Jim Lentz, chief executive of Toyota Motor North America, said the Japanese automaker’s decision to eliminate the Scion nameplate was dictated by a market shifting away from small cars and by changes in the buying habits of younger Americans.
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This means as of this coming August, most Scion models will be badged as Toyotas – including the FR-S, iM and the upcoming C-HR subcompact crossover – for the 2017 model year.
A statement from Toyota said that Scion “is now transitioning back to the Toyota brand”. However, now that Toyota is shifting its marketing strategy to produce more dynamic, fun-to-drive cars and trucks, Scion pretty much became irrelevant.
The company is framing Scion as a success story, noting that “70 percent of Scions were purchased by customers new to Toyota and 50 percent were under 35 years old”.
Toyota is portraying the move is a victory, saying that younger buyers who may have shunned the Toyota brand at the time of Scion’s inception now have a more positive view of it.
The California-based vehicle maker sold just 56,167 cars a year ago, which is less than a third of its best result in 2006, when 173,034 cars were sold. Yup, there is a transition going on here, and this will include the FR-S sports auto, iA sedan, iM five-door hatch, and C-HR.
Perhaps the best bit about this brand discontinuation for consumers is that their cars will still have part and fix support from Toyota.
The tC sports coupe, which is set to have a new release in August, will go down with the Scion ship.
“It’s been a great run and I’m proud that the spirit of Scion will live on through the knowledge and products soon to be available through the Toyota network”, he said.
Toyota has made it official: the Scion brand is dead.
Moving forward, Toyota will be absorbing the Scion brand. Current owners can continue to visit any Toyota dealership for their routine service.
Dear Scion: Thank you for your 13 years of dedication to young vehicle shoppers. There are 1,004 Scion franchises nationwide.
Kelley Blue Book analyst Karl Brauer called the event historic.
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This comes after the youthful line of vehicles sold over one million vehicles since its inception in 2003. Brought to Canada in 2010, the brand allowed Canadians access to small cars important to the Canadian market and is now transitioning to the Toyota brand.
