Scion probably doesn’t think very highly of its buyers or itself as a brand when it launches cars like the iM and iA. I mean, there is no mention of the cars they’re based on in the press releases and the marketing nonsense behind both models is the kind that leaves a bad taste in your mouth…
How on earth do they plan to become a premium small car brand when these are their offerings? Their only actual original cars are the tC and xB, and even those are just cosmetically altered examples of existing Toyotas, especially the xB which is a slightly altered JDM Corolla Rumion.
In fact, even the tC is sold in South America as the Toyota Zelas…
Scion as a brand is not really worth very much in terms of individuality, as its main selling point has always been the lower pricing of their models compared to Toyota-badged cars. I personally don’t get the need for a Scion brand in this current form.
Turning it into a premium small car brand sounds like a good way to go, a kind of MINI sub brand for Toyota, but this is not the way to do it!
Honestly, judging by how little effort was apparently put into bringing the iM and iA to the US, these models should be called out, because they’re marketed and promoted in a… slightly misleading way.
So Scion, stop feeding us BS and actually create some unique cars to define a brand and not have it be defined by the affordability of its vehicles. Are you trying to be America’s Dacia or Datsun? That’s okay too, but at least state it outright and not say you want to go premium and then take absolutely no steps to get there.
The Toyota Auris and Mazda2 sedan that you’re selling under a different badge are both fine cars, but if you ask me, they do very little to enhance public perception of Scion.
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