It’s Official, Toyota Kills Off Scion Brand

There were rumors circulating yesterday that Toyota was planning on killing off the Scion brand after nearly 14 years in existence and over 1 million cars sold, and with today’s press release it’s now official.

While the timing seems rather odd given that Scion just launched the iM and iA, two cars that were supposed to be instrumental in revitalizing Scion’s lineup, we’re guessing that slow sales and heavy overhead were probably the brand’s death knell.

Scion will now begin “transitioning” back to Toyota, and as part of that process, MY17 Scion vehicles will be rebadged as Toyotas beginning in August 2016. The FR-S sports car, iA sedan and iM 5-door hatchback will carry on and become part of the Toyota family. The tC sports coupe will have a final release series edition and end production in August 2016. And the upcoming C-HR will be a part of the Toyota line-up.

“This isn’t a step backward for Scion; it’s a leap forward for Toyota. Scion has allowed us to fast track ideas that would have been challenging to test through the Toyota network,” said Jim Lentz, founding vice president of Scion and now CEO, Toyota Motor North America. “I was there when we established Scion and our goal was to make Toyota and our dealers stronger by learning how to better attract and engage young customers. I’m very proud because that’s exactly what we have accomplished. We could not have achieved the success we have had without the incredible support of Scion’s customers, dealers and team members, so supporting them throughout this transition process will be one of our top priorities.”

R.I.P. Scion.