Car Auto Online | Scion | CAR REVIEW | Scion is a brand of vehicles produced by Toyota Motor Corporation for the North American market. Founded in 2002, the objective of long-term Scion is attracting consumers of Generation Y. The first model Scion xB station wagon and XA hatchback , sold in California in 2003, followed by a sports coupe, Scion TC, and launch in all U.S. market in 2004. The successor of Scion Xa , the xD, launched in 2008, and the Scion brand broadened in Canada in 2010. The line-up of Scion , uses a fast and simplified to purchase, and the brand has focused on techniques of guerrilla and viral marketing. The name Scion, which means descendant of a family or an heir, refers to cars both brand and their owners.
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| Scion TC 2011 |
Only a few years, Scion is the youngest brand in the market - a fact which seems appropriate since it is directed against a very young demographic. Scion has quickly found a home in the hearts of buyers seeking a winning blend of value and style. Icing on the cake is that Scion is a part of the Toyota family, offering all the quality and reliability you expect from a brand with his parents.
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| Scion IQ 2010 |
In 1999, Toyota launched Project Genesis, an effort to bring younger buyers to the Toyota marque in the United States. This project aimed to create a "marque within a marque" in sales and advertising strategy for compact and coupe models sold by Toyota. The effort, which included the introduction of the Toyota Echo economy car, along with late generation Toyota MR-2 and Toyota Celica models, was judged unsuccessful and cancelled in 2001. In response, Toyota chose to launch a separate marque, an effort called Project Exodus. A Los Angeles based digital design company, Fresh Machine (led by Wyndham Chow and Richard Bolton), was retained by Toyota to develop the brand, logo and launch website. This project became known as Scion.
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| Scion XB 2009 |
When Toyota realized early in the 21st century that it was losing market share in the younger demographic due to a stodgy image, the company took a chance and decided to spin off a new brand called Scion (its name means "descendant" or "heir to"). The first Scions, the xA and xB models, were introduced for the 2004 model year. These edgy little cruisers were first available only in the California market; after a staggered rollout, Scion vehicles became available nationwide.
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| Scion XD 2008 |
Scion was first introduced in March 2002, at the New York Auto Show. There were just two concept vehicles, the bbX (which became the xB), and the ccX (which became the tC). The 2004 xA and xB were unveiled at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show on January 2, 2003. They were available only in 105 Toyota dealerships in California at their initial launch on June 6, 2003. The subsequent rollout of the brand to the South, the Southeast, and the East Coast occurred in February 2004. Scion vehicles were available nationwide in June 2004, coinciding with the release of the 2005 tC. On December 16, 2006, Scion unveiled the next-generation xB, based on the t2B concept, and the new xD, successor of the xA, at an invitation-only, no-camera event in Miami. Both cars were then publicly unveiled on February 8, 2007 at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show.
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| Scion TC 2007 |
Both the xA and xB were immediate hits, snapped up by young (or young at heart) buyers looking for high-quality, fun and affordable wheels. The boxy yet funky styling of the Scions provided a lot of passenger and cargo room for the cars' small footprints, making them ideal choices for campus and urban residents alike. They also coddled the youth market with flashy sound systems; Scion's stereos are among the best in the economy-car segment.
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| Scion XA 2006 |
Scion stems from Toyota's well publicized use of "Value Innovation", a series of articles in Harvard Business Review later encapsulated in the book Blue Ocean Strategy. Key factors of Toyota's strategy canvas were never published but include "Price," "Factor Options," "Performance driving metrics," "Confidence in buying," "21st Century Radio."
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| Scion XA 2005 |
The following year, the Scion brood grew to include the tC. This sport coupe offered more performance relative to its older siblings, thanks largely to a more powerful engine. The xA has since been replaced by the xD, which carries on the quirky and customizable spirit of its predecessor.
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| Scion XB 2004 |
Toyota Canada Inc. announced that the Scion brand will be available in September 2010 at 45 selected dealers starting in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, followed by other cities. Launch models include tC, xD, xB. The Toyota iQ shown in Tokyo will be sold in Canada as a Scion model, starting in 2011 as a 2012 model. The first new Scions were shown in Canada at the 2009 Montreal International Auto Show.
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| Scion XB 2003 |
Interest in keeping things simple for buyers, only cut the scions. However, buyers have the ability to modify them to drive a series of aftermarket accessories, such as a subwoofer, custom body kits and exhaust pipes. Scion also offers no haggle over prices, the same policy, which is offered by Saturn. With this system, buyers pay the list (window sticker) price, improving the process of negotiation.
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| Scion TC 2006 |
So far, no haggle prices, a wide range of simple, well-equipped models and a variety of dealer-added options combine to make the Scion brand a surprise hit with American consumers. The segment of the economy car is not exactly the first place you would be smart, fun to drive, but Scion has changed all that by offering cars with a rich seductive exuberance contrasts with its modest price. - CAR REVIEW