Toyota says it achieved what it had hoped with the Scion, including attracting younger buyers.
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Toyota distributed Scion through its existing US dealer network, and will not have to close stores to wind down the brand. Mr. Lentz further said that the company’s main aim is to make Toyota and its dealers stronger by learning how to attract and appeal the youth buyers. “At the same time, new Toyota vehicles have evolved to feature the dynamic styling and handling young people desire”.
The Japanese automaker said the Scion FR-S, iA sedan and iM hatchback will be re-badged as Toyotas. The other vehicles in the current lineup, the iA (a rebadged and re-nosed Mazda 2 sedan), the iM (the Corolla/Auris five-door hatch), and the FR-S (our Toyota 86) carry over into the 2017 Toyota range.
The production version of Toyota’s C-HR compact crossover was also displayed as a Scion model at last year’s LA Auto Show, indicating a plan was in place to grow the brand further.
Scion dealerships are all located within Toyota dealerships and will continue to sell and service the Toyota-Scions, so as far as consumers are concerned, nothing much will have changed, at least as Toyota tells it. Scion regional representatives will assume different responsibilities in their respective Toyota sales offices. Regardless of how you look at the Scion brand from Toyota, it will be no more in due time.
Toyota announced today that it is ending production of the Scion brand.
Scion previous year discontinued the xB, but new brand Senior Vice President Andrew Gilleland was hopeful the forthcoming C-HR small CUV would replace it as a must-have product.
I’m not sure why Toyota needed to launch a brand to acquire that information. The youth-oriented brand, meant to shepherd buyers up through Toyota’s ranks, is moving to that great dealership in the sky after almost 13 years on this planet. Scion had its best year ever, with 173,034 units sold, in 2006.
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.
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Scion’s staff of 22, representing sales, marketing, distribution, strategy, product, and accessories will have new roles at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
