Scion’s Hako Coupe to Debut in New York

Contrary to expectations, Toyota’s youth brand, Scion, will not be introducing a pickup truck concept at the upcoming New York auto show, set to be revealed on March 19th. Instead, the brand has decided to create yet another sporty coupe concept vehicle, which is being dubbed “Hako”. As depicted by the bright orange car in the preliminary teaser shot, the Hako will feature the same blunt, rounded nose as has been featured on the new Scion xD.

Unlike some of the previous Scion concepts, such as 2006’s FUSE, the Hako is expected to be a glimpse of a new future product, most likely a replacement for the tC compact coupe that went on sale in 2004.

Although Scion completely redesigned the xA and xB models, with the xA now being called the xD, the brand hasn’t seen the success that usually follows the launch of new upgraded products. In fact, sales for Scion have been down for sixteen consecutive months, despite the fact that more Toyota dealerships in the are selling the brand than before. Still, Scion managed to shift 130,000 plus units in 2007.

However cool and hip the Hako Concept and its resulting production model might be, it is unlikely that this vehicle alone will restore Scion to its previous sales peak, as sporty coupes are a niche market, even amongst younger buyers. As Scion turns five years old this year, it is likely that more of its existing buyers will be ready to trade in their “first generation” cars and get into newer products, thereby increasing sales.