Scion sales have hit the wall, proving bigger is not better

Scion sales have hit the wall, proving bigger is not better

Filed under: Car Buying, Economy, Hatchbacks, Scion

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Scion xB from our own review

Apparently, bigger is not necessarily better for Toyota's youth division Scion. The two original Scion models that launched with the brand were replaced by new models last year - the xD and xB - that are larger, heavier and less efficient. The buyers who made Scion a success in its first few years of existence have not been impressed, as sales have taken a dump over the last year and a half. A long gap between the end of production of the previous models and availability of new models certainly didn't help, but the new models have gotten decidedly mixed reviews including our own drive of the new xB. Even with the new models having been available now for six months or more, sales compared to the previous year have dropped for 16 months in a row. More Toyota dealers are selling Scions now, but sales per dealer have dropped from 11.9 in January 2006 to 8.1 in 2007. The Scions now have a bunch of new competitors in the subcompact class that they didn't have in 2003 when the brand launched, including the Honda Fit and Nissan Versa. Worse news still for Toyota is that more new competition is coming, like the Ford Fiesta transplant from Europe. Perhaps Scion's initial success was less a factor of offering attractive products than the fact it was the only game in town for small, efficient and hip econocars.

[Source: AutoWeek]
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I agree that Scion is losing their touch. The new models look bulky and hideous. They should use smaller motors and not that overplayed overweight 2.4 liter 2AZ-FE. At least use the new Corolla motor in them, the 2ZR-FE.

I personally like the new xB look, but I"m not a fan of the 2AZ. 2.4L + 153 whp = FAIL.

Just put a decent motor in it, and it'll do better.

Well, the 2AZ defeats the purpose of a high mpg car. 2.4 liters isn't very efficient. I think the Scion line should remain small instead of ballooning in size for every new model. And they should introduce more smaller engines. If the size of the car is down, then a smaller or same small motor won't make it slower and will increase mpg.

"Cars are getting bigger and it pisses me off." <-- Title of a old SCC article a couple months back.

We have too many cars on the road now-a-days anyways. I don't know why companies are making cars bigger. Is it really what the dumb public really want? I thought it was a time for downsizing for efficiency. btw, gas prices today and getting even higher. I can't even imagine 5 bucks for a gallon.

The whole purpose of Scion was to produce cheap, fuel efficient cars that were also excellent quality. They've gotten away from that....not to mention gotten very goddamn ugly. Around here, the florist/blueprint/computer/phone service fleet vehicle of choice is the 1st gen xB. It's cheap to buy, gets good mileage, and can hold loads of stuff. I doubt these same companies will turn to the 2nd gen xB.

The new Corolla 1.8 is in the xD, and it's actually less real-world efficient than the 1zz it replaced. I dunno how many 10th gen Corollas are going to see 40-44mpg highway as did the 9th gen predecessors.

ShallowPockets added 2 Minutes and 43 Seconds later...

It's not that they want it, it's that they need it. Americans are getting bigger and fatter. That's why seats are wider and the compacts and subcompacts of today are the same size as the midsize and compacts of yesterday respectively.

If fat ass Americans want a car to fit their bulk, I'd tell them to buy a giant domestic. It matches them perfectly.

Wow. And I have been SERIOUSLY considering trading in because of fuel costs and other reasons. The top three cars on my list are (in order of preference), Honda CR-V, Scion xB, and the Honda Civic (sorry guys, no Corollas).

I guess "appealing to the masses" hasn't worked as well as Toyota had hoped.

If I were to buy a nice gas saver, I would go with the new Civic. I like the new design and the digital gauges and cockpit like feel are sexy as hell! The power is pretty decent as well. With a few bolt-ons, it can be fairly quick. The Type R JDM taillights for the sedan look really hot as well.

im not gonna lie that civic looks sexy as hell.