Scion needs our help

4cylndrfury wrote: I know what kind of feedback Im going to get, but I will still say it - I still believe that the first manufacturer who puts out a 4 digit MSRP, 110hp car with manual everything, room for 4 adults, and a decent warranty will finally be able to get some sub 30 year olds to spend money on new cars, and will sell a ton to the rest of the entry level and fleet market.

Up until a few years ago, a completely stripped Versa was $9,998.

In reply to alfadriver:

I did the X6 launch. So I am right there with you.

I'm the old guy with the Gen1 xB. Sure, I'm not in the target demographic, but what does TMC care, as long as they move metal?

I'm waiting for pricing on the '16 iM. Sure, we all know it's just a Corolla hatchback, but that's exactly what us old people want

In reply to EvanR:

They are happy you bought, they are sad young people didn't buy because people are more likely to buy what they know and like and that is how you build brand loyalty.

Old people are great, the problem is they have a very limited number of cars left in them and, well, they die sooner.

In reply to Flight Service:

I get that. But why did they then ask the older buyers what to change for the xB2? Because they must have said, "Make it bigger and less useful, make it get 2/3 of the MPG, and build the exact same car for 8 model years."

Old (former) owner of a 1G xB and loved that car. I met many good friends at Scion-sponsored events & we're still friends even though 1/2 of us drive something different. (I have, well, 3 non-Scions and one has a Veloster). A few moved on to the 2G xB which I just couldn't get into.

They systematically dropped everything they did to attract the younger crowd, events, launch parties at dealers, promo giveaways, etc. We even said we would PAY to keep the events going, like Scion Exposed, but they had zero interest. Cancelled the get-together at the local gokart track, and pretty much dropped everything that made the brand "fun".

My xB was getting long in the tooth and I wanted something sportier/faster. The FRS was a bit pricey, the tC didn't offer enough anything for the $ per HP. I fully expect Scion to go the way of Geo.

Scion IA? Yeah, I'm on that.

Scion IM.

trucke wrote:

Talk about "krill grill"...this looks like a fish sticking its mouth out to eat something:

As for the iA... Mazda has decided the market for the iA twin, the Mazda2, is too small to bother selling it in the US. And Scion thinks people want a really tiny car without the utility of a hatch??

trucke wrote: Scion IA? Yeah, I'm on that.

This thing desperately needs a Mazda 2 front end swap.

trucke wrote: Scion IM.

This just in, Scion builds a Focus! I actually like that. Civic at the front, Lexus/Renault in the rear.

I am 39.

Flight Service wrote:

trucke wrote: Scion IM.

This just in, Scion builds a Focus! I actually like that. Civic at the front, Lexus/Renault in the rear. I am 39.

That's just the concept. Welcome to production, where you get a warmed-over Corolla hatch. My parents would still buy it used, though.

That's just the concept. Welcome to production, where you get a warmed-over Corolla hatch. My parents would still buy it used, though.

It looks like a Prius...

pinchvalve wrote: If you want to attract young buyers, in an age where a lot of them don't care about cars and don't even drive, I think this is the wrong approach.

This totally doesn't make the slightest bit of sense.

"Go find some people who know what they want and what they don't want, but deliver something completely different, because they are just too stupid to actually know what they want"

Way to kill a marketing plan.

They don't care about driving. They want the Google car, and they don't care if they own it. As long as they can surf YouTube while the darned thing is driving down the road, they will be content with someone else owning it, driving it, and earning money from it.

Why market cars at younger buyers? You can sell an old man a young man's car, but you can't sell a young man an old man's car.

neon4891 wrote: Why market cars at younger buyers? You can sell an old man a young man's car, but you can't sell a young man an old man's car.

You can't sell a young man a new car. You sell the young man's parents a new car. Why? Because we don't have any money, that's why.

I think auto manufacturers are not in it for the short term.

They market to young people because it leaves a mark.

If you are a teen or young adult, and you think Ford is cool, you will still think so when you are ready to buy a car, even if it is 10 or 20 years from now.

If you think Ford is an out of touch company that builds turds that only old geezers would buy, you will NEVER buy a Ford (even when YOU are an old geezer).

They are playing the long game.

They are not selling cars. They are selling their brand.

In reply to G_Body_Man:

Exactly, when I graduated college, I wanted an xB. They were only a year old and they cost like $14k brand new.

Problem was I couldn't get myself a loan (no established credit) and my dad wouldn't co-sign on one with me for dumb reasons (which he was full of E36 M3, but that's a story for another time)

So yes, it's harder to sell cars that would be appealing to teens and college students, because they can't afford it on their own and by the time they can, they want something a little more "adult".

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: In reply to G_Body_Man: Exactly, when I graduated college, I wanted an xB. They were only a year old and they cost like $14k brand new. Problem was I couldn't get myself a loan (no established credit) and my dad wouldn't co-sign on one with me for dumb reasons (which he was full of E36 M3, but that's a story for another time) So yes, it's harder to sell cars that would be appealing to teens and college students, because they can't afford it on their own and by the time they can, they want something a little more "adult".

This. Even if the 305 in my Cutlass blows up and takes the entire drivetrain with it, it would still be cheaper to drop in a used 350, a used THM-350, a used driveshaft and a rebuilt rear end in it than it would be to purchase a reliable used car.

My in-laws bought my brother in law a brand new Scion Tc for a highschool graduation gift. That's the only person that I know who has owned a Scion. (He promptly rolled it into a ditch that summer, I blame the FWD )

In reply to Nick_Comstock:

I blame bad parenting.....you don't buy E36 M3 for kids, because they won't treat it well.

In reply to yamaha:

My wife got a Neon, one sister got a Murono and the other got an Altima. She comes from an entirely different world than I do.