But, these vehicle shapes are probably striking a favorable cord with the youth and they pick up a trend I have seen from young designers coming out of the College of Creative Studies in Detroit and other car artwork of those people a decade and a half younger than me. The Honda Element, after all, picks up on this exterior design--just like GM tried with is Pontiac Aztek. So, perhaps the Scion is being released just in time to take advantage of a new youth-inspired styling trend.
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| The dashboard and instrument panel of the Scion are set up a bit differently than a normal car, with the speedometer and odometer (the black-on-white and white-on-black gauges) located in the center of the dash, supposedly where the driver can quickly glance down without taking his eyes off the road for too long. (Photo: Toyota) |
Or, maybe we could take the word of 21-year-old David Byron of New Jersey, who is a student at the College of Creative Studies in Detroit. Byron worked last summer as an intern at General Motor's California design studio and interacted with some of the young men and women who are attracted to the Scion vehicles (which Byron described as "sweet"). "Yeah, they know it (the xB) is a box, but with all the accessories you can put on it, you can say: 'I'm the coolest thing in a box,'" he said. And that is probably Scion's initial appeal.
The interior of the xA and xB didn't strike me as "sophisticated." Rather, it had the "plasticized" inside of a typical entry-level car; even the grab bars above the doors had an unfriendly feel to them. Granted, the models we saw didn't have all the optional extras that can be ordered, but I don't think it lives up to Farley's billing that it has an "upscale" look.