Scion

Scion is a marque of the Toyota Motor Corp. that was established in 2003, selling sports compact vehicles. Headquartered in Torrance, California, Scions were produced and sold through Toyota factories and dealerships within both the United States and Canada markets.

In August 2016, Scion vehicles were discontinued, with select models joining Toyota under new names in 2017.

Scion was developed under the Toyota project called Project Genesis, with the goal of appealing to younger buyers within the U.S. markets. This “marque within a marque” project aimed to get young buyers interested in smaller cars produced and sold by Toyota.

First introduced in 2002 and officially launching in 2003, Scion models were released in 105 dealerships in California. The first models included xA and xB. By June 2004, Scion vehicles were available nationwide.

In 2010, Scion expanded to Canadian markets. However, Scion sales plummeted in the 2010s and by 2016, Toyota decided to discontinue the brand. The FR-S, iA and iM models were rebranded into Toyota models with the following names: Toyota 86, Yarus iA and Corolla iM respectively.

To appeal to the younger demographic, Scions were sold at “pure price,” meaning the price displayed at dealerships and in advertisements was the price consumers paid. Unlike Toyota models, Scions offered more than 150 accessories to their vehicles.

Additionally, Scion thrived on producing quirky styles, such as square designed models to help appeal to Gen-Xers. The brand focused on implementing new and modern styles in auto design.

Scion also developed an in-house record label, called Scion Audio/Visual that served as a “lifestyle marketing” division of the organization to appeal to Gen-Xers and Millennials. The division promoted various music, art and film projects. Scion Audio/Visual worked with more than 1,500 artists, including ASAP Rocky, Justice, Danny Brown and The Black Lips.

As for the film side of the division, Scion Audio/Visual produced several films and web series, including “Scion Route Project,” which featured short films produced by independent filmmakers and “New Garage Explosion: In Love With These Times,” a garage rock documentary.

During the course of the company, more than a million Scion vehicles were sold. Popular Scion models include: tC, xD, iQ, FR-S and xB.

The Scion brand has been a part of the motorsport world since its inception. Several tC models participated in drag racing events and Formula Drift events. In addition, Scion vehicles have participated in Rally America as well as in high ranking amateur road-racing competitions.