Scion wants to become a small-premium brand

It’s been quite a while since anyone considered Scion as a whole to be a success. While its initial debut was met with a solid response from the public, it was only a few short years before Toyota’s so-called “youth division” was loosing its appeal. Despite some strong revival attempts, Car Buzz notes that sales are still underwhelming.

Even so, Toyota North America CEO Jim Lents still has faith in Scion, and expressed as much in an interview with Wards Auto. In the interview, Lentz outlined his ideas for Toyota’s third brand. He envisions the Yaris and Prius C covering the entry level end of the spectrum which leaves and opening to take on Mini or Fiat 500 in the premium compact market.

“I still personally believe small-premium is the direction we should be going,” said Lentz in the interview at a Toyota oppress event, as quoted by Jalopnik. “I think that the Toyota channel, itself, with vehicles like Yaris and other small, B-platform cars, can handle the lower end of the market. I think that C-platform premium small cars are probably the best place for Scion to be.”

While it’s an interesting plan, Autoblog asks the question that’s on everyone’s mind: How? How, when nothing in Scion’s lineup comes anywhere close to being considered premium, and it’s even further away from the lifestyle-powered exhaust that a Mini or a Fiat 500 provide. While its certainly possible to achieve, the time and money that would be required are extremely high.