Toyota’s Scion division will soon launch its long-anticipated FR-S sports coupe, but Jack Hollis, vice president of the youth-oriented brand, has his eye on a different kind a vehicle – a small pickup truck.
We’ve heard rumors of a Scion-badged Toyota A-BAT pickup truck before, but this is the first we’ve heard such a comment from a Scion executive. Hollis admits the project is still far from a sure bet, but it’s an issue he continues to push.
“Versus other vehicles, I can’t say it’s priority one,” said Hollis. “I’m very interested in it. A lot of prospective owners are interested in it and every meeting I have in Japan, I’m asking, what else can we do.”
In order to leverage resources, Hollis wants Toyota to jointly develop the truck with corporate partner Daihatsu, much like Toyota jointly developed the FR-S with Subaru. Hollis was originally calling for Toyota to use an existing Daihatsu for the project, but the cost of legalizing such a vehicle for the U.S. Proved to be too high.
It remains to be seen if a small, fuel efficient Scion truck will ever see the light of day, but it sounds as if the idea could have some legs.
References
1.’Beyond the FR-S…’ view
