Beginning this coming fall, the Toyota family will be getting a little bigger, with the addition of three new models currently under the Scion brand. The youth-centered Scion brand was established in 2003 to better engage with a younger demographic. Of the more than one million Scion vehicles sold, 50 percent were to customers younger than 35.
Yesterday, Toyota announced that, after 13 year in the industry, Scion will be transitioning back to the Toyota brand. Three Scion models will be rebadged under the Toyota brand: the FR-S sports car, iA sedan, and iM five-door hatchback. The tC sports coupe will have one more release, before production ceases in August; and the newly introduced C-HR is set to become part of the Toyota lineup.
“This isn’t a step backward for Scion; it’s a leap forward for Toyota. Scion has allowed us to fast track ideas that would have been challenging to test through the Toyota network,” said Jim Lentz, founding vice president of Scion and now CEO, Toyota Motor North America. “I was there when we established Scion and our goal was to make Toyota and our dealers stronger by learning how to better attract and engage young customers. I’m very proud because that’s exactly what we have accomplished.
We welcome Scion customers to Toyota. Beginning in August, Scion’s youth-oriented cars will join the Toyota line-up https://t.co/drWtWb6LCI
— Toyota USA (@Toyota) February 3, 2016
