The Scion brand was almost killed and is now being kept afloat by selling a hatchback from Europe and through the benevolence of Mazda. Now, Toyota is looking to introduce a Scion crossover as well and previewed its design through the Scion C-HR concept car at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show.
We already know what the C-HR looks like, since it was presented as a Toyota concept on several occasions. But the significance of this world debut is not lost on us. Like the all-new 2016 Prius, the crossover will ride on the Toyota Global Architecture, which should make it light and efficient.
Scion hasn't had an all-new model built from the ground up in many years. The FR-S is developed with Subaru, and everybody knows it's just a twin for the BRZ, while the iA is just a Mazda2. We suspect the production version of the C-HR will replace the boxy and wayward xB that's become long in the tooth.
The three-letter name of the concept stands for Compact High Ride, so it's like a Ford Focus or Volkswagen Golf on stilts.
A production model has been under development for over a year, and you can check it out in the video "gallery" below, together with a short press clip of the Scion concept. It's been announced that Europeans will get to see the real deal at the next Geneva Motor Show, which is in March 2016. As for the Scion, it could be ready for April's New York bonanza.
From what we've heard, the model was developed from day one as a hybrid. However, Scion chief Doug Murtha said the chances of an electrified budget car happening are "pretty much zero." Instead, they are likely to offer it with either a normal 1.8-liter or a new turbo.
Whether you call it a Toyota or a Scion, it's clear that this crossover is design-led. However, it could face stiff competition from Nissan's Qashqai that will start being imported stateside within a year.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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