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Your first paragraph is correct. Your second is not. The topic of discussion here is that Toyota is killing the Scion brand, their "fun" brand. That was a business decision, and a smart one, to make up for the dumb decision of creating Scion in the first place. They ALREADY had fun cars under the Toyota nameplate. There was no need to create Scion and make the primary brand only offer boring cars. They can do both, and they've done so successfully before.
You don't seem to get it either. Toyota has catered to BOTH groups before, under one brand. It was a mistake for them to change that formula, which is why they are killing Scion.
They are doing well. They could do better, which is why they are killing off Scion and...
The original xA, xB and tC filled market niches that had little competition at the time. By the first refresh cycle there were multiple xA/xD and xB competitors, and the tC was part of a class that shrank even further in market share.
The revised models were 'better' than the previous ones, but either missed the mark and/or gave up some of what made the originals appealing. There wasn't a clear direction for the brand starting about 5 years ago.
Scion reliability actually outperforms Toyota. The Scion xB was the most reliable car on the market.
From my observations Scions were generally purchased by both the youth set and the gray hairs. The xB in particular was very popular with the seniors. However, Kia has made inroads there and now you see a lot of them in the Soul. They're both small, reliable cars that are easy to maneuver and easy to get in and out of.
Yes, my neighbor who is maybe 60 or so has an xBox.
I actually am quite fond of most of Scion's lineup. The tC while it doesn't get much love is an excellent sporty-looking but not sporty coupe that's practical, looks good, and costs $20k. Basically it's just a Civic Coupe that doesn't look like a Civic/Corolla, and that's just fine.
Thing with Scion as a brand though is it's outlived its purpose. Gen X didn't buy Toyotas as the perceived them as boring. So they bought a Scion. Now they're old and don't care about driving something boring so they're buying Toyotas. Scion never caught on with Millenials the way it did with Gen X buyers, and Millenials don't have the holdup about buying a straight up Toyota either so... yeah, it's pretty much pointless. Kind of a shame to see the tC getting axed though.
I agree. Toyota hasn't been exciting since they killed off the Supra. The Celica was as close to excitement as you could get in a Toyota after that.
When I think Toyota, I think blender, or toaster. I don't even realistically consider Toyota when deciding on cars because they remind me of an appliance brand.
If they could bring over some Lexus styling, maybe throw in some HP and a few RWD platforms, they might capture more market.
Agree. Toyota is boring. Like an appliance. But an appliance you can rely on.
Which is why I bought a 4Runner for things you'd need a 4Runner for.
But I drive a Mercedes (and/or other true sports cars) for fun.
To be perfectly honest... Toyota as a brand is rather boring. They have Lexus filling the luxury niche quite well, but for their bread and butter line... it's all way too bland. Having the Scion cars branded as Toyota would have given their lineup a shot in the arm I think.
Instead, they spun off a brand that never caught on with consumers. Toyota's lesson to be learned here is to not mess with a good thing. They've got great brand recognition with a reputation for reliability. It made no sense to create an entirely new subdivision with neither of those things going for it.
Toyota is very boring but it wasn't always that way. In the 1990's, many of their cars were practical and fun. The 4Runners and Landcruisers in the 1990's look better than they do now and were ahead of it's time in terms of style. The Toyota Supra was impressive too. Even some of the Celicas were really nice.
Now, the 4Runners look boxy and bulky. Their Lexus vehicles have no style whatsoever and look like big boxy Toyotas will some chrome and better instrument panels. Lexus also has a reputation for being an old man's car; it's for the wealthy old man who doesn't like American cars IMHO
Yes, my neighbor who is maybe 60 or so has an xBox.
I actually am quite fond of most of Scion's lineup. The tC while it doesn't get much love is an excellent sporty-looking but not sporty coupe that's practical, looks good, and costs $20k. Basically it's just a Civic Coupe that doesn't look like a Civic/Corolla, and that's just fine.
Thing with Scion as a brand though is it's outlived its purpose. Gen X didn't buy Toyotas as the perceived them as boring. So they bought a Scion. Now they're old and don't care about driving something boring so they're buying Toyotas. Scion never caught on with Millenials the way it did with Gen X buyers, and Millenials don't have the holdup about buying a straight up Toyota either so... yeah, it's pretty much pointless. Kind of a shame to see the tC getting axed though.
You are wrong. Gen X didn't drive Scions. Gen X is the generation of people born between 1960 -1980. Scion became it's own brand in 2004 so by the time it became a mainstay, Gen X was too old. Millenials drove Scions and it was marketed toward them. The reason the brand has fallen off is the Millenials have gotten older. And for the most part, Scions are relatively dated. The whole X Games/Trucker Hat/Jackass watching/Rice Rocket fad is more or less dying among the Millenials hence the reason Millenials are not really attracted to those Xb.
BOOM!!!
But Seriously, the Scion Brand was too expensive for what you got IMO.
IMO Kia/Hyundai took some market shares from the Toyota scion brand with, cheaper cars and a Bogus 100k Warranty Campaign.
The Scion TC always stood for, "Toyota Crap"
Any company that would design and market something as butt-ugly as that Scion iQ deserves to die.
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