Toyota C-HR Concept Debuts as a Scion in LA

Scion has been somewhat revitalized by two new additions to its lineup this year, the iA subcompact sedan and iM compact hatchback, which helped boost brand sales above year-ago in September (50.4%) and October (44.6%). Now, Scion has slapped its badge on the concept and as you can see it looks pretty much the same as Toyota’s second C-HR.

Scion was at the LA Auto Show where they showed off the Scion C-HR concept.

Best of all, Scion says the C-HR Concept is actually meant to preview a production auto due in 2016. These vehicles generally allow more cargo space through a hatchback design and have a higher riding position than equivalent-sized passenger cars.

Also underpinned by Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA) and wearing an identical diamond-inspired exterior design, the only differences between this and the Toyota-badged concept we saw at Frankfurt appear to be the allocated Scion badges, and of course, the new red body colour – previously, the C-HR featured a grey shade of metallic paint, while this deep red colour appears equally fitting. It rides on 21-inch wheels that feature chiseled cutouts of the car’s profile.

That’s been designed with rigidity and a low center of gravity in mind, which should hopefully give future Toyota’s more pulse-jogging performance on the road.

Still, Scion needs a few fresh thinking rather than just borrowing what others have made, and the C-HR is a good place to start. Large fenders highlight the wheels and blacked-out pillars and roof make the cabin structure stand apart from the body. Toyota has already said it would launch the new compact SUV model based on the C-HR at next year’s Geneva auto show in March.

But this concept definitely heralds a new model. And when it comes to USA shores, Scion will take charge of sales.