Scion Studies Adding Small Pickup

Toyota Motor Corp's Scion youth brand is studying whether a compact pickup truck would fit the niche brand's all-car lineup, Scion General Manager Jack Hollis tells Ward's.

Trucks are “not off the table,” Hollis says in an interview at the 2010 North American International Auto Show.

“Toyota has such a strong heritage of doing a very good job with youth and with trucks, when you look at (the Toyota) Tacoma — I'm not trying to be too cocky, but we pretty much have owned that segment for a long time. We have to find a niche. I think there is room for it.”

Scion and Toyota officials previously have said they wanted to stay away from light trucks. But Hollis says done right, a compact truck that is more recreation vehicle than utility hauler could hold appeal for Scion's core audience of youthful, edgy, non-traditional consumers.

The compact pickup of today is much bigger than its predecessors, matching the capability of fullsize pickups. Building a true compact pickup “is exactly where it is,” he says. Ironically, a possible barrier is the Tacoma.

The segment leader smoked the nearest competition by a sizable volume in 2009, selling 111,824 units.

The Tacoma has an overwhelmingly young-male customer base. “We would (want) to add to our family,” Hollis says, and not infringe on the Tacoma's market positioning.