC’s interior, which now has a lighter-color fabric on the seats and headliner.

The car retains its 2.5L 179-hp 4-cyl. engine but Scion engineers have upgraded the 6-speed automatic transmission. Upshifts and downshifts now come twice as fast as before, and Dynamic Rev Management, derived from the FR-S and which matches engine revs to gear ratios on downshifts, is installed.

Spot welds are increased to boost tC body rigidity, and electric power steering has been re-tuned for a more “engaging” driving experience.

The ’14 tC goes on sale in June at U.S. Scion dealers.

Scion also details several limited-edition models in honor of the brand’s 10th anniversary. Scion was rolled out slowly in the U.S. in 2003 with the xA and xB models before going national in 2004 and adding the tC.

A limited, 10,000-unit run of special Scion 10 Series models are planned for each model in Scion’s current lineup. Each will wear a special Silver Ignition paint, and illuminated text on the dash first reads “Scion” before fading to “10.”

A solar-powered shift knob that lights up, and silver seatbelts, are other interior features of the limited-edition models.

Some features are unique to certain models, such as graphite-finish alloy wheels for the xB, xD and iQ, while the FR-S sports high-intensity-discharge headlamps with LED daytime running lights.

The best year for the tC was 2006 with 79,125 units sold. Sales of the car last year rose 1.0% to 22,666.

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