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  • Scion VP: No plans for a hybrid model

    By Drew Johnson

    Toyota may be the world leader in hybrid vehicle technology, but the Japanese automaker has no immediate plans to offer a hybrid system in its Scion line of vehicles. Instead, Scion will continue to focus on vehicles with a price tag south of $20,000.
    Speaking with Wards Auto, Scion vice president Jack Hollis revealed the youth brand hasn’t completely ruled out hybrid powertrains for future models, but noted the added cost of today’s hybrid systems doesn’t mesh with Scion’s value image. “We really still feel (hybrids) fit into the Toyota lineup better than the Scion lineup, from a pricing structure,” Hollis said.

    Rumors have suggested the Toyota FT-Ch could surface in Scion showrooms, but Hollis says that will not be the case. “Scion would want to have a totally differentiating hybrid, and we don’t have that ready yet.”

    Although Scion has drawn a line in the sand at the $20,000, the brand is still considering all-wheel drive models. Hollis failed to mention when Scion’s first AWD model might appear, but did say such an offering would use an AWD system from partner Subaru. Albeit far from a confirmation, Hollis’ words seem to lend credence to the possibility of the Toyota FT-86 concept arriving in showrooms as the next Scion tC. An all-new Scion tC is expected by the end of this year.

    21 COMMENTS

    1. photo
      bigdman176 days ago
      0  0

      I dunno… leader in hybrid technologies without brakes… or faulty accelerators. Definately leads the pack cuz they never stop.

    2. photo
      cshannon53176 days ago
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      This just in… Vacuums suck.

    3. photo
      johngalt176 days ago
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      Please wake me up when Toyota’s no longer in the news. I’ll now have you refer to me as “Rip Van Winkle.”

    4. photo
      NRG176 days ago
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      Do you think the brakes will work properly by then? Probably, but lets see what other problems come up that they will hide. I just love bashing Toyota. Hey, they brought it upon themselves.

      Anyway, the FT-86 seems like a big jump from the tC. Nice looking, but I doubt everything from the concept will carry over.

    5. photo
      RaineMan176 days ago
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      With Toyota planning to spin all their Hybrids off into a “Prius” brand… this is only logical.

    6. photo
      johnnycanuck176 days ago
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      From the little I’ve garnered about Scion over the years I’d say they have no plan… period.

    7. photo
      JakeK66176 days ago
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      Darn it Johnny – that’s what I was going to say!

      Well, I do know they plan to keep models unrefreshed for as long as possible and keep rolling out “special editions” every year.

      What’s that? Isn’t that the same thing Chrysler gets hammered on doing to the PT Cruiser?

    8. photo
      85ZingoGTR176 days ago
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      Scion – No hybrid models. Instead, models that accelerate by themselves.

      RaineMan – I really don’t understand the benefit with coming out with yet another namebrand for their hybrid models. A waste of money. I understand Toyota and Lexus being its a name for the prestige which everyone practices. But I dont understand why they had to come up with the Scion name either. To appear to younger people? They should’ve just kept the Toyota name and made their models sportier. I fail to see the logic here. Toyotas had their sporty models like the Celica and Supra.

    9. photo
      howsmydriving176 days ago
      0  0

      I can see that I need to explain, in simple terms, Toyota’s reasons for creating the Scion brand, as follows: Toyota wants to attract young people with sporty, yet affordable models, in the hope of earning brand loyalty as these buyers grow older and have more disposable income.

      Whether Scion has/will achieve this objective, or whether Toyota is pleased with its youth-oriented brand, is debatable, I suppose.

    10. photo
      johnnycanuck176 days ago
      0  0

      Gee, hmd’s being condescending again… there’s a shocker.

    11. photo
      alsvw176 days ago
      0  0

      Scion just to work on their cars ECU and brake system.

    12. photo
      0-60176 days ago
      0  0

      Scion needs help. The whole band sold 3K in Jan.

    13. photo
      Troll Killer176 days ago
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      I almost forgot Scion was a brand.

    14. photo
      A4176 days ago
      0  0

      The only thing gayer than a purple Scion is a purple hybrid Scion.

    15. photo
      Troll Killer176 days ago
      0  0

      The about a month ago when I was passing Wal-Mart, I saw a Lexus RX hybrid with gold badges, a Christmas reef on the grille and Audi-like LEDs in the headlights. To me that qualifies as worse than a purple scion.

    16. photo
      A4176 days ago
      0  0

      …do you mean wreath?

    17. photo
      0-60176 days ago
      0  0

      No A4 it was from the ocean made by Christmas fish.

    18. photo
      johnnycanuck176 days ago
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      I had Christmas fish once… of course that was very early in the marriage.

    19. photo
      A4176 days ago
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      haha I was trying to think of something good for reef but I came up short. Solid.

    20. photo
      Sanandraes2004175 days ago
      0  0

      Now we will be hearing about a runnaway Toyota Yaris and Scion because Toyota still has not recalled thede models yet. That means there is still a very good chance these cars still have the accelerator problems and now I am hearing that on some Toyota models you will have a runnaway car and NO BRAKES to stop it. GREAT!!!! A Runnaway Toyota Prius. Now we have an EARTH FRIENDLY WAY TO DIE!!!! I have mentioned on previous posts that Toyota only recalled their best selling models because the government pressured them with the threat of force and they are blaming their domestic North American assembly operations and suppliers in order to justify importing more cars from Japan. Toyota conveniently recalled it’s North American built models and continued selling it’s models that are imported from Japan that probably still have the same problems. how much money is the Japanese Government secretly paying Toyota to focus more on cars imported from Japan and to try and kill it’s North American assembly plants??!?? You can NOT trust the Japanese with jobs and now not even to keep you alive!! To be honest. I have been waiting for the day when Toyota would screw something up because I always knew that no automaker is perfect and immune from these kind of things. However, I am totally suprised that Toyota of all companies managed to F*** up this bad. I expected something to happen sooner or later but I never expeced them to F*** up this bad. Not just the defects but also their attempts to cover them up. Toyota might be using this as an excuse to return to full imports from Japan and kill their North AMerican assembly operations. Now they ****ed that up too because these defects now appear to be in some or most of their imported models as well!!!! Maybe your coffin will be MADE IN JAPAN as well. And yes there is now an explosion of Toyota related comments on Left Lane News and all other auto related blogs and websites. That is because people are taking this seriously even if people like me are overly sarcastic sometimes :=) Sometimes you just got to add a bit of humour even if the issue is not that funny.

    21. photo
      Troll Killer175 days ago
      0  0

      @ A4

      Yes i do by the way. But the person who owned the lexus must have been smoking reefer!

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