Scion has chosen to make the 2012 Scion iQ available in waves, starting with California, Scion Vice President Jack Hollis told reporters at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit on Wednesday at a ride-and-drive event.
The timetable for the Scion iQ's release is clear. It comes to Scion dealerships on the West Coast "later this fall." It will arrive in Southeast and Gulf States dealerships in the first quarter of 2012, followed by New York. The iQ launch will culminate with deliveries to the East Coast and Midwest in March.
Hollis calls the introduction of the 2012 Scion iQ to the marketplace part of an "exciting, busy time" for Scion.
"Last year we launched the all-new, second-generation tC. Better in every possible way, it was well received by Scion owners – both new and existing – when it reached Scion dealerships last September," Hollis said. "The tC immediately increased showroom traffic … contributing strongly to sales increases for all three Scion models. And it continues to have the youngest median-age buyer in the industry. Shortly after launching the tC, we switched gears to talk about another very
sporty car for Scion.
"A few months ago at the N.Y. auto show, we unveiled the FR-S, a sports-car concept that will rewrite the definition of what an affordable
sports car can be. FR-S stands for Front-engine… Rear-wheel drive … Sport. But you’ve probably heard that I think it could stand for 'Friggin’ Really Sweet.' While we’re still a few months away from really getting into the FR-S, I’m personally pumped up about where this sports car will take Scion. It’s a fun to drive ... no, scratch that ... it’s an 'Awesome to Drive' car that offers performance that hard-core driving fanatics can only find in a rear-wheel drive. This car will be the perfect daily driver AND weekend warrior."
Hollis contends the tC and FR-S are helping to launch what he calls a “new dimension” of Scion. While both of those
cars are adding a big dose of adrenaline with a young buyer who aspires for even more, the 2012 Scion iQ pushes Scion into another, very different direction.
"When we debuted the xB eight years ago it created an iconic vehicle that in many ways symbolically represented what Scion was in the early years of the brand," Hollis said. "And because it was a vehicle that grew to be more than 'just a
car' to its owners, it has been imitated quite a bit. But what has made it unique and never been duplicated, is the special connection that xB owners have for their car.
"The iQ will do the same as it ushers in a 'New Urbanism' – a
vehicle for a more progressive buyer whose transportation needs and desires are changing. While it will expand the Scion family to a fourth member, and the first all-new model since the tC launched in 2004, it will mean much more than that to Scion. It’s a premium micro-subcompact that will no doubt expand Scion into yet another 'dimension.' ”
Hollis says the iQ will "inherit the Scion DNA of authenticity, community and personalization." The Scion brand, he argues, "has accomplished exactly what the company hoped for when it launched. We're an investment in Toyota’s future."
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