Quote:
Originally Posted by gymratter
aren't Scions are really rebadge Toyotas?
FR-S = 86/GT86
tC = Zelas
xB = bB / "Daihatsu Materia"
xA / xD = ist / Urban Cruiser
iQ = Toyota iQ
that makes me think the new 3 Scions will be rebadge Toyotas or Daihatsus as well.
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Not quite.
The first gen xA and xB were the Japanese imported Toyotas I think. The xA was the Ist, and the xB was the bB.
The second generation xB was built for America. I think around the same time Japan released the second generation bB. But that bB never came over, and America had the overbloated second gen xB. So the second gen xB was actually different than its Japanese counterpart.
I'm not sure about the xD but I think it may have suffered the same fate since it replaced the xA.
This time around the xB and xD were 'exported' from America and into the overseas markets as the Corolla Rumiun and the Ubran Cruiser. I say exported cuz I dunno if they actually built those two in the North America somewhere or not, and I believe those ones were kind of "America only" models.
The tC was its own 'made for America' Scion car, built off the Avensis platform if I'm not mistaken. The second generation tC got 'exported' into some of European/Asean markets as the Toyota Zelas.
The iQ was a European and Japanese entry and was successful, they brought that over as the Scion iQ a couple years later. that was an imported model. It was pretty much destined to fail in 'everything needs to be bigger' North America (Canada is more accepting of smaller cars though), not to mention its price was much too high (why get this half pint car when you can get a corolla or yaris for the same price?). Its too much of a niche that really only has the Smart car as its competition.
The GT86 story we all know about, that was kind of worldwide but given to N/A as a Scion.
So in conclusion, the xA, the first gen xB and the iQ were imported and rebadged Toyotas (They were Toyotas first). the xD, tC and Second gen xB were not, but were rebadged AS Toyotas when they entered markets outside of N/A (They were Scions first). the GT86 is rebadged as a Scion but isn't an imported model as that car was built for worldwide consumption (its all of Scion, Toyota and Subaru).