Scion Coming to Canada… in 2010

Justin Berkowitz
by Justin Berkowitz

Toyota’s announced that Canadians will no longer have to spend $30k to import a grey market Scion xB from The Land of the Free. Soon they can overpay for a Scion at their very own local Toyota dealer. Maybe. In 2010, Toyota will open Scion sub-stores at Toyota dealers in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Unfortunately, Toyota seems to be sticking with the “urban youth music snowboarder DJ myspace iPod tuner culture” marketing image, rather than the “people that don’t have a ton of money but want a practical, reliable, relatively fuel efficient Toyota.” The Scion that does do well with the youngins: the aging tC – which hopefully will be replaced by the time Scion launches in the Dominion. Overall, Scion should have good prospects for our neighbors to the north, where “hatchback” and “downmarket econbox” aren’t synonymous. While Toyota of Canada has nothing to say about whether Canada will get the forcoming iQ – heading to the stateside as a Scion – will come to Canada, you can bet your zimmer frame on it.

Justin Berkowitz
Justin Berkowitz

Immensely bored law student. I've also got 3 dogs.

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  • Dave Ruddell Dave Ruddell on Oct 21, 2008

    Ah, but the sour cream glazed doughnut...heavenly!

  • Wmba Wmba on Oct 21, 2008

    Gee thanks TTAC for showing my nearest Timmy's store, and the farthest, and the middle nearest and the one in Magog. What was that about corporate sameness? Toyota, oh yuh. Apparently of the belief that Canadians are not tuned into the wide world of info, despite the highest Internet usage anywhere (I mean what are you going to do when it snows, eh?), the marketing mavens at toyota.ca think that maybe we haven't heard that usually it's old guys with beards who buy Scions. Or at least they did until the xD turned into a giant pumpkin, with all the looks of a Zombie war combat zone mini personnel carrier, and all the road hugging weight that implies. Not content with that, Toyota have decided to only offer Scions in boutiquesville.ca. The rich folks in Alberta don't count (except dollars) and the rest of the downtrodden are not hip enough to drive these things. Yet. Or until not enough are sold to poseurs, then they'll be released to the great unwashed masses as a public service. This looks to be the biggest non-event car introduction anybody can remember, er, since the last one. 2010 the website proclaims. We're all in agony waiting for Scion, and the Camaro, Volt, Fiesta, the economic turnaround and every other friggin' thing. Jeez, and Timmy's coffee is indeed dreadful. The comparison with Toyota is complete. Splotches of barely good enough in both cases. That's what sells.

  • Samir Samir on Oct 21, 2008

    Spoke to a Toyota marketing person yesterday. Scion tc will be re-freshed for this launch and the iQ is almot certainly coming to Canada. She also told me Tundras are not selling - but then we knew that, didn't we.

  • Psarhjinian Psarhjinian on Oct 21, 2008
    Not content with that, Toyota have decided to only offer Scions in boutiquesville.ca. The rich folks in Alberta don’t count (except dollars) and the rest of the downtrodden are not hip enough to drive these things. Seriously, outside of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, what do sales of Smart or Mini look like? Answer: not great. By comparison, I could probably throw a baseball blindfolded and hit a Cooper in any of those areas. This is a smart move, though belated. I remember when grey-market xBs were fetching double their American sticker in Toronto or Montreal.
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