Youth-oriented brand sold 25000 cars in Canada over six years

After 13 years its time to grow up, or so said Toyota as it dropped the ax on its youth-centric Scion brand this morning. Since it was established in 2003, the average Scion customer is 36-years-old in the USA – the youngest in the industry south of the border.

Half of Scion buyers were aged below 35, a group which accounted for 27 per cent of Toyota sales and was expected to grow, the company said.

According to the brand, the decision to kill off Scion is driven by “today’s younger buyers”, who want fun-to-drive vehicles which are practical and reliable, a combination of traits that executives believe Toyota can deliver.

As part of the brand transition, beginning in August 2016, MY17 Scion vehicles will be rebadged as Toyotas.

Luckily, Toyota is doing exactly that: Taking Scion’s FR-S sports vehicle, the iA sedan and the iM hatchback. Do take note that the tC coupe will receive one final goodbye in the form of a last edition.

The production version of Toyota’s C-HR compact crossover was also displayed as a Scion model at last year’s LA Auto Show, indicating a plan was in place to grow the brand further. They will simply be able to visit service departments at Toyota dealers.

“Even Toyota can’t compete with Toyota”, Brauer said. Only time will tell whether Toyota will use the Scion models to replace current Toyota models, or if they will join the lineup in addition to Toyota’s jam-packed offerings.

There was some question as to whether Scion was still actually rea the brand achieved that goal.

The auto didn’t have much technology, heck, the technology it did have was terrible, but it was the best vehicle to ever wear a Scion badge.

Other automakers are continuing to make small cars despite limited popularity, but they are moving production of the vehicles to Mexico where labor costs are a fraction of those in the U.S.

Scion sales peaked at 173,034 units in 2006 before plummeting to a recession-induced low of 45,678 in 2010.

The xA($12,965) and xB($14,165) were the first models introduced, followed by the 2005 tC sports coupe. I don’t know that it was ever an exciting brand though, which could be part of why it never became the runaway success Toyota might have hoped it’d become.

It’s not clear what will happen to Scion’s 1,004 dealers.