Toyota to Expand Scion Brand Car Sales to Entire U.S.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Toyota Motor Corp. plans to expand sales of its Scion brand cars, currently limited to the state of California, to all of the US starting next June.

At the same time, the automaker will add a two-seat sports car to the existing Scion xA and xB models. By establishing sales space for the Scion models at about 700 Toyota dealerships nationwide, Toyota will aim to sell 100,000 units in 2005.

The Scion brand, which was unveiled in June, is targeted at younger consumers. The average age of a Scion driver is around 36, compared with 48 for a Toyota driver. Priced between US$12,000 and US$14,000, the Scion models are advertised mainly on the Internet. Toyota sold a combined 5,000 units through the end of August.

By expanding its Scion models and their availability, Toyota aims to attract drivers who may become Toyota and Lexus brand buyers in the future.

http://www.automobilemag.com/news/news_03_2/

So much for the hopes that the "sporty" Scion would be the Caldina. I wonder what the hell this 2-seater is?