Photo: Scion on Facebook
On February 3, 2016, an unofficial report popped up on the Internet regarding the imminent demise of the Scion brand. Then came Toyota’s take on the matter, making it clear that 2016 Scion models would earn Toyota badges for the 2017 model year.
Now that the 2017 model year is in full swing, Scion’s official Facebook account reiterated that this is the end, my beautiful friend [The Doors pun intended]. And so, eight months after the announcement, Scion has finally kicked the bucket for good. “After 13 years and nearly 1.2 million owners, Scion closes its doors,” the post reads. Oh well, that’s that, I guess.
While the FR-S, iA sedan, and iM hatchback transitioned to Toyota, the tC sports coupe is dead. Production of the tC ended in August 2016 with the limited-run Release Series 10.0, which came exclusively in a paint finish dubbed Barcelona Red. These said, what can we learn from the Scion tC’s downhearted demise? Having one of the lowest-average buyer age (29YO) in the industry is nothing without a healthy sales volume, full stop.
Owners should take note that servicing and repairs for their cars are now done by Toyota. Those who fancy an FR-S of their could either go for a second-hand car or the 2017 Toyota 86 ($25,255 sans destination) or the facelifted Subaru BRZ, which is slightly more expensive than its Toyota-badged counterpart at $25,495. The iA is now the Yaris iA and it continues to be based on the Mazda2 sedan, whereas the iM is now called Corolla iM.
“This isn’t a step backward for Scion; it’s a leap forward for Toyota. Scion has allowed us to fast track ideas that would have been challenging to test through the Toyota network,” explained Jim Lentz, founding vice president of Scion and now chief executive offiver of Toyota Motor North America.
While the FR-S, iA sedan, and iM hatchback transitioned to Toyota, the tC sports coupe is dead. Production of the tC ended in August 2016 with the limited-run Release Series 10.0, which came exclusively in a paint finish dubbed Barcelona Red. These said, what can we learn from the Scion tC’s downhearted demise? Having one of the lowest-average buyer age (29YO) in the industry is nothing without a healthy sales volume, full stop.
Owners should take note that servicing and repairs for their cars are now done by Toyota. Those who fancy an FR-S of their could either go for a second-hand car or the 2017 Toyota 86 ($25,255 sans destination) or the facelifted Subaru BRZ, which is slightly more expensive than its Toyota-badged counterpart at $25,495. The iA is now the Yaris iA and it continues to be based on the Mazda2 sedan, whereas the iM is now called Corolla iM.
“This isn’t a step backward for Scion; it’s a leap forward for Toyota. Scion has allowed us to fast track ideas that would have been challenging to test through the Toyota network,” explained Jim Lentz, founding vice president of Scion and now chief executive offiver of Toyota Motor North America.
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