Scion may break promise to itself, add fourth model
Filed under: Car Buying, Trends, Coupes, Economy, Hatchbacks, Scion, Toyota
When Toyota’s youth brand was born, there was an unwritten rule that it wouldn’t grow beyond three models. Years later, Scion is an unqualified success having sold 170,000 units of the xA, xB and tC last year, which has Toyota execs wondering if just a few more units could be sold with a fourth model. The Car Connection got Scion’s corporate manager Steve Haag to admit his brand does need to expand. Haag told TCC, “We have to offer more products, (though) we want to remain small.”
Though a fourth vehicle, if produced, would still have to be an entry-level model to be called a Scion, Haag hinted that it would likely be something bigger and more expensive than what Scion currently offers. Haag also acknowledged that despite the green image of parent company Toyota, Scion models aren’t fuel efficient enough to attract environmentally conscious car shoppers. As such, Scion could get its own hybrid as a fourth model.
The question is can Scion sell 200,000 units a year with its current three-model lineup, which includes the redesigned xB, all-new xD and tC, or will a fourth be needed to break through the ceiling? What type of model do you think Scion should sell next, or should it nix a fourth car and concentrate on improving the three it currently sells?
[Source: TCC]
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