2011 Toyota Sienna Se on 2040-cars

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Scion was Toyota's lost generation

Toyota's top North American leader was succinct in explaining the reasons for killing Scion. "It's the right decision at the right time," Jim Lentz said. It's hard to disagree. In a strong market that saw 17.5 million sales last year, Scion volume dipped three percent. Its product lineup has withered for years, which is always a telltale sign a brand doesn't have the full support of its owner. Though enthusiasts love the FR-S sports car, it's the fruit of a joint project with Subaru that also produced the BRZ. Scion's coolest car has a twin sold by one of its rivals. After the FR-S launched in 2012, Scion got nothing – squat – in the way of new products until the iA and iM arrived late last year, IHS senior analyst Stephanie Brinley noted. "[Scion] was not successful in building a visual brand identity or product personality," she said. Lentz, Scion's first vice president and now CEO of Toyota's North American division, admitted the market has changed. "Younger customers have a different mindset," he said. In the early oughts, a brand that catered to a youthful demographic made some sense, and this is one front where Toyota can declare victory. Seventy percent of Scion's buyers were new to Toyota, and the average age was 36 years old. The problem is, not enough of them buy Scions anymore. Scion hit a highwater sales mark of 173,034 vehicles in 2006 and hasn't come close to reaching that since. The recession hurt Scion, too. It bottomed out in 2010 with just 45,678 sales, a time when the rest of the industry was beginning to recover. There was a brief uptick (73,507) in 2012, but Scion failed to capitalize on that momentum and sales fell for three more years. Toyota is calling Scion's pending death a "transition" back to the main company. Sure, most of the cars will be rebadged Toyotas, like the FR-S, iA, and iM. The C-HR, an attractive future crossover that would have given Scion a boost, will go into production as a Toyota. But make no mistake: This is a failure. Toyota is closing a brand in the same way General Motors scrapped Oldsmobile, Ford shuttered Mercury, and Chrysler dropped Plymouth. Those brands languished for years. Toyota moved quicker to put the fork in Scion, which prevented it from becoming a long-term drain on the parent company. Lentz was dead on. It's the right time. News & Analysis News: Sergio Marchionne is against a Ferrari SUV Analysis: His exact words were, "you have to shoot me first," Bloomberg reported.

2013 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport

"Oh yeah, Toyota still makes the Tacoma." Admit it, that's what you just said to yourself. It's a perfectly natural reaction, but the Tacoma has been quietly anchoring its segment for years, outselling every other compact pickup without making too much of a fuss. Toyota hasn't neglected the Tacoma - it was updated in 2012 with a revised nose and interior as the most noteable changes.
In a world awash with high-value fullsize pickups all vying for your attention, the Tacoma still charms more than a few buyers out of their cash. I hooked a Tacoma for a week to see whether it still has enough to recommend it.
Driving Notes

2014 Toyota Aygo marks the spot [w/video]

Following the leaked pictures we showed you yesterday, we have the full battery of images and info of the all-new Toyota Aygo, in addition to our gallery of live photos from the floor of the Geneva Motor Show.
Like its cousins from Peugeot and Citroën, the Aygo foregoes a diesel engine in favor of a highly efficient gas powerplant. The 1.0-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder turns out 68 horsepower and 70 pound-feet of torque. When it hits the market, it'll be with either a five-speed manual transmission or a five-speed, X-Shift automated manual. The former will help the Aygo return 57.3 miles per gallon and hit 62 miles per hour in 14.2 seconds. Opting for the X-Shift variant will net drivers 56 mpg, with 62 arriving in a leisurely 15.5 seconds.
We'll admit, aside from the fuel efficiency, there's nothing terribly great about those numbers. Still, with its compact dimensions - it's only 136 inches long - and a curb weight of no more than 2,000 pounds, it should prove tossable in the bends.