Scion is expanding its lineup with even more Toyota-based models.
Speaking to AutoGuide, Scion president Doug Murtha says the youth-oriented brand’s next model will abide by its current strategy of sharing platforms with Toyota and other automakers, but with Scion badges fixed on the front and rear.
What the new model definitely won’t be is a compact crossover. Murtha says he’s open to anything as long as it fits Scion’s target audience, but he feels CUVs work best badged as a Toyota as they “still come with a little bit of that family-esque stigma,” something that doesn’t quite jive with Scion’s image.
It probably won’t be a hybrid, either. A Scion-badged variant of the Prius C might seem like a good idea, but Murtha says Prius C buyers stray towards the older side of the age spectrum.
That means the most realistic option is bringing another car over from a foreign market. Seeing as the iQ’s days are numbered, the European-spec Toyota Aygo city car seems to be the best candidate. It can be had with either a 1.0- or a 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine and targets the right audience – it starts at £7,995 in the U.K., which works out to about $15,000.
As far as the rest of Scion’s lineup is concerned, a refreshed FR-S is in the cards, and the xB and tC will soldier on mostly unchanced for the next little while, while a refreshed FR-S (and, thus, Subaru BRZ) is in the pipeline.
