Photo: Scion
It saddens us to report this, but Scion is dead.
The report originally published by CarBuzzard turned out to be right on the money. Thirteen years after it was established as a youth-oriented automotive brand, the Scion brand will be absorbed by Toyota. The parent company from Japan tries to sugarcoat the situation with a happy-go-lucky statement that goes like: “This isn’t a step backward for Scion; it’s a leap forward for Toyota.” Right, and pigs fly...
Besides the emphasis on genuinely creative ads focused on youth customers, Scion will be remembered as the brand that sold badge-engineered Toyota models. The fact of the matter is that young people have come to appreciate the traditional attribute of the Toyota brand. Reliability is the most important attribute in a car for 20 to 30-year-olds. The cool factor and sportiness follow in a close second and third in their priorities list for a daily commuter.
From August 2016, all Scion models will undergo a rebadge process. The FR-S, iA, and iM will live on as Toyotas. The tC, on the other hand, will end production in August. The Scion C-HR Concept that debuted at the L.A. Auto Show will be marketed as a Toyota when it enters production in the near future. What else did Scion leave after its untimely death?
Twenty-two team members are left, employees who have been given the opportunity to apply for new positions at Toyota Motor Sales’ headquarters in Torrance, California. Regional representatives of the Scion brand will assume different responsibilities in Toyota’s sales offices. “Scion has had some amazing products over the years and our current vehicles are packed with premium features at value prices,” declared Andrew Gilleland, Scion vice president.
Amazing products and premium features at value prices didn’t cut it. We’re saddened by the loss of the Scion brand, yet something had to give. With 1,092,675 cars sold from 2003 until the end of 2015, Scion has always been a dead man walking compared to the growth of sales posted by Toyota in the same interval.
Besides the emphasis on genuinely creative ads focused on youth customers, Scion will be remembered as the brand that sold badge-engineered Toyota models. The fact of the matter is that young people have come to appreciate the traditional attribute of the Toyota brand. Reliability is the most important attribute in a car for 20 to 30-year-olds. The cool factor and sportiness follow in a close second and third in their priorities list for a daily commuter.
From August 2016, all Scion models will undergo a rebadge process. The FR-S, iA, and iM will live on as Toyotas. The tC, on the other hand, will end production in August. The Scion C-HR Concept that debuted at the L.A. Auto Show will be marketed as a Toyota when it enters production in the near future. What else did Scion leave after its untimely death?
Twenty-two team members are left, employees who have been given the opportunity to apply for new positions at Toyota Motor Sales’ headquarters in Torrance, California. Regional representatives of the Scion brand will assume different responsibilities in Toyota’s sales offices. “Scion has had some amazing products over the years and our current vehicles are packed with premium features at value prices,” declared Andrew Gilleland, Scion vice president.
Amazing products and premium features at value prices didn’t cut it. We’re saddened by the loss of the Scion brand, yet something had to give. With 1,092,675 cars sold from 2003 until the end of 2015, Scion has always been a dead man walking compared to the growth of sales posted by Toyota in the same interval.
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