Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Scion Hako Coupe concept.

Scion sales have hit a slump in the last 17 months, with a peak of 175,000 units sold in 2006, the youth-marketed brand's sales have dipped to 130,000 vehicles last year. The solution will likely come from three new vehicles to be released in the next few years. Scion's veep, Jack Hollis, told Automotive News in an interview during the Big Apple bash, that Scion is "studying two or three models in conceptual form right now." Unfortunately, one of those was the Hako Coupe concept that was unveiled in New York and was met with considerable backlash from attendees and those of you following the show from home (check the comments Scion).

While a two-door xB was the prototypical answer to a question no one asked, Hollis questioned (out loud) what products are in the pipeline. "Could it be a truck? A hybrid? An SUV? A subcompact roadster? We are not limiting our search." We'll answer those for you: no, maybe, no and Hell yes. The Scion rep said that the current 130,000 mark is good for the three "core" vehicles in its lineup, but products that are more niche oriented – comprising annual sales around 20,000 to 25,000 units a year – are being seriously considered. If that means more models aimed at enthusiasts, something that's been sorely lacking since the brand's introduction in 2003, then we're all for it. The rumors of a RWD, Subaru boxer-powered coupe are still swirling and that could be a serious hit if Scion decides to bring in Stateside.



[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Scion Hako Concept

Any hope that Scion would be revealing the next iteration of the tC, or a clean-sheet sports coupe with which to replace it, were dashed this afternoon in New York when the wraps were pulled off the Hako Coupe Concept. The Hako is essentially a Scion xB that's lost a couple of doors and gained a massive schnoz, a seriously upright windshield and some highly stylized accents. Scion's PR people insist that the coupe's design is inspired by the "emergence of American vintage style among young Tokyo trendsetters," which may be true, but Scion's veep, Jack Hollis' remark that the Hako "is the sporty version of a box." Oxymoronic? We think so.

As with most of Scion's concepts, the Hako is a combination of form and functionality, with an emphasis on living the Scion life that the brand has fought hard to establish. As such, there's a focus on lifestyle elements that find their way inside, with storage crevices for magazines and mobile phones, flat-screen monitors and a videogame-inspired dash that would be all the rage if you were eight and it were 1992.

While the Hako is technically a coupe, it's not what we were hoping for, especially considering that Scion insists that the brand has its finger on the pulse of the youth market. What do young, car-crazed youths really want? We'd suggest that it's a few stands away, sitting at the Hyundai booth in the form of the Genesis coupe.

Scion's full press release is posted after the jump and a gallery of official shots is below (live shots are forthcoming!).





New York 2008: Scion Hako Concept - Official Pics

Click to enlarge

Scion has further fueled rumors that it will debut a replacement for the tC coupe later this month at the 2008 New York Auto by releasing a teaser shot today of what it's calling the Hako Coupe Concept. Being a teaser, it doesn't reveal much of anything about the coupe except that it's orange and appears to have a blocky front end design. Scion has been known to make big news at the New York Auto Show, having unveiled the well regarded Fuse concept there two years ago. What we're likely to see is a concept that takes cues from the Fuse and incorporates them into a more production feasible body shape. We'll know for sure is a couple of weeks when we hit the Big Apple.

[Source: Toyota]