Report

Scion targeting heavy metal, headbanger demographic

Marketing to younger buyers can be a funny thing. Sometimes, the more you try to sell Generation XYZPDQ on a car, the more it ensures you will sell to older buyers looking to feel young again. Scion has been toying with this concept ever since it was founded in 2002. The Toyota offshoot's latest target? The heavy metal enthusiast scene.

According to an AdWeek report, Scion thinks the heavy metal crowd has received a bad rap and is undervalued as a consumer base. To that end, Scion recently opened a gallery in Los Angeles that will feature works from U.K. artist French, among others. According to the report, Scion's vehicles will be on display as well, in case patrons want to go for a test drive after purchasing some artwork. Scion has also led an initiative to sponsor heavy metal concerts, albums and music videos. More than 1,700 artists have taken part in over 10,000 events around the country.

This news strikes us as a tad perplexing. After trying for years to appeal to the tuner and enthusiast communities, the brand finally has a home run in the FR-S, a drift-happy coupe that begs to be tuned and modified. Then again, Scion says the metal crowd is "not necessarily trying to be a trendsetter, but more of a thought leader." If targeting that demographic helps the folks at Scion sell more iQ and tC models, more power to 'em. As long as it means enthusiasts still have machinery like the aforementioned FR-S to swoon over.

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