Scion to Build Small Pickup Truck?

2008 Toyota A-BAT Concept

Is Scion working on building a compact pickup truck? Ward's Auto and Pickuptrucks.com seem to think so.

Pickuptrucks.com notes that this wouldn't be the first time that Scion has thought of bringing a compact pickup truck market. The last time the company considered it, it eventually became the Toyota A-BAT Concept.

Scion general manager Jack Hollis told Ward's that the idea of building a truck isn't "off the table" but that it would need to be built and sized correctly to appeal to the core Scion buyer. With compact pickups growing larger, expect a Scion pickup to be truly compact, and expect to be aimed at the same type of buyer that Scion has always targeted--young and urban.

There is one potential problem--Toyota already offers the compact Tacoma, which has been a strong seller for the brand. Any Scion pickup would have to avoid cannibalizing sales from the Tacoma. One way to avoid that problem would be to position a Scion pickup as more of a recreational vehicle than a pickup truck that is used for hauling goods or towing.

That's a challenge in and of itself--remember the Subaru Baja?--but it might make sense for Scion. Right now, the company is planning on debuting a new car--likely the next tC coupe--in New York this spring, and it will add a fourth model--most likely a version of the iQ subcompact--by the end of the year. Adding a pickup truck as a fifth model could help boost the brands' appeal even further among young car buyers.

[Source: Ward's Auto via Pickuptrucks.com]