- A new report says Toyota may resurrect the shuttered Scion brand, but this time, it will build off-road toys.
- The company has plans to roll out several new brands over the next few years.
Toyota may revive the Scion sub-brand, which it closed in 2016, according to a new report. But don’t expect more funky functional boxes on wheels like the xB or cheap lively coupes like the tC.
Maybe don’t even expect cars.
Toyota recently brought a new concept to the auto show circuit – an off-road side-by-side with the 4-cylinder hybrid powertrain of the Tacoma. Side-by-side vehicles are 2-seater off-road toys not legal on most roadways. You tow them to the trail.
The concept’s name? Scion 01.
That could be a hint of something bigger to come. Don Federico, the chief engineer of the 01 concept, told Road & Track the Scion brand could return. This time, it could focus on non-traditional vehicles other than cars.
He said Toyota is “getting back to the roots of Scion, which was supposed to be this test laboratory.”
That’s not how most remember Scion. Toyota launched the brand in 2003, focused on low-priced subcompact cars targeted at young buyers. It pioneered new sales techniques, like non-negotiable prices and cars built in a single trim level. Buyers could customize them with dealer-added accessories.
It closed in 2016, though some of its planned products lived on as Toyota models, such as the 86.
If Scion returns as a brand building off-road toys and other non-car mobility devices, it will join a growing slate of Toyota brands. The company also plans to launch a Century ultra-luxury brand above Lexus and a GR high-performance brand centered around a twin-turbo V8-powered supercar.
