R-34
07-31-2003, 02:03 PM
DETROIT - In trying to predict which of the two new Scion models would be more popular - a boxy utility vehicle or a Euro-styled hatchback - Toyota Motor Corp. officials got it wrong.
After two months on the market in California, early buyers of the Scion brand of youth-oriented vehicles have chosen the boxy xB over the xA hatchback by a 2-to-1 margin.
Scion vice president Jim Farley said Wednesday, Aug. 30, that he has asked the Toyota factory in Takaoka, Japan, for an increase in xB production. The vehicle also is marketed in Japan as the bB.
Farley said he wants double the amount of xBs Scion originally planned for, but getting more xBs could be difficult. He said the factory already is working two shifts. "We'll get caught up," he said during a meeting with reporters at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Mich.
In other Scion news:
The average Scion buyer is spending $1,000 on accessories, compared to $310 that Toyota customers spend on accessories.
About 50 buyers from 24 states and Germany bought a Scion vehicle in California and registered it outside the state. "If you tell Americans they can't buy something, they go crazy to get it," said Farley.
Scion is considering offering vehicles with no paint. The primered vehicles would be aimed at customers who sand off the original paint and replace it with a custom color.
autonews.com
After two months on the market in California, early buyers of the Scion brand of youth-oriented vehicles have chosen the boxy xB over the xA hatchback by a 2-to-1 margin.
Scion vice president Jim Farley said Wednesday, Aug. 30, that he has asked the Toyota factory in Takaoka, Japan, for an increase in xB production. The vehicle also is marketed in Japan as the bB.
Farley said he wants double the amount of xBs Scion originally planned for, but getting more xBs could be difficult. He said the factory already is working two shifts. "We'll get caught up," he said during a meeting with reporters at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Mich.
In other Scion news:
The average Scion buyer is spending $1,000 on accessories, compared to $310 that Toyota customers spend on accessories.
About 50 buyers from 24 states and Germany bought a Scion vehicle in California and registered it outside the state. "If you tell Americans they can't buy something, they go crazy to get it," said Farley.
Scion is considering offering vehicles with no paint. The primered vehicles would be aimed at customers who sand off the original paint and replace it with a custom color.
autonews.com