What Is A Scion?

There is this new class of boxy vehicles on the road recently. It started with Honda and the introduction of their dryer box on wheels, the Element. They are (at least in my humble opinion) like when American Motors introduced the Pacer, the Matador, and the Gremlin. All of their designs were futuristic but Ugly! I have always wanted to take an old Pacer, put a sun roof on it, have the doors and interior sealed, and use it as a fish tank. It would have to be a big house but with all of that glass, what a view it would be.

Back to boxy. The Honda Element takes a box and multi colored exterior and tries to be the design of the future. Unfortunately, Toyota has followed suit with their Scion line of vehicles. Yes, Toyota has launched a car line for the common man. They have their Lexus for luxury, Toyota for the mature driver and now Scion for the cool, hip, younger generation. The Scion I am talking about is the bbX, which resembles the Honda Element except smaller and boxier.


Now, I will admit that I have never been a fan of Asian made vehicles. I have that prejudice from the late 70’s and 80’s when Toyota and Honda were shipping in cars from Japan and creating havoc in our domestic market. I still have not bought a foreign vehicle but lately, the big three have been a disappointment on both style and price. Chrysler has done some upgrading but then again, they have always been gutsier that Ford and GM when it comes to change. I actually like some of the current Japanese vehicles and am considering at least looking at them when I make my next trip to the dealership. But the Scion bbX will not be on my list of possibilities.

So what is a Scion? Merriam-Webster has two definitions, one of which is about plant grafting. The other is: descendant, child. The American Heritage dictionary also references plants and grafting but says: descendant or heir. The Cambridge dictionary defines scion as: a young member of a rich and famous family. Now when I look at the word scion, I think scorpion. It is just a few letters too many but the meaning intended by Toyota is not far from the mark. This is Toyota’s entry into the small, inexpensive vehicle market. They are luring first time American buyers with a trendy vehicle. If you can get them in a Toyota when they are young, you can develop brand loyalty. The Scion is an attempt to sting the American companies and increase market share while GM and Ford dance around in pain. It is tough to respond when you can’t focus on the problem.

So let’s welcome the proud heir from Toyota. Hopefully, they’ll use something besides a box on their next redesign.

Icool


Cobb