After 13 Years, Toyota Ends Scion Brand

“This isn’t a step backward for Scion; it’s a leap forward for Toyota”, Jim Lentz, one of Scion’s founding vice presidents, said.

Scion, Toyota’s spin-off brand aimed at a younger generation, had become too old and needed to be put down.

Officially, Toyota says the reason the Scion brand is going away because of a change in that demographic’s attitude-they’re no longer turned off by buying the sorts of vehicles their parents do, making Scion superfluous, says the News.

According to the announcement from Toyota USA, the company has sold more than a million of the cars and more than 70% of buyers were new customers, while 50% were under the age of 35.

In its first few years, Scion attracted solid sales with cars like the boxy xB and compact xA, but the brand – even with a recent infusion of newer vehicles – has not been able to really find its original niche. But now he says the Toyota brand can sufficiently attract the younger buyer with its switch to more aggressive styling and high-tech features.

Luckily, Toyota is doing exactly that: Taking Scion’s FR-S sports auto, the iA sedan and the iM hatchback. The tC, on the other hand, will end production in August.

The Top-Selling Car At Scion Is the Toyota Celica GTThose who owned or remember the Toyota Celica know that the Scion tC (as in Toyota Celica) was never a new vehicle.

Toyota has announced that it will phase out the Scion brand, starting in the second half of this year.

That being said, Toyota’s line of vehicles have evolved to touting better handling and style that appeal to young drivers, perhaps creating less of a need for Scion in the crowded automotive space. FILE – In this April 1, 2015, file photo, the 2016 Toyota Scion iM appears on display at the New York International Auto Show.

Scion’s existing dealers and customers will remain unaffected following the decision to call off the brand.

Is this sort of like Volkswagen bragging that its Tiguan sales set a record in January when it struggled to sell anything but Tiguans, which don’t come with a diesel option in the U.S.? The cars were also initially sold in “monospec” configuration without confusing trim levels; buyers who wanted more add-ons could simply purchase dealer accessories. Toyota also believes its current models are stylish enough to take on the role of youth bait.