Established as a way for Toyota explore new products and procedures, and to better serve a younger demographic, the Scion brand will be returning to its parent company, beginning in the fall of 2016. Toyota announced the news via press release, yesterday.
During its 13 years as the youngest brand in the industry, Scion sold more than one million vehicles, with 50 percent going to customers under the age of 35.
Current Scion models will continue production, but will be rebadged as Toyota models in August. The exception is the tC sports coupe, which will be retired in August after a final release edition.
Jim Lentz, founding vice president of Scion and now CEO, Toyota Motor North America, spoke optimistically about the future. “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 Lentz “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 could not have achieved the success we have had without the incredible support of Scion’s customers, dealers and team members, so supporting them throughout this transition process will be one of our top priorities.”
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