Did Toyota Give Scion A Kiss Of Death From The Very Beginning?

They tried. But the cars weren't really that hip.

— LexSucks (View Profile)

Posted on 8/4/2008 3:35:39 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5   

They should try to move their image to being about fun cars that are fuel efficient, and keep age out of it.

— daytonaviolet (View Profile)

Posted on 8/4/2008 3:46:11 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

Scion was created because the average age of Toyota buyers was approaching Buick's. Gen-Y was unlikely to visit a Toyota dealership, so something had to be done.

In the late 1990's TMS tried unsuccessfully to market 3 cars under their Genesis Marketing Project, and that fell flat.

Eventually it was decided to import JDM vehicles with slight alterations for the U.S. Market. These vehicles were meant to tap into the fast-and-furious youth market.

The problem with Scion is that there was no second act. It's initial products were a hit (even though they were quite mediocre). The business model was flawed and the idea for a streamlined purchase process was never fully realized.

Now TMS is scrambling to figure out Scion. The need to reach younger buyers is still an imperative.

— Maverick2020 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/4/2008 4:17:06 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

I think Scion is an OK brand. But I think what really messed them up is the "little devients" ads. That ad might only be appealing to little kids (probably mostly devious ones) and weirdos. I think they should make ads about young people hanging out with their Scions and are having a good time blasting some tunes. Cause they apply their brand to young buyers. Yet they don't really show young people in their ads. They need something young people can relate to and I think they need to change their cars a bit. Cause theres ONLY 3 CHOICES. the XB saved scion. I see a lot of XB's on the road(I'm seeing more XD's on the road though) I think they need 2 change the XD a bit and the they need a redesign on the TC. The TC I think has a lot of potential. They just need to tweak it so it seems more racing like, but yet fuel efficient. I also think they need a sedan and this sedan can't be a knock off of the corolla or the camry.They need other types of cars. I don't think they should make an SUV but if they did they can't make it a normal, huge gas guzzler or it wont sell.
I see a lot of young people drive em. But also a lot of older people thinking their hip. It's the same with the Honda Element.

I like to test drive a lot of cars. So I wanted to test drive the Scion. So I asked a Toyota employee to test drive an XB and he gave me a weird look and tried to promote the Toyotas. Toyots NEEDS to change this. Because if even the dealers are looking at scion as the lower, bad, and unneeded brand, people will consider not buying one because of un-appeal. Also a lot of people want to look good to other people and I know theres tons of Scion haters they won't want to drive in a car they don't like. So that's Scions problem. I hope some Scion execs are reading this.

I also hate when people hate the Scions. Their a pretty good brand. I know their not german engineering, a luxury brand, or fast cars, but for a first car, or if u don't have a lot of money, or if your a tuner that wants to show off a huge custom sound system, or are a basic person that just wants a point a to point b car. Scions are a pretty good choice

— asiancars233 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/4/2008 4:19:19 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

Toyota should have created more youthful cars under the Toyota brand. That's where they need it the most. Everything Toyota is either a practical sedan or an SUV. No coupes, no sporty cars.

Other brands such as Mazda and Nissan have a much younger demo by virtue of product their appeal, not marketing.

— 222max (View Profile)

Posted on 8/4/2008 4:44:53 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

Toyota already have a low-priced small model appealing to younger buyers - the Yaris. I would think that the Yaris and the Scion would be canniballizing each other's sales.

— Audiphile (View Profile)

Posted on 8/4/2008 4:49:01 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

Did Toyota Give Scion A Kiss Of Death From The Very Beginning?

Who cares, they're just cheap ugly cars.

:-\

— EL34 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/4/2008 5:17:23 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

I have said it before, and I will say it again as well as probably be de-boosted again; I think Scion is (was) a fad.

— cdoke (View Profile)

Posted on 8/4/2008 7:13:13 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5   

If you can't sell to young people Toyota really messed up! Young people are the dumbest people around when it comes to being influenced to buying something! Ok, young people can teach us a few things and do well is school, better than you and I probably but there hormones think for them and that includes buying anything. Also the quality issues didn't help anything either.

— truckmen (View Profile)

Posted on 8/5/2008 1:18:50 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1   

Wow. Where to begin. First and formost; As with the many, many, many great ideas, products, and business's that have come and gone over the years in America; this one too has been destroyed by good old american capitalyst idea of bigger is better. Along with a good dose of nothing destroys success like success itself. (just look at Britney Spears) It is a uniquely american process for the most part. And Toyota Motor America is no different. What was it that made the first generation of SCIONS so successful(mostly the XB and the TC) They were different, affordable and had inovative style and character. The XB was like nothing else on our shores in it's character. Sure, there were other utilitarian box type vehicles. None that looked like the XB. It was 'fashionable' Well fashion is a ficle business. But, as in fashion, you can't give them what they want (all the surveys said that the customers wanted the XB to be bigger) you have to tell them what they want. Toyota lost site of what the mission was and decided to fall back on it's own laurels of the past and it 'listened' to the customer. Great for Toyota cars, not so great for what a SCION was suppose to be. Thus, we have the plain jane, much bigger, much less fuel efficient and totally un-cool new XB. This works great for us older folks for as we age we want people to listen to us and give us what we ask for. When we were young, we wanted to be dazzled with glitter and newness, to 'stand out' to be told what is cool and see what we do with it. This requires extreme vigilance and a commitment from within to continue to stand out, take risks. IE: think young. Very risky and expensive for fashion designers, let alone for a car company. Ironically, I beleive that if they had brought the actual successor for the XB(Known as a Dihastsu) that is overseas to the US again, as was done with the original, there sales would not be in the dumper as much as they are now. Additionally there simply should not have been a successor to the XA, (IE: the but ugly XD) at all. IT did not sell well as the XA (to small and wierd) and it sells even worse as the XD-erelict). So wether Toyota can goe outside the box again and reivigorate the line with something fashionable and stylistically inovative is the challenge at hand. If not, the SCION brand should be gently washed away and merge the remaining vehicles into the Toyota line. I believe that if they again look to there own home country shores for inspiration, maybe that can be accomplished. However, don't look for the SCION brand name to be on the scene for too much longer.

— Autoknologist (View Profile)

Posted on 8/5/2008 2:34:09 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

+1

— Kaniver (View Profile)

Posted on 8/5/2008 9:05:16 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

It was a bad idea from the start. Toyota needs to focus on it's core mission of reliable, safe, fuel efficient cars that range from small to big sedans and the light trucks at competitive prices.

All they need to do is allow people to customize their cars easier with TRD type of parts and better stereos. That needs to be considered from design stage and would help keep their line looking so monotonous.

I think they should cancel Scion because the cars are expensive. For young people, they just don't have that much buying power after paying rent and college, etc.

— g2ok (View Profile)

Posted on 8/5/2008 9:02:45 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

It doesn't matter how much you can customize these cars, they will still be fugly, its like polishing a turd...

— Kaniver (View Profile)

Posted on 8/5/2008 9:03:26 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

Bring back the Celica.

— g2ok (View Profile)

Posted on 8/5/2008 9:04:34 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Competing against Toyota's compacts is hard to do.
Why buy a Scion when you can lease a BMW for less?
Only the tC was attractive.
The first two are nearly imopssible to overcome.

I have noticed that almost all of the xB's I've seen (we don't have many in Canada) have been tricked out. Maybe they should integrate these cars into Toyota dealerships and raise the prices to target that specific segment (if you can afford $3000 for wheels and tires, you can afford an extra grand for a car). xA is basically a Yaris and the xB is an ugly Yaris 5-door.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/6/2008 12:15:59 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

If they want to be trendy and young, bring back the Celica and other performance 4bangers. Priced at $25,000 CDN, they'd move quite a few.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/6/2008 12:17:34 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

I never understood this brand, seemed like a short sighted move.

— JudasLease (View Profile)

Posted on 8/7/2008 8:00:17 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

sell scion to someone who understands the demographic and can take care of scion without being sat on by toyota

— saintdiablosaint (View Profile)

Posted on 8/7/2008 10:31:00 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1