Scion is Shaking up its Lineup
When Scion was first launched, it captured the youth market pretty well. It was a stylish, and cheap alternative to the boring econo-boxes that the owners parents bought. Now, Scion is struggling to remain profitable. All those people that bought Scion’s have moved on to bigger and better cars, and a new class of owner has infiltrated the once cool brand, older people.
Due to that shift in consumer, Scion’s parent company Toyota, has been looking into new ways to help the brand and keep it relevant for the times. Over the next few years, the entire lineup of Scion cars are due to receive a complete update. First up to the plate will be the xB. The boxy 4-door, will receive the most drastic of changes and will pretty much go away. The underlying architecture will finally be replaced with what seems to be a much more stylized version of the Toyota Auris hatchback. In addition, there are rumors that a Corollo based car could also join Scion’s lineup soon too.
Next up will be the xD which will share the same underpinning chassis and architecture as the Mazda2, which they will get due to a recently signed partnership with Mazda. Is it me, or does Toyota seem to have a finger in everyone’s pot these days?
Thankfully both the tC and the FR-S will receive brand new generations coming most likely around 2016-2017. These cheap tuner cars seem to be the only things that are keeping Scion alive at the moment. But here’s the thing. Scion made its name as a youth market, and some of the changes to the lineup are geared to go back that way, but some definitely aren’t. If Toyota is going to commit to trying to sell to the younger crowd, then make Scion totally youth oriented. Otherwise, marketing towards both will ultimately fail. If you start to see your Dad or Mom in the same car you might want, sometimes it just puts the younger buyer off.
Oh yeah, and they are killing of the iQ, but come on, does this shock anyone? I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen one in the wild? Have any of you?
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