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Not sure if it concerns him, but are there any plans to bring the Scion brand to Canada?

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Are there plans for a Scion roadster to replace the MR-Spyder?

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Are there still plans to keep the line fresh through short development cycles, and replacement products instead of refreshes/redesigns?

Will we be seeing more diversity of body styles in the line, or will standard forms (sedan, truck, small suv) be left to Toyota?

When is the bleedin’ Supercharged Tc going to be here : )

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With all the focus on the t2b as the potential follow-up to the xB, will there be a follow-up to the slower-selling xA, or will it be replaced by something entirely different?

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I didn't know that the new Star Wars toys were out yet.

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Will the t2B be a replacement for the xB or will it exist alongside the xB?

Thanks for the opportunity to throw out a question!

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How does Scion plan on expanding their product line and consumer base while maintaining their image as a "unique" and "individual" product?

They seem to have built an image as an alternative brand. Are they worried about diluting their image?

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Scion has made it a point to focus on a much younger demographic than Toyota has typically catered to. With this being the case, it's important that Scion note the concerns common to most of the people who make up the segment they are trying to appeal to. Among those concerns is warranty.

For most young people, buying a reasonably priced car with an appealing stylistic flare is very important. However, Scion's demographic is also learning that cost isn't simply what a person pays to purchase a car; things like maintenance and fuel-consumption are paramount. Thus, people are begining desire better-warranteed vehicles as well as attractive aesthetics and value.

Scion is going to need to step up those flimsy warrantees if they really want to appeal to a broader margin of people. If one thinks this statement needs corroboration, simply note Hyundai's incredible rise in both popularity and reliability over the past ten years. (Also note that this has been done without much in the way of fleet sales, while Scion's xB has gained much popularity as a good taxi vehicle in urban areas.)

Remember when it used to be taboo for on to say he/she owned a Sonata? Hyundai's 10/100 warranty has had much to do with Hyundai's newfound success. Toyota/Scion should learn from that--especially since Scion's design esthetic is much more appealing to the younger demographic they're so adamantly pursuing.

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I'd also be interested in hearing about the potenital for a Scion roadster, MR-2 based or otherwise. Mightn't something along the lines of DaimlerChrysler's Smart roadster have the sort of brand values that Scion aspires to? Plus, with the demise of the MR2 in the US market, there would be a fun-to-drive Toyota in the line up.

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I second #3 - where is the tC supercharger? Also, are you really going to kill each car after 3 or 4 years? If you do, how much additional accessorizing are you planning for cars like the tC?

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Now that Scion is -allegedly- taking over the entry level car market that Toyota is abandoning, are thay planning to introduce a Tercel/Echo replacement? and by that I mean a plain jane car to compete with the plain jane cars the Koreans are selling.

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I assume one of the missions of the Scion brand was to attract younger buyers and create loyal Toyota customers for years to come. For that Scion has done an excellent job. However, there appears to be a gap between the Scion product line and Toyota's products. How does Toyota plan to bridge that gap? Does this responsibility fall on Toyota to add another "fresh" product or does that fall to Scion to create a more "mature" product?? I don't see someone stepping out of a trendy Scion and getting into a vanilla Camry. The Celica & the MR2 are gone and frankly I don't think they were the answer. The 4Runner and the IS300 are the next logical choices but they are too costly. Do you see a need for Toyota�s version of the Mazda RX-8 or even the Nissan Altima??

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The concept grades article brought this to mind:

How much of the t2B is indicative of new scion products? What details will be going into production?

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Two questions:

- It appears that the Vitz is going on sale through Toyota dealers in October. If this is true, I assume this mean Scion is axing the xA. How do they determine which entry-level vehicles should be Scions and which should br Toyotas?

- Jim's talked a lot about the need for the "Scion buying experience" to extend throught the financing as well. Has any progress been made on changing the hanits of Toyota's dealerships when it comes to financing? Do they invision ever creating a seperate Scion financing arm?

Okay, that was three. Sorry.

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Will there ever come a time when the sales people that work VERY long hours will receive proper compensation for selling Scions? The "no hassle" price approach looks good on paper but the current profit margins on these vehicles is so small for the dealer that most sales people would rather look the other way than help a Scion customer when they walk in the showroom door.

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Poor, poor car salesmen. Is there any chance we'll see the world's smallest violin as an optional accessory?

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I'm not a salesman but customer satisfaction is my main priority and it's very difficult to convince sales people to treat Scion customers the same way they treat a Toyota customer when they know going in that they're going to be making almost nothing for the same amount of work. Care to enlighten me, Mr. Pierce, on how you would handle this?

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FYI, my gf and I received FAR FAR FAR better service when we walked into a Toyota/Scion dealership than: Mazda, Ford, Honda. If we'd had better service from Mazda we might be driving a Mazda3 instead of a tC, but we were treated HORRIBLY. Went to 2 different Toyota/Scion dealerships at 3 different times, and were treated extremely well, even though it was obvious they were quite busy. The mazda place was DEAD, and it still took them almost 20min to wander over, look us over with a disapproving eye and inform us that leasing was not available on the Mazda3 (we hadn't said a word, only that we were interested in the car). We beat up the Mazda3 a bit on the test drive, then went straight back to the Scion dealership.

I have nothing bad to say about any of the Scion salespeople, or the Toyota salesman who helped us when there were no Scion salesmen available. Only bit of ugliness was the financing aspect, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary, just expected better out of a scion sales experience.

sorry sintic, my experience was the exact OPPOSITE of what you're claiming...

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I suspect the target market (young, fairly broke) probably would probably prefer, say, $250 off of the price than an extra $250 worth of ass kissing, ahem, customer service at the dealerships.

People seem to be able to get them through the sales process somehow, 'cause I see 'em on the roads all the time.

Maybe the trick is to go stand by a Solara, then once the salesman can be bothered to take a moment from their busy schedule to introduce hikmself, steer over to the Scion.

I've been treated poorly at dealerships for expressing an interest in a lower end model (in this case a Civic hatchback). It's something which happens, due to the way cars are sold and the way the people who sell cars are sometimes given to behave. My solution was simple. I went to another dealer (whose staff treated me great) and vow never, ever visit the first dealership again. There's no shortage of dealerships and there's certainly no shortage of car salesman.

Of course all of this is off topic. My apologies to all.

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With the unveiling of the t2B, we got a slight glimpse of the t2b Cargo and the t2B Fastback. I think these two vehicles are the most inventive that I've seen, and I was curious as to how likely the production of them would be, especially the t2B Cargo.

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