Japanese car maker Toyota had announced its plans to pull the plug on Scion sub-brand in February. As part of the brand transition, Scion vehicles were rebadged as Toyota by August. The FR-S sports car, iA sedan and iM 5-door hatchback have now become part of the Toyota family. With the tC sports coupe final release series edition's production being concluded, Toyota has officially closed doors on Scion.
Interestingly, the Scion brand will not sink into oblivion. Trump Hotels recently confirmed that Scion will be the name of its new hotel brand. Trump Hotels is headed by Donald J Trump, who is the Republican Party nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election. However, there is no connection between Toyota doing away with Scion and Trump Hotels opting it.
A statement from Trump Hotels describes Scion, which means descendant of a notable family, as a multi-faceted lifestyle brand developed in response to the boom in social clubs and the 'we' economy. The Scion name will be used for youth-oriented hotels.
Back in 2003, Toyota had also launched Scion to attract young audience, who viewed Toyota cars a bit too aged in terms of styling. Scion was established as a test laboratory division for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), USA.
After the initial excitement, the brand soon faded away among the targeted group due to being indistinguishable from other cars in Toyota's line-up. In 13 years, Scion managed to sell more than a million vehicles.
