The real future of Scion?

[A Horse With No Name]

The real future of Scion? I see the whole thing coming apart at the seams, seriously. There just doesn't seem to be much real interest in the new xB or the xD, and the TC is fading rapidly in sales.

What do you all seriously see happening here?

Chris

[red]

I think they blew it with the new xB and xD...the models went directly against the divisions mantra as "hip" and steered more towards a small Toyota with options.

I think they lost their initial edge on the marketplace with these new launches, perhaps the philosophy wore thin.

[Drew Dowdell]

gone after the next generation.... or merged into Toyota.

[Sixty8panther]

Scion is lamer than the GEO Brand, which did better what Scion was supposed to do, without even trying.

(bring in younger buyers)

I see SO many geriatrics driving Scions it's almost funny.... if it was not filling Toyota's coffers still.

[SoCalCTS]

A hot new TC will save Scion. As much as I can't stand Scion, the TC is a shining example of what a small fun car should be.

[Robert Hall]

Toyota has too many overlapping small cars, IMHO...

[Polish_Kris]

Bring scion into canada!

[The O.C.]

The real future of Scion? I see the whole thing coming apart at the seams, seriously. There just doesn't seem to be much real interest in the new xB or the xD, and the TC is fading rapidly in sales.

What do you all seriously see happening here?

Chris

I just talked to a guy last weekend (friend of my ex's at a party) that had the original xB and just bought the new one and loves it. He loves the more powerful engine and even liked the styling.

Doesn't mean everyone would agree with him.....but I think it's too early to be speculating about the demise of Scion.

No matter how it compares to the old one.....in the general marketplace, the xB is still a unique piece of kit......and the xA seems to be a much more competitive product as the old xA....and the old xA was never a winner to begin with.

tC seems a good product and I've known at least two people that have had it (all of these guys are young) and they've both loved them. There's a great price-to-value ratio with what you get in the tC that lends well to a next-generation model....

Edited February 6, 2008 by The O.C.

[bowtie_dude]

Obscurity. Same place Geo went.

[Intrepidation]

xB sales are up 17% but xD sales are down compared to xA sales.

[Drew Dowdell]

I just talked to a guy last weekend (friend of my ex's at a party) that had the original xB and just bought the new one and loves it. He loves the more powerful engine and even liked the styling.

Doesn't mean everyone would agree with him.....but I think it's too early to be speculating about the demise of Scion.

No matter how it compares to the old one.....in the general marketplace, the xB is still a unique piece of kit......and the xA seems to be a much more competitive product as the old xA....and the old xA was never a winner to begin with.

tC seems a good product and I've known at least two people that have had it (all of these guys are young) and they've both loved them. There's a great price-to-value ratio with what you get in the tC that lends well to a next-generation model....

while I'm sure there are people out there that love the new Scions, the sales numbers and reviews are telling the real story. The xB lost it's edge and now is just a Corolla Van.. in fact it might even sell better if it had a name like Corolla Transporter or something. The xD is as ugly as the xA ever was. The TC is a good little car for it's segment but is really just a rehash of the original Celica formula and could easily be folded into Toyota.

[Cory Wolfe]

The TC is a good little car for it's segment but is really just a rehash of the original Celica formula and could easily be folded into Toyota.

Minus the performance.

[turbo200]

XB is doing extremely well over here. they seem commonplace already. I happen to really like it, I think the design is a homerun, though I don't know or care what the interior looks like. I think it's a compelling car, too. It's cheap, cheaper than the HHR, and yet probably offers similar cargo room, it's a nice drive and it has great fuel economy. It starts around what 14k-16? It's definitely better looking than Fit and has a real mystique about it. It's pretty cool and desirable.

The TC really does look like a fun car. I don't think the performance quite matches up, but it's a really good looking car in fact. I wouldn't buy it over the competition because of performance, but if I could get its looks on a different car's chassis/powertrain I would love it. It's currently appealing to those who are young can afford it and want high style.

The XD actually looks much better than before, especially with mods, which I guess is huge over here on Scion, especially, but not really where you guys are from. Though I don't know anything about its performance and quality...I would say they did a good job based on the unique look alone. I probably have a bias though, based on the LA show where there stand was just one of the best. The mods they had on the cars and the setup of the show was perfect for Scion and definitely attracted attention as well as thier market. They did an excellent job there, and so that's influencing my perception of them and thier marketing right now.

EDIT: I think I'm looking for opportunities to post cause I love looking at my sig. Does anybody else?

Edited February 6, 2008 by turbo200

[pow]

I get the exterior of the new xB, and I like it, but all things considered, it strays too far from the spirit of the original.

The old one was efficient (with both space and fuel), lean, mean, agile, sweet, and pure. It was simple, lightweight, and uncomplicated. The new one, on the other hand, is funky only in a mainstream sort of way, overweight, overengined, and undersuspended.

I'd rather see Scion be an outlet for truly different, incredibly weird JDM cars that are more poisonous blowfish than California roll.

Edited February 7, 2008 by empowah

[regfootball]

while I'm sure there are people out there that love the new Scions, the sales numbers and reviews are telling the real story. The xB lost it's edge and now is just a Corolla Van.. in fact it might even sell better if it had a name like Corolla Transporter or something. The xD is as ugly as the xA ever was. The TC is a good little car for it's segment but is really just a rehash of the original Celica formula and could easily be folded into Toyota.

i like to think of it as a Yaris coupe or a tercel.......

[The O.C.]

Minus the performance.

Not actually.....go peruse some old buff mags and you'll see the 2.4L gave the tC some pretty decent performance numbers.....plus the fact you can load the thing up (for a price) with aggressive tire/wheel packages and the rarely-seen-but-powerful TRD supercharger package for the 2.4L......

[The O.C.]

XB is doing extremely well over here. they seem commonplace already. I happen to really like it, I think the design is a homerun, though I don't know or care what the interior looks like. I think it's a compelling car, too. It's cheap, cheaper than the HHR, and yet probably offers similar cargo room, it's a nice drive and it has great fuel economy. It starts around what 14k-16? It's definitely better looking than Fit and has a real mystique about it. It's pretty cool and desirable.

The TC really does look like a fun car. I don't think the performance quite matches up, but it's a really good looking car in fact. I wouldn't buy it over the competition because of performance, but if I could get its looks on a different car's chassis/powertrain I would love it. It's currently appealing to those who are young can afford it and want high style.

The XD actually looks much better than before, especially with mods, which I guess is huge over here on Scion, especially, but not really where you guys are from. Though I don't know anything about its performance and quality...I would say they did a good job based on the unique look alone. I probably have a bias though, based on the LA show where there stand was just one of the best. The mods they had on the cars and the setup of the show was perfect for Scion and definitely attracted attention as well as thier market. They did an excellent job there, and so that's influencing my perception of them and thier marketing right now.

EDIT: I think I'm looking for opportunities to post cause I love looking at my sig. Does anybody else?

Love looking at your sig? Sure...I luv looking at any part of "you"......LOL j/k

You are right I think about the above. Look at the performance numbers C&D got on the new xD.....the old one did 0-60 in something like 9.5 secs and the new one is down below 8-sec....! The new ones may be heavier, but they offer much improved performance and drivability over the old xB and xA. Also, like I posted to BV above...don't forget about the dealer-installed TRD supercharger package for the tC.....!

[A Horse With No Name]

I get the exterior of the new xB, and I like it, but all things considered, it strays too far from the spirit of the original.

The old one was efficient (with both space and fuel), lean, mean, agile, sweet, and pure. It was simple, lightweight, and uncomplicated. The new one, on the other hand, is funky only in a mainstream sort of way, overweight, overengined, and undersuspended.

I'd rather see Scion be an outlet for truly different, incredibly weird JDM cars that are more poisonous blowfish than California roll.

Exactly. Toyota needs to do something original here IMHO.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

Scion is lamer than the GEO Brand, which did better what Scion was supposed to do, without even trying.

(bring in younger buyers)

I see SO many geriatrics driving Scions it's almost funny.... if it was not filling Toyota's coffers still.

Actually IIRC the TC was the car with the YOUNGEST average age buyer in the US at about 30.2 years or something like that.

But if GM/Saturn does its job Scion will have a dogfight on its hands. The new Astra is a MUCH better car than the TC IMHO.

Maybe Scion needs one mainstream car (the new xB) a revised sport coupe (The TC design is a little long in the tooth) and a funky JDM car to replace the xD (which isn't selling that well.)

Chris

[cire]

I think Scion totally missed their mark as a youth division. All the xB's and xD's that I see on the road (very few xD's, I might add), are all piloted by people that are way beyond Scion's target demographic (a.k.a. Toyota's traditional demographic) in age. This totally defeats the purpose of Scion and doesn't justify the extra dollars consumed by marketing an additional division. I think the xD should be absorbed into Toyota or discontinued in the U.S. (it has received some rough reviews and doesn't seem to be selling that well). The xB should definitely be absorbed into Toyota as it seems to sell well to Toyota's traditional demographic.

The tC is the only Scion product that I have seen in large quantities on the road and piloted by drivers that are in Scion's target demographic. The car should receive a great redesign. I would like to see a sporty sedan spun off this platform to compete against the Mazda3 and Mitsubishi Lancer (the Corolla is hopelessly appliance-like and not in the same league). A sporty 5-door hatchback or crossover (with an attractive design; completely unlike the hideous Matrix) and a small, sporty SUT might be better products to reinforce Scion's youthful target demographic.

More powerful engines might help, too. Toyota claims to be a technological leader in the market. It needs to apply a little of that tech to Scion to help it escape the dowdy image of its parent company.

[Robert Hall]

I guess the kiddies don't like rolling boxes as much as Toyota thought they would.