Custom Scions at SEMA!

The SEMA auto show in Las Vegas has always been an elusive event and is not open to the public.  It is there that you will see the most radical designs the engineers at Ford Price Lakeside can possibly imagine.  Auto brands and their affiliates showcase their best and brightest automotive creations at SEMA.  Since hitting American soil, Toyota’s subsidiary Scion has been all about originality.  At SEMA this year, eight different designers customized a Scion vehicle, which undoubtedly stole the spotlight away from any Ashland Ford vehicles.

The employees at Atlanta Used Chevrolet might want to consider enlisting the help of automotive genius Jeremy Lookofsky.  His “All Stretched Out” Scion xB is representing Cartel, and was a huge hit at the SEMA auto show.  The designed tacked on an extra four feet of length to the little four cylinder Scion xB, and when you take into account all of the extra gear and supplies that are needed to support the 2600-watt sound system, the hard-to-miss xB won’t be winning races anytime soon! 

The folks over at 0-60 Magazine decided to customize a Scion xD and named it “Tarmac.”  While the xD is not the most popular car in the Scion family, the designers made it stand out by using Lexan windows, a race cage that reminds you of rally cars, they put suede on the dashboard, and aero-optimized the fascias in front and back. 

Going to the popular tC from Scion, John Pangilinan painted it red, white and black in a flashy paint design.  The fenders are wide and carbon-fiber, the spoiler is large and functional, and the flat-black wheels make it an image of perfection.  Under the hood are plenty of upgrades and turbocharged elements.  The Scion line up will continue to be popular among automotive designers and body shop professionals.  The low price makes it easier and more affordable to dump the extra money into upgrades and customization features. 

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Scion's Sales Slumps

Scion needs to step up their game plan if they want to remain competitive against the small cars at Bloomington Chevrolet.  When Scion was first brought around by Toyota, they were cool, young, and hip.  Young drivers flocked to the customizable vehicles that were also quite affordable.  Many drivers choose to visit places like Body Shop Saginaw to add custom graphics to their unique looking vehicles.  But the problem now is that Scion’s sales are declining, and they have been for a while. 

Just like the GA Commercial Ford Trucks that have been around for years and continue to be some of the best selling trucks in America, the recipe for success is to find what works and keep doing it.  Scion had a great thing with their quirky original model, the boxy xB.  Sales were strong for a couple of years and then the sales quickly started to decline.  The current best seller is the sports car modeled tC, which makes  up 40% of the brands total sales.  That isn’t a great statistic considering there are only three models in the current line up; xD, xB, and tC. 

Consumers are begging for some redesigns.  The reason Scion was so popular was because they were something new.  Now, their outward appearances have become more mainstream and they are tending to look like other vehicles on the road.  Perhaps the release of their Scion iQ in the Spring of 2011 will help revive the hip brand.  The iQ will be incredibly fuel efficient and manage to seat three people even though it is just a smidge larger than the Smart ForTwo.  Scion's pricing will help it remain alive in this competitive market, but competing against popular vehicles like the Kia Soul and Ford Fiesta is going to be tough.  Both of these vehicles were created for the younger market, and competition is fierce.

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