Report: Scion may be moving upmarket to compete in near-luxury segments
AutoWeek on behalf of AutomotiveNews reportedly spoke to Scion last week during the 2013 New York Auto Show and they learned that Scion may be considering moving upmarket to compete against the likes of Mini and others such as the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class and the Audi A3.
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Click here for our original post on the 2014 Scion tC from the New York International Auto Show.
“Everybody is looking at what direction Scion should go,” Jim Lentz told AutoWeek, Toyota’s North American CEO. “We have to take a real hard look at what the future of the industry looks like strategically, and where we want Scion to play.”
Lentz said that Lexus was contemplating a sub-$30,000 car, but then refused to do it because Toyota’s executives thought it would “cheapen” the brand and they don’t want to lose their praise for offering outstanding customer service.
The other possibility to Scion moving upmarket would also be to compete against the fast growing and successful Korean makes in their own niches.
“Today it’s hard to find much value below $18,000 to $20,000,” Lentz said. “There’s going to be a big need in the $25,000 range for a fun-to-drive, nice-looking, value-oriented product.”
– By: Chris Chin
Source: AutoWeek
