Turns Out, Toyota’s Scion Revival Is Even More Ambitious than Expected

After Toyota first made waves with the unveiling of its Scion 01 side-by-side concept at this year’s SEMA show, the brand has subsequently kept the industry aflutter with hints that said vehicle might actually be heading for production.

Now, as it turns out, that’s not all that Toyota has planned for the return of its Scion sub-brand. According to a new report, the revived outfit is destined to be much more than a mere maker of off-road oddities.

Toyota

A return to Scion’s roots

The confirmation comes courtesy of Road & Track, which had the opportunity to sit down with North America vice president of Vehicle Performance Development Don Federico at a recent press event.

Toyota

When asked about the future of the brand, the Toyota exec stated that “We’re bringing it back as an opportunity for mobility.” He also added that this means “getting back to the roots is “getting back to the roots of Scion, which was supposed to be this test laboratory.”

Now, even though the Toyota sub-brand came out with quirky cars like the boxy xB, the sporty TC or even the eventual first-gen 86 in the form of the FR-S, it wasn’t exactly known as being youthful or innovative back in the early aughts.

Toyota

Quite the opposite, actually. Even though Toyota targeted younger buyers, actual Scion owners driving out of dealerships ended up being significantly older. Eventually, the outfit’s slumping sales got to be too much and the Japanese automaker had to pull the plug.

In any case, while things didn’t exactly go as planned for Scion the first go-round, its second coming opens the door for some serious potential and truly wild opportunities.

Toyota

Opportunity for mobility

That’s because, even though Scion’s revival began with the unveiling of the 01 concept, its future won’t be limited to off-road vehicles.

In fact, during his talk with Road & Track, Don Federico even stated that the brand may make “things that aren’t vehicles.” Accordingly, Scion’s expertise will extend far beyond side-by-sides.

Toyota

Though surprising and ambitious sounding, it does track with Toyota’s strategy of late. As Federico explained, “Our chairman Akio Toyoda famously said ‘we’re becoming a mobility company,’ so you’re seeing a few mobility products here, and this is, maybe, the brand that could carry the vehicles for us. Not traditional vehicles.”

Considering that Toyota’s Lexus LS concepts reimagined the discontinued sedan as everything from a compact ride-on suitcase to a crossover and even a six-wheeled minivan, the potential is vast and varied.

After all, between a tiny modular truck, an ambitious next-gen Corolla and the launch of a Century brand (among a long list of other initiatives), Toyota didn’t hold back at the Japan mobility show earlier this year. It’s all-in on transport – and not just of the four-wheeled variety.

Toyota

So, even though this means that you shouldn’t hold out hope for cars from the Scion label going forward, it does nevertheless herald some exciting possibilities. If the 01 concept is anything to go off of, the Toyota sub-brand’s revival could shape up to be more impactful than its initial debut.

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