Toyota has filed a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to obtain protection for the name Scion iR. The April 23 filing describes an automobile that “seats four or more passengers and is lawful for use on U.S., Puerto Rican, or Canadian interstate highways.”
The loose description of the iR from the filing is the only information known about the upcoming Scion, but it’s not hard to imagine what Scion has planned. It’s possible Scion is replacing the xD, the tallish, slab-sided hatchback whose production ended in 2014.
Slumping sales are plaguing Scion, with the first quarter of 2015 showing a 17.1 percent drop. Both the iQ and sadly, the FR-S, are responsible for much of the slow sales, with the FR-S down 28.6 percent over last year.
But hope is on the horizon. The iR will eventually join the upcoming Scion iA and iM sedan and hatchback slated to enter production for the 2016 model year. The pair will arrive just in time, hopefully expanding Toyota’s youth brand’s market reach and customer base.
The iA mark’s Scion’s first attempt at offering a more traditional sedan, while the iM will offer more cargo room, since it’s basically a Corolla wagon, or as it’s otherwise known, the Toyota Auris. The iA, on the other hand, is a rebadged Mazda2. There’s no word on what will underpin the iR.
Continue reading to learn more about Scion’s latest trademark.
Why it matters
Adding new products to Scion’s lineup seems to be a smart move at this point. Slow sales for two of its four products spells bad news. Hopefully the new vehicles will breathe life into the youthful brand, helping it stay competitive.
2016 Scion iA
Read our full review here.
Source: Autoguide
