Toyota’s sporty Scion brand is missed by many enthusiasts. Created in 2003 with the aim to appeal to a more youthful market, the brand brought us fun cars like the FR-S, which was essentially the first-generation Toyota 86. The Scion brand gained recognition again last month when Toyota unveiled the wild Scion 01 off-road concept for SEMA, but it wasn’t clear at the time if this was a one-off or a true resurgence of Scion. Well, we now have some answers. Scion will indeed return with more than just off-road concepts, although it won’t be the Scion we remember.
An Innovative Mobility Brand
At a recent media event, Road & Track had the opportunity to chat to Don Federico, the chief engineer behind the Scion 01 off-road concept.
“We’re bringing [Scion] back as an opportunity for mobility,” said Federico. He further explained that Toyota is “getting back to the roots of Scion, which was supposed to be this test laboratory. This is that.”
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda said that Toyota is becoming a mobility company, so Federico said that Scion is well-positioned to introduce a range of mobility products that are “not traditional vehicles.” That explains why we got the 01 concept, an all-terrain side-by-side vehicle for recreational purposes. It’s powered by a four-cylinder hybrid engine with over 300 horsepower and even has a Silent Mode for quietly navigating tight trails.
Federico said that there would be no return of Scion road cars like a new tC, as such a vehicle would be badged as a Toyota. However, future Scion projects will not be limited to off-roaders, and the company’s concepts may end up going into production.
Present-Day Toyota Doesn’t Need Scion Sports Cars
When Scion originally launched in the 2000s, Toyota had fewer enthusiast-pleasing models in its lineup. Today, the brand’s range includes the GR Corolla, GR86, and GR Supra. The dramatic GR GT was revealed recently as the company’s upcoming flagship sports car. The GT will set new standards for Toyota Gazoo Racing, as it’s expected to be capable of a supercar-like 0-60 run of below three seconds.
Even the run-of-the-mill RAV4 has a performance variant, a 324-hp GR Sport plug-in hybrid model that’s on the way early next year. Toyota also has its lineup of TRD-badged models, but these have an off-road focus and will be body-on-frame vehicles only.
With such a comprehensive lineup of sporty vehicles, these Toyotas would likely clash if Scion returned with a similar lineup to the one it had two or so decades ago. Hence, Toyota’s decision to focus on unorthodox mobility products is a way to revive the innovative spirit of Scion without cannibalizing sales of the GR lineup.
