DJzone DJ Magazine

The term "on the wheels of steel," a reference to a DJ performing on turntables, was taken to new levels with the transformation of a base Scion xB into a mobile DJ vehicle. The result: two awards including Mothers Wax 2004 Tuner Car Award for top manufacturer's display vehicle and International Auto Salon (IAS) Custom Show-off Award from Super Street Magazine.

With the goal of creating the most unique Scion xB to date, Five Axis Models, a fabrication facility, partnered with Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. and Scion to create the dream mobile DJ vehicle. "There is nothing quite like it on the street," said Brian Bolain, Scion national sales promotions manager. "This vehicle represents precisely what the Scion brand is all about...creativity."

A team of DJ consultants that included Tony Touch, Mark Farina, Rob Swift, Josh Wink, and DJ Babu of the Beat Junkies, was compiled by Urb Magazine to provide a list of components and specifications for their dream DJ vehicle. With this wish list as a preliminary blue print, Five Axis started its 3,000+ hour customization journey.

"Our primary goal was to create a custom one-off vehicle that was unique to any xB out there. The biggest challenge was creating a vehicle that could solidly perform as a mobile DJ unit yet still remain a very functional car," said Troy Sumitomo, president of Five Axis. "We had to find an innovative solution to house all the pieces of DJ equipment as well as design and package a massive speaker system to effectively pump the sound to its audience."

Aesthetically, they started by altering the vehicle's shape using a Five Axis designed and engineered one-off wide body kit. Body proportions were dramatically enhanced by increasing the xB's body width by eight inches and extending the distance below the stock body by three inches. To create an aggressive look, the crew chopped four inches out of the roof lowering the overall ceiling height. As a result of the modifications, all of the glass had to be re-manufactured with Five Axis glass-forming equipment.

The DJ platform slides out the rear of the car using a linear actuator motor. When the platform is completely deployed, a micro switch activates the two-tiered rack housing the DJ equipment. Once the rack pivots into position, the top rack slides forward manually into position. The top rack contains two turntables and the bottom rack contains two Pioneer CDJ-1000 digital turntables and a Pioneer DJM-600 mixer. Pioneer mid and high range speakers are housed in both the rear doors as well as subwoofers inside the rear cabin all facing the rear of the vehicle. The rear doors are also powered by linear actuators and are choreographed to open with the rear tailgate. With the equipment fully deployed, the xB simulates a traveling DJ performance stage.

"This vehicle is an unbelievable example of the creative artistry that today's young people use when 'tuning' their own vehicles," said Michael Townsen, vice president of marketing for mobile entertainment at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. "It's quite impressive to see Pioneer's aftermarket audio video equipment and our DJ products built into the xB in a way that really showcases their audio and video capabilities." Scion and Pioneer are currently organizing events and entertainment partnerships to showcase the vehicle in action.