Every year since 2004, Scion has released a special edition of the xB, with the exception of 2006 when 2 were released rather than 1. The recipe is about the same each time: New bodykit, special colour, production run of about 2000-2500 units. Now there’s a new one called the Release Series 7.0 (The 7.0 indicating that this is the 7th car in the series).

It stays true to the recipe. There’s a four piece body kit, consisting of front and rear lower lips and a set of side skirts. It’s got a special colour called Murasaki, which is Japanese for purple. Only 2000 will be made.

Other visual mods include centre-mounted tailpipes and an optional rear spoiler, which by the looks of pictures, improves the car’s looks quite a bit.

The interior will get some slight changes as well. There will be purple seat insets to match the exterior, and a new leather-wrapped shift knob.

There are even technical modifications. The suspension will be upgraded with Toyota Racing Development lowering springs and the exhaust has been tuned to sound sportier.

The colour is absolutely hideous though. While the studio lighting of the pictures taken above makes it look fine, the colour looks ghastly in live pictures! If you happen to be a bit crazy though, and think that it looks brilliant, it will be available to order starting this month. It will cost $18,320 for a manual transmission version and $19,270 for one with an automatic gearbox. These prices don’t include a $670 shipping and handling fee. Oh, and the optional spoiler is $320, not including installation.

Some more details are available in this press release:

Scion Announces Pricing for xB Release Series 7.0, Will Debut at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show

TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 30, 2009 — Scion announced today that it will be displaying its latest limited-production vehicle, the 2010 xB Release Series 7.0 (xB RS 7.0) in the Scion booth at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Dec. 2-13, 2009. The xB RS 7.0 will begin arriving in dealerships in December 2009.

The xB RS 7.0 comes fitted with a four-piece DAMD body kit including front and rear lower lips along with side skirts. The xB comes exclusively painted in a distinctive color appropriately named Murasaki, which means “purple” in Japanese.

One of the most distinctive features of the xB RS 7.0 is the TRD sport muffler that exits out the center of DAMD rear lip. The exhaust system features twin double-walled tips and is specifically designed in conjunction with the DAMD rear lip to give the xB a sporty appearance and a sound that can only be found on this particular Release Series. To complete the stylish exterior, the xB RS 7.0 is equipped with TRD lowering springs that bring the ride height down over an inch and offer sporty handling. A color-keyed rear spoiler will be available as an option.

The interior of the xB RS 7.0 features exclusive black fabric seats with color-tuned highlights that complement the car’s exterior. The sides of the driver and front passenger lower seat cushions are embroidered with the “RS” logo. The driver is also treated to a leather-wrapped RAZO GT Formula Spec shift knob that delivers a sporty feel.

Only 2,000 units of the xB RS 7.0 will be built, and each vehicle comes with a unique, individually numbered stainless-steel badge. The xB RS 7.0 model will carry a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $18,320 with a manual transmission, and $19,270 with an automatic transmission. A limited supply of the available color-matched rear spoiler will be available to xB RS 7.0 owners and carries a MSRP of $320, not including installation.

The delivery, processing and handling (DPH) fee for all Scion models is $670 and is not included in the MSRP. DPH fee for vehicles distributed by Southeast Toyota (SET) and Gulf States Toyota (GST) may vary.

On December 2, visit the Release Series Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/scionreleaseseries and play the Murasaki racing game.

Source: Autoblog