Scion is a
marque of
Toyota that operated between the
model years 2003 through 2016. Designed as an extension of Toyota's efforts to appeal towards younger customers, the Scion brand primarily featured
sports compact vehicles (primarily
badge engineered from Toyota's international models), a simplified "pure price" model, and eschewed
trim levels in favor of offering a single trim for each vehicle with a range of factory and aftermarket options for buyers to choose from to personalize their vehicle. The name, meaning the descendant of a family or heir, refers both to the brand's cars and their owners. The brand first soft launched in the United States at selected Toyota dealers in the state of California in June 2003, before expanding nationwide by February 2004. In 2010, Scion expanded into Canada. In an effort to target the
generation Y demographic, Scion primarily relied on
guerrilla and
viral marketing techniques.