The Scion brand, to a European, is an odd and intriguing story. Set up to appeal to young Americans, it has a distinctly urban, cool edge that mother brand Toyota lacks. Perhaps that’s because of the ‘cool-box’ xA and xB products of yore, or the fact the Scion spent money on interesting projects on the street – genuinely collaborating and working with young people – rather than ‘marketing to them’.
But the brand’s at something of a critical point. The products have historically been bought by a much older demographic than it was aimed at. The latest generation of products has suffered from a lack of radicalism, and a host of competitors, when compared to before. The Toyota GT-86-based FR-S looks like it will inject some spirit into the brand, but there’s still something missing.
The stand here at NAIAS gives an interesting example of the skitzophrenia. The iQ it’s showing – a Toyota bar a couple of trim items, feels like the perfect fit for Scion. But I was shocked to jump in and discover a music system that looked like it’d been pulled out of my father’s 70′s stereo deck. Surely, the last thing the youth that Scion are aiming at want is something clunky and outdated looking like this?:
Yet next to the iQ was a table, complete with ‘Scion cards’, an interactive, touch-sensitive table top, and neat little hats and storage gloves for iPods that you could just pick up and take away:
So if the stand accessories can be on-target for the brand’s market, why can’t the in car accessories…?
Posted by Joe Simpson
