With the recent announcement that Scion will no longer be its own brand after August of this year it seems fitting to take a look at what this brand has meant to us over the past thirteen years. Yes, Toyota has only allowed Scion to be around for thirteen years, but when the overall sales penetration for the entire brand is only 2.2 percent of the Toyota sales this brand has had its day in the sun and the remaining lineup will be absorbed into the Toyota lineup to add more fun and youthful style to the parent brand. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some highs and lows of Scion over the years.
Toyota
Honda, Starting Backwards
Fuel cell vehicles have become a new line that is powered by hydrogen to burn cleaner and be more environmentally friendly than gasoline powered vehicles. Honda has been working with fuel cell vehicles since 2008 and has worked to build many different refueling stations in Japan and in California. The newest fuel cell vehicle that will arrive in California next spring now has a name and it’s called the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell. This will be familiar to drivers who have purchase hydrogen powered vehicles before as the first ones put out by Honda were called the FCX and then the FCX Clarity.
Another Show Stopper for Tokyo
Who knew the Mazda MX-5 Miata would create such a stir. For over twenty-five years this car has prowled the planet and has been the symbol of fun offered by Mazda. What the Miata has taught us thus far is that we don’t need massive horsepower to have fun. What we do need is the right balance between horsepower and the curb weight of the vehicle in order to offer the right dynamics to be fun and agile. This synergy has finally made it way to Toyota and at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month there will be a new Toyota on the platform.
Camouflage isn’t Going to Get it Done
What seems to happen when we are anticipating a new model of any vehicle? The vehicle is tested somewhere in a supposedly remote location with what is to be a layer of camouflage over it that is supposed to keep us from being able to see what the car will really look like. Such was the case with the new Toyota Subcompact Crossover SUV (yes, another one of those) that was seen testing with a Scion xB. In no way can automakers continue to expect us to believe they really think they are hiding much at all from us with this covering.
Toyota Camry: Most American Made Car
Every year Cars.com puts out a report on which cars are the most “American” made vehicles in the US. Previously, the Ford-F150 held the title of Most American Vehicle, but this year there is an upset. The Toyota Camry claimed title to that name this year. The website puts out an annual American-Made index, which considers the percentage of domestic parts in a vehicle, final assembly place, and overall sales.