- Scion will serve as a test lab as Toyota shifts to mobility.
- Hybrid-powered 01 Concept could enter production soon.
- Toyota axed the Scion brand in 2016 after just 13 years.
At the recent SEMA show in Las Vegas, Toyota brought the Scion brand back from the dead, unveiling a wild side-by-side concept using the same hybrid powertrain as the Tacoma. So, what does the future hold for Scion?
According to Don Federico, the chief engineer behind the Scion 01 Concept, Scion is being revived “as an opportunity for mobility.” Curiously, Scion has been notably absent from recent Toyota announcements.
Read: Toyota Brought Scion Back From The Dead And Broke Every Rule
Speaking with Road & Track at SEMA, Federico said Scion is “getting back to the roots of Scion, which was supposed to be this test laboratory. This is that.” Importantly, this does not mean that you’ll be seeing new Scion products on a road near you anytime soon.
Scion 01 Concept
Federico says that we will see several different products from Scion in the future, including “things that aren’t vehicles.” That means there could be more funky creations like the 01 Concept on the horizon.
“Our chairman Akio Toyoda famously said ‘we’re becoming a mobility company,’ so you’re seeing a few mobility products here, and this is, maybe, the brand that could carry the vehicles for us. Not traditional vehicles.”
In the near-term, Federico is pushing for the Scion 01 Concept to production. If it does make it, it could serve as an offbeat rival to side-by-sides from brands like Yamaha, Polaris, Can-Am, and Kawasaki.
“I’m trying to build a case here,” he said. “The excitement that we saw from SEMA really helped, and if we can continue that story it’d be very helpful.”
Toyota axed the Scion brand in February 2016, just 13 years after its market debut. The company was supposed to appeal to younger customers and sold several intriguing cars, including the xB, tC, xD, and of course, the Scion FR-S (a rebadged Toyota GT 86).
