2008 New York Auto Show Preview: Scion Begins Slow Striptease of Hako Coupe Concept

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TORRANCE, California — Scion on Wednesday unveiled the first peek at its new concept vehicle, the Hako Coupe, which is set for a formal debut on March 19 during the 2008 New York Auto Show.

The image shows a section of the Hako Coupe's front end, highlighting dramatically chiseled lines, an orange paint job and a headlight that appears to be little more than a slit. Toyota had very little to say about the concept in a brief press release that accompanied the image. "The sporty interpretation of the box concept was developed by Tokyo Design Division, which studied global, youth-inspired trends," it said.

Apparently, the name of the new Scion concept has a couple of layers of meaning. "Hako" means "box" in Japanese. Also, the Hako Coupe may be a natural extension of Scion's previous concept that was shown at the 2006 New York Auto Show. The Scion Fuse was a futuristic coupe inspired by Hako Super GT racing cars that compete in Japan's JGTC series. According to the Super GT Web site, "Hako racing" is "derived from cars available on the market."

What this means to you: Scion begins to ramp up the buzz about its latest concept. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent