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Scion on 16-month sales slump

03/03/2008, 2:54 PM

By jonaziz

Toyota’s youth-oriented brand, Scion, is on a 16-month sales slide, despite two new models in the maker’s three-car line-up. While dealership numbers are growing, sales numbers are falling year-to-year since the brand’s launch in 2003 and on a month-to-month basis compared to 2006 since August.

Last year saw the brand’s total sales fall by nearly a quarter – 24.8 percent – and the significant loss is blamed partially for lengthy model introductions of the redesigned xB model and new xD. January 2006 saw sales of 10,701 vehicles, while the same month in 2007 saw only 7,782 cars roll off lots, and that’s with 60 more dealers selling them, according to Automotive News.

President of Toyota Motor Sales USA, Jim Lentz, points out a mistake in the model changeover strategy as the main culprit behind slowing sales. Toyota stopped producing the original xA, which never returned, and the first-generation xB in December of 2006, with a replacement for the latter not available until March, while the fresh xD didn’t come until mid-year, in August. With the aging tC coupe as the only option, it’s no wonder sales were in the ditch.

“We underestimated the loss of momentum from the dark period for those two vehicles,” Lentz, once in charge of Scion, said.

This year, the second-generation xB sold in greater numbers than the old model in 2007, but less than January 2006 totals. The xD was behind in sales of the xA model, though to be fair, the two cars were fairly different, at least in size, engine displacement and cost.

Analysts are saying more small-car competition is to blame for Scion’s fall as well, with the newly introduced Honda Fit and Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris taking a chunk out of the market, as opposed to the relative lack of options when Scion first launched.

Lentz adds Scion should include more models to minimize the risk of losing momentum during new model launches like they just saw, with dealers mirroring that statement.

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03/03, 2:56 PM

posted by:

edgeguy

Is this really a big surprise? Scion’s offerings were initially appealing because they were interestingly “odd”, but now they are so old and tired looking. The tC should have been replaced this year. But can we really be surprised with the boring selection of Scions? After all, they are made by Toyota.

03/03, 3:02 PM

posted by:

eriNY

To me it looks like Toyota is expanding too much, why don’t they focus on their Toyota cars and make those look and drive better and make sure they have no problems…
The reason why the new Matrix and Corola look so ugly is because they are focused too much on scion.

03/03, 3:13 PM

posted by:

Madcapp

How about refresh the tC, and cough up a 6 cylinder with 6 speeds while you’re at it.

03/03, 3:15 PM

posted by:

cookie4me

That is because the new models are styled more like Toyotas.

03/03, 3:17 PM

posted by:

SoLoveLA

The Yaris is way cooler so why would you want a Scion anyway?

03/03, 3:19 PM

posted by:

RicardoHead

You mean overpriced and unappealing cars don’t sell well?

Scion needs to allow price flexibility and not nickel and dime every damned add-on.

03/03, 3:20 PM

posted by:

eriNY

LargePenis… very offensive. I am not a gay man, but from what I can see gay man here in NY are are very successful and they usually drive nice cars. And I think is wrong to determine sexual orientation by a car.

03/03, 3:26 PM

posted by:

johnnycanuck

They don’t officialy sell these in Canada but many dealers import them from stateside. I saw a TC on my local Suzuki lot about two weeks ago: the asking price was 25k cdn. Drove by the same lot 3 days later and it was already gone. I can’t speak for the rest of Canada but here in Vancouver they could sell these by the boatload. We have a very large Asian population who have been thirsting for something from Toyota worth tuning. Try and find a last gen Celica around these parts- darn near impossible.

03/03, 3:36 PM

posted by:

Blakkarr

Toyota is rumored to be working of several new smaller cars, a successor to the legendary Trueno/Corolla “AE-86″, a new Celica, and possibly another try at the MR2 (the least likely to be true- twice tried once failed… badly).

Obviously, the youth market is not as turned on anymore as Toyota thought. I would blame it on boring vehicle dynamics and Styling that does not attract like the first xB (b=box, no relation to the XBOX).

Looking at popular Toyota’s that still draw fan interest, they are all roughly-mid 1980’s designs that still draw attention today. Boxy, angular, simple and not fussy to look at. That overdone, 21st century, anime-feeling stuff was bound to fail. The xB and xD look like “one of the crowd” instead of happily and smartly individualistic against a back drop of rather uniform looking cars and smaller SUVs.

The tC is looking a little long in the tooth, but is still solid against the Tiburon, which is a bit older, and the Civic which may turn people off with it’s eye-catching and yet detracting futuristic styling. But then the Tiburon is going to be replaced fairly soon. If this “AE-86″ revival is for real, rumors have it that it would be a Scion to replace the tC while the Celica would remain a Toyota.

Then you have the ever-loving problem of redundancy, but we’ll see how this plays out in the next year or two.

03/03, 3:43 PM

posted by:

SwerveEarly

Toyota you let your teenagers get old and fat.
Now no one wants to take them to prom. Just kill Scion.

03/03, 3:44 PM

posted by:

agent09

see lp, everyone is gonna rip on you. but i think you’re the type of person that won’t realize it.

03/03, 3:52 PM

posted by:

Htay9500

blakkar: I agree. I adore toyota from the 90’s and earlier. now they’ve been in a somewhat odd direction.

03/03, 3:53 PM

posted by:

SwerveEarly

Long4Penis7/24: You are the man. Keep it up, I am so sick of anyone trying to make a point on this blog. Name calling is where its at. I dont even like cars, I just come on here to learn how defend myself in arguments with your unbelievable kick ass comebacks. Smart people suck.

03/03, 4:04 PM

posted by:

LexusSoarer

LMAO at some of these utterly juvenile posts here! Amazing…. Anyway, Scion fcuked itself when they revamped the xB. That was the vehicle that people identified with the brand, and they quickly went and ruined it.

03/03, 4:06 PM

posted by:

sprockkets

Easy why they don’t sell. No one liked the xA to begin with, and the new xB looks like a small cargo van, that and Toyota can’t get over the fact that the instrumentation should go in the middle, and the tC is just a wannabe Mazda3. Don’t believe me? This model year they put on projector lens headlamps (should have been there since day 1) and the same style tail lamps as the Mazda3.

The fact that you have to use a Marque brand to sell them should say something to begin with. That and no haggle pricing is definitely for first time buyers, and for Toyota to screw people on the pricing.

That and their commercials are so retarded. I don’t want a car that is associated with college students who put in HID xenon headlamps in their POS reflector based headlamps, which suck at controlling all that extra light and end up shining into the trees with it.

What the hell Toyota? Sell a Toyota Matrix or a Scion xD or xB or whatever, but not both.

03/03, 4:07 PM

posted by:

Heart64

BUTT UGLY is the only word that comes to mind

03/03, 4:18 PM

posted by:

rms492

Yeah, that’s because we don’t need so many 4-door cars.
The tC is the only Scion I would buy, because it’s as close to the Celica and good ‘ol Integra that one could have. I can’t wait for the next tC, and IT BETTER be two-door or else.

Also, Scion needs a small pickup, the long rumored “xP” could fill the bill. (something much smaller than the current Tacoma).

03/03, 5:44 PM

posted by:

TOZO

Also worth noting: Toyota (Company) is back down to 3rd place this year so far in US Auto sales. Ford is ahead by over 1000 units Jan & Feb ‘08. Bad Toyota news all around today.

03/03, 6:00 PM

posted by:

LJ

Also, Scion needs a small pickup, the long rumored “xP” could fill the bill. (something much smaller than the current Tacoma).

Comment by rms492, posted on March3 at 4:18 pm

A-Bat? That’s the rumors(from LLN, and other sites)…for a “truck(let”).

The guages should be in front of the driver, (xB).
The xD is ok, but for such a small car, it should get 38-40MPG, not 33 MPG, like the rental we had(overnight) awhile back.
33MPG… the tC gets that..and has 160HP.
tC is almost as fast as a Mazda3, but 3 is faster,not by much(and costs more, if you add sunroof to a 3, etc. More dealerships of Toyota/Scion, too, vs 1 mazda in 78 miles from us, vs 40, with 2 Scion dealerships)time:http://www.montecarloforum.com/m_78190/printable.htm
QUote from site ——————————-
The Quickest Cars of 2007: Less Than $20,000 – Feature
[:-]

Introduction

Tenth Place: 2007 Subaru Impreza 2.5i

Ninth Place: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS

Eighth Place: 2007 Honda Civic

Seventh Place: 2007 Hyundai Tiburon GT

Sixth Place: 2007 Honda Accord

Fifth Place: 2007 Scion tC

Fourth Place: 2007 Mazda 3 s

Third Place: 2007 Nissan Altima 2.5

Second Place: 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt SS and Pontiac G5 GT

First Place: 2007 Ford Mustang V-6
———————————————————-
Others have said the tC is faster.
Anyhow, if they put the 200 turbo on the tC…that can be had from Scion… there’s the “faster” right there.
—————————————————

Who knows what’s going to happen. Someone said to me that the Scion’s are now aimed for older people( well, 30’s and 40’s, vs late teens-20’s), but is still younger than the avg Toyota buyer.

Maybe a clean diesel tC, with 235 torque(like the 09 jetta will have, at 1,500 rpm)… 40-50 MPG, 0-60 of 7.5 seconds(or so)?
18-19K, loaded?
Who knows?

To each their own..Buy What You Like…
like I told my neighbor..when he told me what I should drive” You Make The Payments, And I Will Drive Whatever You Say I Should Drive!”
Take care/not offense.

03/03, 6:51 PM

posted by:

400horseSS

Ugliest cars on the road period, i saw a Xb coming down the street and went to my mailbox expecting my Sports Illustrated, how the hell can you sell a car that looks like a mail truck.

03/03, 7:48 PM

posted by:

howsmydriving

The wisdom of creating a youth-oriented brand (Scion) is questionable.

03/03, 9:25 PM

posted by:

autonut

I think it was smart idea to create youth brand but execution was screwed up after 2 years. Why do you leave you market/segment without cars for 8-9 months? why move those cars upscale (weight, cost, mileage) when it was wildly successful with smaller models? why create boxy version of Camry?
New xB is 600lbs heavier then old xB and looks ridiculous. And at this point it is not my esthetically challenge opinion – nobody buys them. Student will buy Yaris before Scion. The whole idea of inexpensive first car is out of the window. Price of gas did not help, going up it never help overweight cars. My guess is that Fit is taking over this segment. Toyota needs to certify Yaris hatchback and ditch xB.

03/03, 9:53 PM

posted by:

johnnycanuck

Thank you autonut, you’ve nailed it. Scion simply forgot what their mission statement was: economical, affordable first cars that didn’t look like the economical, affordable car that Grandma drives. So what do they do? Instead of making vehicles for the McDonald’s crowd they became like most of McDonald’s regular customers- fat and out of shape.

03/03, 10:16 PM

posted by:

AxeHead

Scion has lost it’s novelty – good analogy with McDonalds, their not unique or cool anymore…now if they build that truck with a baby diese…just maybe.

03/03, 10:16 PM

posted by:

AxeHead

diesel

03/03, 11:08 PM

posted by:

Heart64

What Scion Misses is affordability. Its nothing to look at but if Toyota Sold the Scion models for $5000 a copy then they got something. Its really bogus when the cars are up in the teens or even close to 20K with other main stream Toyota products.

03/03, 11:34 PM

posted by:

Commodore

LLN – perhaps you should consider posting the February sales results for GM, Toy, Chrysler, and the rest that have come out today and have been posted everywhere else for..oh…the entire day?

03/04, 12:07 AM

posted by:

bigp

the bx is too fatt an notv what made it sale in the first place

03/04, 8:27 AM

posted by:

Fletch

No excitment in Scion. The tC is overweight and slow, the original xB was cool then gained weight. Toyota is spreading itself too thin.

03/22, 1:10 PM

posted by:

jackjimturkey

Th though Scion was a hit, but the second-generation xB was too different.

03/22, 1:13 PM

posted by:

jackjimturkey

I thought Scion was a hit

 
 
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