Tada and Hollis Speeches from SCION FR-S Las Vegas Press Event

[ichitaka05]

Jack Hollis' Speech

Welcome to Las Vegas everyone! Thanks for joining us today as we launch what many are calling…the most anticipated car of the year…the FR-S…a phenomenal car that is no doubt... bringing the sport back to the car.

I am not really a Vegas kind of guy... but I sure am spending a lot of my time here recently…and let me tell you... I am having a blast! I am loving it is because of all of the FR-S activities that are going on out here. Last week I was here at a training event with over 150 associates, giving them a deep dive into the FR-S and letting them have some fun out on the track. Every single one of them walked away just about as pumped about the car as I am…and that is almost impossible to do. This week... I get to be here with all of you and hear your comments after you take some laps around the track. I am 100% positive that you are going to love the way this car feels… and makes you feel. I know you will agree with me when I say that the FR-S is truly Friggin Really Sweet.

Before we get to the FR-S…I want to bring you up to speed with what Scion has been up to recently.

Just last month... the iQ completed its wave launch... reaching dealerships nationwide. The world’s smallest four-seater is doing exceptionally well... as it has sold 2,727 units. One of the top reasons that so many people are gravitating to the iQ is because they are looking for a car that has a tremendous value without any sacrifices. Did you know that the iQ manages to get the BEST combined MPG of any non-hybrid? 37 MPG COMBINED. It even does it using regular grade fuel. Add in complimentary Scion Service Boost… that includes two years of maintenance and three years of roadside assistance… and it makes sense why Kiplinger named it one the best values in their review on Cheapest Cars to Own.

To top it off... the iQ is fitting in well in the Scion family because it is attracting the right kind buyers…and by that I mean new ones! You’ve heard me say this before…one of Scion’s main goals is to be a laboratory for Toyota... a lab to attract new buyers. And I’m happy to say that over 60% of the iQ buyers are brand new to the Toyota family... having never owned a Toyota... Lexus or a Scion before. The rest of the Scion models have also been doing extremely well. Some of you probably heard that Scion exceled in the 2012 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study... placing fifth out of all brands... just behind Lexus and Toyota. Scion was also recognized for safety as the tC... xB and xD were all named Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It’s achievements like these that contribute to our year over year sales increases across the lineup.
As happy as I am about the current Scion family... it can’t begin to compare to how excited I am to launch the FR-S.

It gets its core inspiration from three Toyota models…the 2000GT...the Sports 800…and most importantly... the Corolla GT-S... known by its true fans as the AE86 or “hachi-roku...” which meaning 8-6 in Japanese. The AE86 was a moderately priced car that didn’t rely on brute horsepower... but instead a remarkable combination of a lightweight design... responsive power and most importantly a perfect balance. It inspired the FR-S so much in fact... that each car wears unique badging on its front fenders... depicting its “86” heritage along with the evolution of its new boxer engine.

We took what was great about the AE86 and made it better in every way possible. We wanted an authentic rear-wheel drive sports car…with compelling style…exceptionally balanced performance and handling…flexible utility…and surprising MPG. We got it!

The FR-S started off the right way from the beginning... weighing in at an ultra-light 2,758 pounds. We added in 200hp from the 2.0-liter boxer engine and mounted it low…giving the car a lower center of gravity than a Porsche Cayman. We made the chassis stiff... tuned the suspension aggressively... made sure that it had a standard Torsen differential so that it was sure to be quick in and out of any turn.

The FR-S allows us to reach a whole New Dimension of performance. It’s a sports car that pound-for-pound…and dollar-for-dollar…is already igniting the passion of a whole group of car fanatics!

It’s a machine that will not only be THE halo car for Scion... but also for an entire group of driving enthusiasts. So what is our definition of a halo car? Well, for Scion it means more than just being the sportiest model…it is the halo for the brand because it represents the epitome of what Scion... and its owners are…daring, optimistic and passionate!

FR-S will not only be raising the driving-performance bar ... but it will also take in-car technology to new heights…as it will be the first Scion to offer the next-generation connected multimedia audio system called BeSpoke... powered by Pioneer’s Zypr technology. Scion buyers are still the youngest in the industry…and they are all about being connected. The new BeSpoke system lets them engage with their friends via their iPhones.
How about being able to locate a friend on an on-screen map… send them a tweet to meet up for coffee via voice command... and then have a routing feature guide you to the café. How about checking out your friend’s Facebook wall posts or recent tweets? How about having access to hundreds of internet radio stations? I can’t wait for you to try it out later today!

So who will be buying the FR-S? Well... I’d like to think everyone will want one! We expect drivers to be more on the male side…with a slightly higher household income than our current owners. Sometimes people ask me... “Scion is about youth. Isn’t this car going to also attract an older buyer?” I would agree that a car like the FR-S will interest a wide range of people... and I’m perfectly fine with that. You know why? Because the FR-S driver will more than likely be new to the brand. A passionate owner that craves an exciting rear-wheel-drive sports car that he can afford…something that has not only been missing from Scion…but from the entire automotive industry. I think the FR-S will also interest people who can afford to buy any sports car they want... simply because it is SO much fun to drive.

Because this car is so different than anything Scion has ever launched... it is inspiring us to experiment with our marketing. As a matter of fact, we’ve taken a different approach with the FR-S since the beginning of its launch. Instead of using an auto show... we revealed the production FR-S at a private event on a Hollywood sound stage to a crowd of 500 enthusiasts.

We launched an innovative early buyer program called Scion “First 86”... that gave 86 lucky people the chance to own their FR-S before the general public. In the 8 hours and 6 minutes that the program was live online... over 3,000 people submitted their request. Just last week we invited all 86 lucky people down to our headquarters… where they got to be among the very first to drive the FR-S. Then we took them to the first Formula DRIFT race of the season in Long Beach… where Scion Racing’s driver Ken Gushi debuted the FR-S racecar. I promise you these First 86 are really enjoying being a part of the Scion family. Speaking of Ken Gushi... I would like to introduce you to one of the most talented drivers around…as well as a great friend of ours at Scion…Mr. Ken Gushi. Ken is going to be at the track all day and maybe he can even give you some drifting pointers out on the wet skid pad.

We’ve been keeping Ken very busy at Scion these days… as he’s also the driver in all of our FR-S commercial spots. The FR-S defines an entirely new level of performance…and we are thrilled to feature it with a completely new look and feel for Scion. The advertising for FR-S revolves around the theme... “Bringing the Sport Back to the Car...” and we think these new spots relay that message.

As you can see the footage is as aggressive as the car is, focusing on its true high performance capability.

Print ads pay respect to the FR-S’s heritage... featuring a family tree of Toyota performance... including the 2000GT... Sports 800 and AE86 Corolla

Scion’s goal was to create an affordable sports car, which we accomplished with FR-S’s pricing at $24,200 for the manual transmission and $25,300 for the automatic. To offer this kind of true sports car under $25,000…including delivery... processing and handling… was a huge home run for us... and more importantly for the sports car enthusiasts that have been waiting for the FR-S.

Add in complimentary Scion Service Boost… which includes two years of scheduled maintenance and 24-hour roadside assistance… and the value gets even better.

The FR-S... like all other Scions... will come mono-spec... eliminating expensive packages that offer features that drivers might not want or need, especially those looking for an authentic sports car. The owner simply chooses color and transmission…and they are given the option to personalize by adding accessories a la carte.

Speaking of accessories, take a look at this black FR-S that has been personalized just for me. It features a TRD exhaust, intake system, performance suspension, and my favorite, the Five Axis body kit and wheels. This is just one of the many ways that FR-S owners will be owning the streets.

Buying a FR-S is simple... with its Pure Price…No Haggle…No Hassle process.

As you can imagine... the FR-S is already in high demand... with more than 1,243 sold pre-orders and almost 27,000 handraisers. It’s great that Scion has 1,000 dealers for FR-S buyers to choose from.

We plan on selling over 10,000 FR-S this partial first year... and somewhere around 20,000 next year. Trust me... we’re confident we can sell every one we get our hands on.

The FR-S started out as a dream of Akio Toyoda’s…to not only bring the fun back to Toyota... but to bring the fun back to the entire automotive industry…and most importantly back to the drivers.

This FR-S is exactly what Akio had in mind…and now it is my pleasure to introduce you to the man that made it all possible…chief engineer... Tetsuya Tada.

Tetsuya Tada's Speech

Good morning everyone.

I’m very excited to get you into the FR-S, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy a great day of driving. But first I
wanted to give you some background on its development.

Back in 2007, Akio Toyoda felt it was time to create a Toyota that was built by passion, and nothing
else. Toyota created a project department that had one goal in mind – design an authentic sports car.
That was in the spring of 2007, and the next thing I knew, I was the chief engineer of a small group of
people who were completely dedicated to creating this new sports car that Akio envisioned.

At that time, other car companies were building high-powered “monster machines” with electronic
controls and a lot of technology. But there were no pure performance models within the price range of
most people.

That’s why I decided to create a responsive, driver-focused sports car for the everyday person.
My team and I studied performance vehicles from around the world, and talked to many car enthusiasts.
If this sounds like a dream job, you’d be right!!

Many modern performance models have forced induction, high-grip tires, all-wheel drive, and other
features that make the driver more of a passenger than a pilot of his own car. We decided to return to
the roots of classic Toyota sports cars. We saw guys working with their old AE86s, or “Hachi-Roku” as
it is known, at track days, and we loved their passion.

While the Hachi-Roku had the most overall influence on our development, there were two other historic
Toyotas that impressed us. The Toyota Sports 800, also popularly known as the “Yotahachi,” was a
major player in endurance racing, with a unique combination of a horizontally opposed boxer engine and
rear-wheel drive that was light, compact and fuel efficient. The other vehicle was the Toyota 2000GT,
because of its visual appeal.

During early development of the FR-S, I placed a 2000GT in the designers’ studio, with no specific
direction from me. I just let its overall character have a presence in the room. The result was the FR-S’
design having the spirit of the 2000GT.

In 2007, Toyota established some capital ties with Subaru, and the two companies were looking for a
joint project to work on. The flat-four configuration of a Subaru boxer engine was something in
common with the Sports 800 that our team loved. We decided that the combination of a boxer engine,
F-R layout, with influence from our three heritage vehicles, could work in a joint collaboration.
My team and I met with some engineers at Subaru to talk about the vision for the vehicle, and how we
could accomplish it together. Both companies had their own way of doing things, but each was willing
to find common ground and work together.

4/17/2012 Page 2 of 2
Over time, the lines between Toyota and Subaru began to fade, and we became a group of engineers
passionate about making a sports car enthusiasts would truly love. “Team 86” was born, and a true front
engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car began to take shape before our eyes.

At this point, we faced a review and planning committee, where the goal pure performance could be lost.
But the man who broke through this review cycle on our car, who had just become president of Toyota,
was Akio Toyoda. He insisted that “This car is not about numbers, it’s about passion!” Along the way,
I met with him every month or two, and he always supported our plans.

In July 2009, our sports car was officially approved with my catch phrase “Built by passion, not by
committee.”

When we spoke to sports-car enthusiasts there were four traits that they consistently talked about.
• Agile, intuitive handling
• Purpose-built look,
• Functional space and versatility
• And an attainable price.

They wanted what we wanted – a car that was fun to drive.

In order to achieve the overall dynamic performance that we wanted, we needed to have an engine that
not only provided smooth power delivery but also contributed to the vehicles balance and intuitive
handling.

So in collaboration with Subaru, we developed an all-new boxer engine with Toyota’s D-4S direct
injection technology, which is the first time this has been done. The combination provides the compact
engine ample torque at low RPMs, linear power delivery up to the redline, which is what you’d expect in
a sports car. The engine size and layout, which allows for its mid-ship location, also contributes greatly
to the low center of gravity and excellent handling.

The FR-S’s CG approaches supercars like the LF-A; and is better than the Cayman and the GT-R. Its
dynamic handling is also created by the vehicle’s lightweight, highly rigid body. We took every
opportunity to reduce vehicle mass, while maintaining body rigidity, and developed a number of parts to
eliminate unnecessary weight.

The design has an eye-catching style I call “Neo Functionalism,” a philosophy that embodies excellent
handling and an evocative look. The ****pit was designed to be “pure sports car.” The seats, mounted
at a hip point lower than most Porsches, were designed to hold the driver in place without sacrifice. The
steering wheel is the smallest in the Toyota family, with optimal grip, excellent turning performance,
and a clean appearance.

I’m looking forward to hearing your impressions of the FR-S, and I know you’ll enjoy the day at the
track we have planned for you. The collaborative development with Subaru was not limited to the
engine alone, but extended to all aspects of the FR-S.

By combining our strengths and expertise, we created a vehicle with unique attributes that could not
have been achieved by either company on its own. It is vehicle that both companies can be proud of.

[Hachiroku]

Thanks to Ichi for the awesome coverage!!

[bestwheelbase]

Thank you Ichi.

[denkigrve]

This is a really important nugget to pull out of what Jack said:

We plan on selling over 10,000 FR-S this partial first year

10K! So Subaru has 6k and Scion has 10k. So 16k for the year sounds about normal for a model like this. I'm a lot more confident that I'll have my car sooner than later. It also looks like only 1243 cars are actually sold/booked. Which is interesting since I'm not sure if that counts the deposits people have dropped off, or if that is outright purchases already. That'd be interesting to know.

[Guff]

Gracias, Ichi!

[titusdrake]

Wow, jack hollis speech is exactly the same as the one he said on the first 86 trip

[Bristecom]

Originally Posted by ichitaka05

The FR-S... like all other Scions... will come mono-spec... eliminating expensive packages that offer features that drivers might not want or need, especially those looking for an authentic sports car. The owner simply chooses color and transmission…and they are given the option to personalize by adding accessories a la carte.

And that's exactly why I hate Scion. To not even give us the option to pay for features that we want is just plain bad for the customer and for the company. I'm not saying they should have big packages where if you want one thing, you have to get several other things that you don't want. But they should at least have offered a higher trim level with the features that you can't simply bolt on which the Toyota 86 will have everywhere else in the world. America is about options - not monospec communism.

[jruhi4]

I can't help but laugh at whatever Internet censor mutated the word c-o-c-k-p-i-t into ****pit in that transcript of Tada-san's speech. (in the 3rd paragraph from the bottom).

[NorCalRider]

Thanks!!!

[steveosiris]

Originally Posted by denkigrve

This is a really important nugget to pull out of what Jack said:

We plan on selling over 10,000 FR-S this partial first year

10K! So Subaru has 6k and Scion has 10k. So 16k for the year sounds about normal for a model like this. I'm a lot more confident that I'll have my car sooner than later. It also looks like only 1243 cars are actually sold/booked. Which is interesting since I'm not sure if that counts the deposits people have dropped off, or if that is outright purchases already. That'd be interesting to know.

I think the estimate of 10k is a little ambitious considering the current economy.

[denkigrve]

Originally Posted by steveosiris

I think the estimate of 10k is a little ambitious considering the current economy.

They've sold over 1,000 already in the first few weeks. I dunno if it's going to be too hard to sell them.

[Zgrinch]

All very exciting but....

Buying a FR-S is simple... with its Pure Price…No Haggle…No Hassle process.

That is a total joke....Jack needs to reign in his rouge dealerships.