8 Car Brands Falling Behind.....Scion on the list

[suaveflooder]

Interesting. The company (well, Scion) is down 2%. Wonder how much longer it's going to hold on? I wonder if the 2015 will be a "Toyota FRS" like so many have predicted on these forums. The FRS may very well be Scion's Swan Song.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/8-car-...99.html?page=3

[Anthony]

It's so weird to me to see non-enthusiast consumers' trends and reasons why or why not they have interest in certain cars.

[suaveflooder]

Originally Posted by Anthony

It's so weird to me to see non-enthusiast consumers' trends and reasons why or why not they have interest in certain cars.

Agreed.

The FRS is here to stay IMHO. Not too sure about Scion, though

[Anthony]

I feel the same way. My car is already rebadged as a Toyota, so that should be a good indication about how concerned I am whether Scion survives or not.

[DarkSunrise]

I never had any interest in the Scion brand before the FR-S. Let's face it - the FR-S is an anomaly in their lineup, a RWD sports car in the middle of a roster full of low-end "hip" FWD commuter cars. The FR-S is great, but it can't save the brand.

[PSORngr]

There won't be any tears from me. Like others, before the FR-S I had zero interest in anything Scion had to offer. I don't like their other cars. I don't like their brand image. I'd rather have a Kia if I was going the young-hip branding route (Soul looks better than the xB, Optima looks nicer than the tC). Scion is near the bottom of my "brand list."

[regal]

Originally Posted by suaveflooder

Interesting. The company (well, Scion) is down 2%. Wonder how much longer it's going to hold on? I wonder if the 2015 will be a "Toyota FRS" like so many have predicted on these forums. The FRS may very well be Scion's Swan Song.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/8-car-...99.html?page=3

The Toyota brand in the US market means ultimate reliability and initial quality, their entire business model is built on that. People who buy Toyotas want no fuss and many expect 200k+ trouble-free miles.

The FR-S single handedly trashed Scion's JD power ratings, sent Scion to last place. This car has had so many dealer visits that corporate requires a photo-documented report approval prior to any non TSB warranty work, unheard of with a Toyota who's brand produce the most trouble-free powertrains available domestically.

I would be surprised if Toyota puts their name on this car in the US. More likely they will wrap up the joint venture in the Scion write-off and the BRZ will remain. They are even poised to sell Scion distribution to the ever growing SOA (basically selling dealerships.)

Then Subaru can do their own thing and drop their Toyota-free FA20T in the BRZ without much of a price increase. Which is good for us.

Scion is Toyota's Saturn. FR-S is a bit like Scion's Sky.

As always the above is pure speculation,

[BlueDubbinTDI]

If Scion is failing it kinda blows my mind how Toyota does so well in the first place. NONE of the cars from the entire brand look/feel/perform that great except for the FR-S and maybe the Tundra, the new tC was getting there as long as you smoked the tails. But seriously...what about the Camry sells this brand so well?

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by BlueDubbinTDI

If Scion is failing it kinda blows my mind how Toyota does so well in the first place. NONE of the cars from the entire brand look/feel/perform that great except for the FR-S and maybe the Tundra, the new tC was getting there as long as you smoked the tails. But seriously...what about the Camry sells this brand so well?

I quote myself...

Originally Posted by Anthony

It's so weird to me to see non-enthusiast consumers' trends and reasons why or why not they have interest in certain cars.

Non-enthusiasts are a strange breed from my perspective, and clearly I'm not the only one that feels this way. I've never understood how wrastlin' fans pick their favorite wrastler, how rap fans determine what's a good rap song and what isn't, and how people that don't care or know anything about cars pick from the huge amount of choices out there. Likewise, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that are puzzled at how I pick my favorite BMX rider, how I determine what's a good death metal song and not, and why in the world I think tossing my comfy FR-S seat for an unpadded carbon fiber one is a spectacular idea.

Different strokes, as we all know, but shit still seems bazaar sometimes.

[Calavera]

Originally Posted by regal

I would be surprised if Toyota puts their name on this car in the US. More likely they will wrap up the joint venture in the Scion write-off and the BRZ will remain. They are even poised to sell Scion distribution to the ever growing SOA (basically selling dealerships.)

As always the above is pure speculation,

I know you are speculating but you brought up a good point that made me go hmmmm. So the 86s sold around the world under the Toyota brand are mechanically built better than the FR-S?

I taught it was the same car just with different, some might say better, looking visuals. Headlights, climate controls, push to start and so forth.

[ThisIsChrisKim]

Originally Posted by BlueDubbinTDI

If Scion is failing it kinda blows my mind how Toyota does so well in the first place. NONE of the cars from the entire brand look/feel/perform that great except for the FR-S and maybe the Tundra, the new tC was getting there as long as you smoked the tails. But seriously...what about the Camry sells this brand so well?

My parents and sister are a great example. Toyota owners. Camry, RAV4, Corolla. Because in the 10+ years of Toyota ownership (2 Camrys, 2 RAV4s, 2 Corollas), not one of them has ever had a major non-warrantied expense for repairs. For them, driving is a chore and that's it. For us, driving can be pleasurable, and that's what makes a Toyota so appealing to most people.

[WolfpackS2k]

The brawny FR-S sports car was meant to give the brand some street cred this year, but so far it’s not showing up in sales.

Quoted from article; I don't understand this statement. The FR-S is Scion's best selling car - over 25k units a year. Did they expect it to sell more? Seems like a huge sales success IMO.

Oh wait, they meant they thought the FR-S would boost the entire line's image. Well that's just dumb.

[Suberman]

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2012/10...sa-canada.html

????

Yahoo Finance sounds like an oxymoron.

Scion sales have never before reached these levels.

The FRS has added about 1/3 to the brand's sales.

In Canada the scion brand is sold out of Toyota dealerships.

[regal]

Originally Posted by Calavera

I know you are speculating but you brought up a good point that made me go hmmmm. So the 86s sold around the world under the Toyota brand are mechanically built better than the FR-S?

I taught it was the same car just with different, some might say better, looking visuals. Headlights, climate controls, push to start and so forth.

No the quality is the same.

The American market is different. Toyotas reputation here is a trouble free appliance. Buy one, change the oil, trade it in at 120k miles or the smarter buyers change the plugs and keep going and going, many Toyotas in half a million miles clubs.

Trouble-free appliance auto is sort of an enthusiast segment in a way, how far can I drive thing for as little maintenance and hassle as absolutely possible?

Many enthusiasts get sick of working on cars and end up in this category as they age. I just don't think Toyota will risk their brand here with a Subaru level vehicle. Abroad is different.