Scion goes normal
 

Interesting read.

I'm hoping that Scion grows with it's customers and provides a more mature experience.

The youth culture vibe seemed a bit too forced. And even though there were authentic meets and clubs I think they were overshadowed by Scion trying too hard.

I've always thought Scion needed to mature and now it seems like they are...

I LOL'd at this part...

Now Toyota execs, after a nine-month brand review, are aiming new vehicles at buyers who are more conventional than the spiky-haired youths it chased at launch in 2003. http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcsi.d...&q=80&MaxW=120

BS. tC is not the US exclusive. It maybe made specifically for the US, but it's sold out side of the states as Zelas

That was pretty much the spin that they were putting on it with the 1st86ers when we went to Corp HQ. JHollis referred to "youthful thinking not young" (paraphrasing) more than once during the day.

Also, the first 3 ads that we got to preview were defiitely mainstream style ads. There was some drifting, but heck even Cadillac talks about the G-Meter in their new wagon in their ads.

In the end, the median age of a Scion buyer is newer than Toyota, but I bet if you limited Toyota's buyer group to the same price as Scion's it would be similar.

If Scion is going more "normal" the whole purpose for the brand has ceased to exist. They ought to absorb it back under the Toyota brand so Toyota will no longer be equated with "boring" and Scion no longer with "cheap, crappy cars and the FR-S."

No more babes and donuts???

Lets not go crazy now! :paddle:

There will always be babes and donuts... as long as I have a valid sig.

And a really neat article to gather more insight on the brand. The FR-S will be my second car from the brand. I'm the only member of my family that owns a piece of the Toyota clan. Depending on how much love I get from the FR-S (long-term), I would buy again from the brand in a heartbeat.

The hobbies of the demographics were horrendous...

Yeah, now he needs to cut his spikey hair!

...or let it grow out, anything but that punk look.

ZOM! I LOVE donuts! Especially with custard.http://allch-chcar.com/saved/drool.gif

Why wasn't that a demographic category? We can all agree that donuts are delicious.

That should be a demographic question...

'What donuts are delicious to you?'

a. Chocolate frosting with sprinkles

b. Glazed

c. I don't eat donuts

d. shoot the person that picked 'c' because they clearly have no soul and should be executed, since everyone knows any donut is delicious except the shitty maple bars which can be put in the same category as people who picked 'c'

:thumbup:

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcsi.d...&q=80&MaxW=120

This picture is the definition of trying too hard.

Having met Jack and talked to him several times, the hair fits his personality.

That's the hair of a VP who would have 60+ people stand in the four story atrium of pin drop quiet Toyota N/A HQ and yell "SCION" just to see how many people come out to look.

man, that was loud.

Plus he was a former ball player.

It's all coming together now...

:D

The 2nd generation tC is sold as the Zelas. The first generation was only sold in the US as the tC, which is what the article said.

Jeff

As much as I want to ridicule Jack for being try-hard, that dude has balls to come in to Scion right when their numbers were dropping and try to pick the brand back up off the floor. He didnt bail out in 2008 when Scion starting fumbling, and he's genuinely excited about this new car.

His coach-style of speaking really works to get the people excited about the FR-S, and that's what is gonna keep this car selling. If it keeps selling, then parts will continue to be made for it, and if that happens, then this story may just turn out like the Toyota Corolla GTS/Trueno Sprinter, Honda Civic, Nissan 240SX, Mazda Miata, etc.

I think his style is uncharacteristic of a typical automotive VP, which has fit with the Scion mantra.

I will say that some of those cars you've mentioned aren't around because the boards that cut them made a strategic decision to benefit the company. The difference at Scion is the level of commitment Akio Toyoda has to his team and their ability to produce this car.

If the marketing fails though (normal vs retrospective Scion) and people don't buy the FR-S, expect the end of the production to come soon.

Yeah, that's 90's right there! Throw on a little Dep gel on the wig and you're good to go! :bellyroll:

It's good to see them making adjustments and taking a more serious approach in which I now tip my hat off to Scion.

This should have been their strategy from the beginning and had a halo car similar to how Honda introduced Acura. Acura's motto was "precision" and they backed it up when they introduced the NSX.

They were trying too hard to get something (youth sales) for nothing (zero engineering with a lot of marketing) by polishing turds and selling them with Emperor's New Clothes levels of enthusiasm.

If it worked they would've been heroes, but people are thankfully not that dumb yet.

+1 he was a good guy and EZ to talk to.