Canada is a vast nation of opportunity and prosperity; it would seem that Toyota has finally figured that out. Later this month, Toyota will be launching its Scion division in Canada. As in the US, Scion will stand on its own, independent of its Toyota parent.
The demographics in Canada show generation-Y as an emerging “powerhouse” market eager to be catered to while greying baby boomers fade into the twilight.
“Y” is the first generation that’s grown-up with the Internet rather than adapted to it. They are a population that demand value, and aren’t willing to settle for cut-rate quality to achieve it. It’s for this market that Toyota has created the Scion brand.
There’s a streak of ulterior motive running through the Scion strategy. It would be near impossible to attract a 20-something Y-genner into a Toyota showroom given the “main stage of life” vehicles found therein. Toyota deviously plans to pull those young urbanites into the broader Toyota family through the ever-so-hip Scion portal.
Eventually, this group will embrace family life and the conservative characteristics that accompany child rearing. As the cycle of life spins, the plan is to move the target group into Toyota products—and possibly Lexus offerings—as the prominence and income level of this group grow.
From what’s been observed in the US since Scion’s launch in 2002, the “cycle of life” is working remarkably well. Seven of the top ten cars that Scion owners trade up to are Toyota products. The median age of the Scion buyer is 38. Contrast that against Toyota’s median age of 55 and you instantly see the logic in Toyota’s “cycle of life” scheme.
And speaking of cycles, that brings us back to Scion’s impending Canadian launch set for late September this year. Scion will be bringing three models to Canada that exhibit individual identities while sharing a few traits in common.
Those traits include value, sportiness and a whack of 75 or more dealer-installed custom accessories.
The three models we will immediately see are the tC, xB and xD. The ultra compact iQ is somewhere in the pipe—slated for spring 2011.
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| 2011 Scion xB (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |
The demographics in Canada show generation-Y as an emerging “powerhouse” market eager to be catered to while greying baby boomers fade into the twilight.
“Y” is the first generation that’s grown-up with the Internet rather than adapted to it. They are a population that demand value, and aren’t willing to settle for cut-rate quality to achieve it. It’s for this market that Toyota has created the Scion brand.
There’s a streak of ulterior motive running through the Scion strategy. It would be near impossible to attract a 20-something Y-genner into a Toyota showroom given the “main stage of life” vehicles found therein. Toyota deviously plans to pull those young urbanites into the broader Toyota family through the ever-so-hip Scion portal.
Eventually, this group will embrace family life and the conservative characteristics that accompany child rearing. As the cycle of life spins, the plan is to move the target group into Toyota products—and possibly Lexus offerings—as the prominence and income level of this group grow.
From what’s been observed in the US since Scion’s launch in 2002, the “cycle of life” is working remarkably well. Seven of the top ten cars that Scion owners trade up to are Toyota products. The median age of the Scion buyer is 38. Contrast that against Toyota’s median age of 55 and you instantly see the logic in Toyota’s “cycle of life” scheme.
And speaking of cycles, that brings us back to Scion’s impending Canadian launch set for late September this year. Scion will be bringing three models to Canada that exhibit individual identities while sharing a few traits in common.
Those traits include value, sportiness and a whack of 75 or more dealer-installed custom accessories.
The three models we will immediately see are the tC, xB and xD. The ultra compact iQ is somewhere in the pipe—slated for spring 2011.
 |
| 2011 Scion tC (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |