Jim Letz, founding vice-president of Scion and now Toyota Motor North America’s CEO, said: “This isn’t a step back for Scion; it’s a leap forward for Toyota”. “They, like their parents, have come to appreciate the Toyota brand and its traditional attributes of quality, dependability and reliability”. Last year, there were just over 56,000 sold.
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Many Scion vehicles will be re-branded as Toyotas, according to a press release. Earlier this morning, Scion made an announcement that from the beginning of August, all 2017 model year Scion models will be sold under the Toyota name.
Toyota has announced that the Scion brand will be phased out after the 2016 model year.
“Millennials aspire to well-established, highly respected global brands like Toyota and luxury brands like Audi and BMW, Autotrader’s Millennial studies show”, she said, “and Toyota’s sales numbers prove that with 28% of its sales to Millennials”, she said.
“When Scion debuted in 2003, it was meant to bring in a younger demographic to Toyota, but growth was derailed by the recession and the brand never reached its intended volume targets or demographic”, said KBB analyst Rebecca Lindland.
Over the years, Scion offered the xA and xD five-door subcompact hatchbacks, the tC coupe, the xD compact hatchback, the iQ minicar as well as the FR-S and the iM. “I’m very proud because that’s exactly what we have accomplished”, Lentz said.
“By offering Scion products under the Toyota badge, the company can save marketing costs and eliminate what had effectively become a distraction from its core business focus”.
Scion sold a little over 1 million cars over its 13-year long run, with its worst year being 2010 at 49,271 deliveries.
The service and fix process for Scion customers will be unaffected by this change as customers will continue to visit Toyota dealerships’ service departments.
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“We could not have achieved the success we have had without the incredible support of Scion’s customers, dealers, and team members, so supporting them throughout this transition process will be one of our top priorities”, Lentz said. Scion employees will “have the opportunity to take on new jobs at Toyota Motor Sales”, the company explained.
