Spooky-Kooky: Scion Bringing “Gyrating” and Smoke-Blowing iA to SEMA

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When horror-flick pioneer George Romeo set out over 30 years ago to make his full-color, society-gone-mad splatter-fest known as Dawn Of The Dead, the zombie genre was barely on the public’s radar. Beloved primarily by members of the fringe element who found the excitement of venturing into otherwise forbidden neighborhoods to catch rare midnight showings an integral part of the experience, it seemed the living dead would never be ready for prime time. Fast-forward to 2015, and it’s nearly impossible to get through a day without at least one zombie reference sneaking into casual conversation or to scroll through the channels without inadvertently witnessing gruesome zombie action of some sort. So it should come as no surprise that carmakers like Scion—as previously seen with the Hyundai Elantra, Veloster, Santa Fe and Tuscon­—now actively court the creators of zombie sagas to create vehicles for promotional purposes. The latest entry in the zombie-vehicle sweepstakes is the Scion iA from Skybound Entertainment, which was built as a rolling tribute to Walking Dead author Robert Kirkman’s Outcast comic book. Fittingly, the theme of the orange-, black-, and green-toned car is demonic possession, and it will “gyrate, smoke, change colors, and emit eerie sounds.” In other words, all of the behaviors typically displayed by cars when operating under demonic possession.

As you might expect, relying on the supernatural to perform these functions on cue (this is show business people!) proved to be highly frustrating, so the creators called in Trou Sumitomo and Geoff Curtis from Five Axis to outfit the iA with the gear needed to dutifully and reliably run through a two-minute presentation on demand. While the specifics have not been disclosed, the end product includes automatic opening of the rear doors, fuel filler, and glove box; movement of the steering wheel and front and rear wheels and suspension height; and animation of the front bumper and rear taillamps. The grand finale, of course, is the car filling with smoke from the HVAV vents, and the projection of blood splatter graphics on the windows.

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Get past all the kooky spooky aspects, and it’s just a friendly Scion iA underneath. The 18-by-7.5-inch aluminum wheels are from FIVE:AD; the tires are 225/40 Toyo Proxes R1R front and rear; the paint, pinstriping, and aero kit are from Five Axis. We’re on the record with our appreciation of the technically not-a-Scion iA, and prospective buyers will want to remember: When there’s no more room in hell, the dead will roam the earth in efficient and reliable sub-compact automobiles.

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