Scion was Toyota's bet on young buyers — 70% were new, yet the brand failed

Scion was launched by Toyota in 2003 as a separate youth-oriented marque to attract Generation Y buyers. The brand used a 'pure price' monospec model with no negotiation and relied on guerrilla marketing. It was a remarkable success at attracting new customers — over 70% of Scion buyers were new to Toyota, and the tC coupe had the lowest average buyer age in the industry at 29.

Sales peaked at 173,034 vehicles in 2006, then collapsed after the 2008 financial crisis to 45,678 in 2010. The monospec pricing model gave dealers thin margins that proved unsustainable. Short product cycles were not maintained — the xB and xD went seven years without a substantial redesign. The FR-S sports car, intended to revive the brand, instead cannibalised tC sales.

Toyota announced the phase-out of Scion on 3 February 2016. The brand was discontinued in August 2016 after selling 1,092,675 vehicles over its lifetime. Most models were absorbed into the Toyota lineup.