Toyota Motor Sales’ new United States-only brand Scion reported February sales of 4,544 units, after almost a full month of sales in 24 states. The xA hatchback posted sales of 1,409 units, while the boxy xB urban utility vehicle reported 3,135 sales.

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“So far, Toyota’s strategy for the line seems to be working,” said just-auto’s US sales analyst Bill Cawthon. “As predicted, the boxy xB is the dominant model and, in California, accounted for 64% of sales in its first eight months on the market. In its expanded territory, the xB grabbed 69% in its first month.”.


“Based on an average of sales over the past eight months, California is still going to be Scion’s strong market; the addition of 23 more states increased sales only about threefold, although there may have been supply issues involved. The next few months should give a better picture.”
 
Cawthon said sales of the Scion line have been pretty stable since its June introduction, with a single spike in November.
 
“At this point, it looks like early projections of 60,000 annual sales nationwide will be achieved, further boosting Toyota’s brand leadership in the passenger car segment,” he added. “However, it is worth noting that current sales of the Honda Element have declined from their initial peak and there will be a question of whether the upcoming xC will deliver conquest sales or siphon them from the xA. Longer term, there is the question of what Toyota will do when the styling of the xB, which has become the brand’s signature model in both Japan [where it is sold as a Toyota] and the US, becomes passe.”


According to Toyota’s California-based sales operation, Scion was created “to suit the demands of an emerging culture of influential new car buyers known as Generation Y”.


“Our launch in California nine months ago helped us make improvements in the dealership experience, training methods, grassroots marketing and accessory development for this second phase in our three-phase launch,” said Scion vice president Jim Farley,. “What we learn in this phase will help us in June when we go on sale nationally, along with the release of our third car, the tC sports coupe.”

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The Scion range has been on sale in California since June 9, 2003 and began its national rollout last February 3 with sales in the Gulf states, southeast and east coast regions. The xA and the xB are now on sale in a total of 497 dealerships in California, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.


“For Toyota, Scion is a laboratory for change,” said Farley. “We will evolve according to what we hear from our dealers and from the trendsetters of Gen Y to ensure continuous improvement of the entire brand experience.”

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