Scion Is Dead: How Poor Design Killed A Brand

Scion FR-S

Toyota recently announced that it would be discontinuing the Scion brand, rebadging some models as Toyotas and killing off others. Scion, which sold compact vehicles geared toward young buyers, was introduced in 2002, and its first models were shown in 2003 for the 2004 model year. While Scion sold fairly well in its first few years, peaking at 173,000 sales in 2006, Scion had trouble moving vehicles off the lot after that, with sales dropping as low as 45,000 for the whole brand in 2010, less than the amount of xB's purchased in 2004 alone. Despite Toyota's best efforts to market supposedly quirky vehicles to young customers, sales diminished rapidly.

Second generation tC

In 2004, Scion burst onto the scene with three new models, the xA, xB and tC. The xA, a small hatchback based on the JDM Toyota ist, was rather unremarkable looking. It featured a body colored grille, quasi-square headlights, and a floating roof. The xA performed well in comparison tests, and while it was the slowest selling Scion, it did not do too terribly. The xB, a rebadged Toyota bB, featured a radical boxy design. Right angles were everywhere, from the silhouette to the headlights to the window shapes. The xB sold extremely well, gained a cult following, was often the subject of aftermarket modification, and caused the introduction of the Nissan Cube and Kia Soul. While not everyone's cup of tea, the xB's unusual design certainly stood out in the U.S. market. The final model from 2004 was the tC, a sporty compact coupe. The tC had aggressive headlights and a mean-looking, thin, rectangular grille. With its athletic stance the mildly attractive tC was Scion's bestseller.

Second generation tC

Scion introduced the xD, a replacement for the xA, in 2004. Still based on the ist, the xD had a mix of curved and straight lines that resulted in slightly awkward styling. The small headlights were mounted high on the front fascia, while the grille was very low, creating a bug-eye look. The xD also had a extremely wide C-pillar, which caused a massive blind spot. The xD sold far worse than its predecessor, and was discontinued in 2014.

Scion iA

A second generation xB was introduced in 2007, with more rounded styling that still evoked the boxiness of the original. The skinny, set-back grille made the xB look like it had a serious underbite, and like the xD, a large C-pillar caused visibility issues. The bloated second generation's sales quickly plummeted.

The popular tC received a full redesign in 2011. More rectangular, sharper headlights, a slightly forward-leaning stance, and expressive character lines contributed to a handsome design. Nonetheless, sales dropped off, and even a facelift in 2014 could not help the tC.

Scion iA

For the 2012 model year, Scion introduced the iQ, a small city car based on the nearly identical Toyota iQ. With oversized headlights and a blacked out C-pillar, the iQ was not a bad looking car, but it proved too small for American tastes. It was discontinued just 3 years later.

The next year, Toyota rebadged its GT86 sports car as the Scion FR-S. The coupe featured angled headlights, a swept back cabin, and intricate sideways "b" shaped taillights. The best looking Scion model sold slowly, but luckily this model is going to be folded into the Toyota brand when Scion becomes no more later in 2016.

Scion iM

In 2015, Scion brought out two new models: the iA and iM. The iA, based on the handsome Mazda2 sedan underneath the bodywork, featured an ugly mug full of straight lines that contrasted drastically with the Mazda's curvy character lines and oddly placed creases beneath the headlights. While sales were dismal in its first year, the iA is going to be transferred to its parent company. The iM was a rebadged Toyota Auris, and therefore was a strikingly attractive hatchback. The angular headlights and thin grille, large vents on the lower front fascia, and wide taillights created a slick looking vehicle. Sales were similar to the iA, and the iM too will become a Toyota.

Scion iM

One possible issue for Scion's dismal sales was that many of its models competed in the same price ranges as Toyota models, but the fact that many of its models were either revolting or uninspiring to look at certainly did not help things. Since the FR-S and iM are continuing production, there is not much of Scion that will be missed. Like Geo, Eagle, and Saturn in the 1990s, Scion will fade into the past as yet another failed attempt at a cheap, compact car company.