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SAN DIEGO – While it would be nice to live in a society that doesn’t assign gender to an automobile, the U.S. in 2010 isn’t there yet.
Exhibit A: The Scion tC.
Toyota Motor Corp.’s first tC coupe arrived in 2004 to mostly good reviews. Its clean appearance, with rounded corners, minimalist face and relatively high-quality interior lent a lovely European-ness to the small car – appropriate since Scion then sought to create a half-price Audi A4 coupe.
Apparently this scheme really appealed to women, who bought the tC more than men and thus it became saddled with the dreaded “chick car” label.
Aware this subtext is an anathema to males, Scion is aiming the second-generation tC, on sale Oct. 1, at the fellas.
Will it work? One could argue that with six years on the market, the damage to the tC’s reputation is done.
But Toyota, nevertheless, has tried, and pretty much succeeded, in imbuing the new version with masculinity:
- Bigger, more-powerful engine? Check.
- Beefier tires and brakes? Check.
- Fat steering wheel with a flat bottom? Check.
- More menacing appearance? Check.
