2008 Scion Hako Coupe Concept

Some brands have what you might call an image problem. Some of these are companies

The Hako Coupe is different all right, but it would bring back the boxy profile to the Scion lineup if built, as well as the subcompact size. (Photo: Scion)

that don't have congruent, styling to define their corporate identities. Others don't know who their target market is, and are building cars for a certain demographic only to have them purchased by completely different kinds of buyers. Other than a propensity of older fixed income singles and couples who initially snapped up the xB due to its frugal price point, economical running costs and flexible practicality, Scion isn't one of those car companies. They have a direct market and know who their customers are, and more often than not they're hip and urban people. But just the same Scion is in a bad fix. Consumers aren't buying their cars, not at least in the numbers that they ought to be.

The basic premise of Scion's business model was to get young people into Toyota products, offering the automaker's reputation of durability and quality without the stodgy, often bland image. Scion taps into the idea that Generation Y (late teens to late 20s), the relative newcomers to driving, not only need cars, but need cool cars. Combining Japanese culture of design and trends with the tuner and sport compact world, Scion delivers a lineup of vehicles at prices that the masses can really afford. The first Scions to land were essentially range-topping domestic Japanese market cars based off of the Toyota Echo, and they proved to be quite popular. As a means of expressing one's self,

Profile reminds us of hot rods. The rest of the car... well, that's different. (Photo: Scion)

the concept of the car as a blank canvas, an automotive clean sheet, is brilliant, especially given that Scion offers dozens of accessories of all types to enhance their cars.

This is a brand that for all intents and purposes should make hotcakes look like stale bread. The cars it sells are economical, affordable and cheap to run. They look different from the average subcompact or compact, and even though most people might not consider this aspect of their designs, they're quite practical too. But the thing is that dealers are having a hard time moving cars. Vehicle sales, in less than scientific terms, are in the toilet, despite the fact that the brand has expanded its dealer network significantly, and for 2008 two thirds of its product lineup is new, not to mention that small car sales are up due to rising fuel prices. What gives?

Recently, Scion's VP Jack Hollis said that the brand would be expanding its product lineup in the future, and potential candidates for one of the slots could include a pickup, a roadster or a sports car of sorts. A not so subtle hint could very well be the Hako Coupe, which was shown in

Patterned roof gives the Hako an airier feel, but with a twist. (Photo: Scion)

New York just recently.

The idea behind this bright orange concept is that it's what a box would look like if it were sporty. The concept of the box is particularly strong with Scion - the brand was built around the original xB (now out of production), which was little more than a four-wheeled box. Its successor, the new xB, is bigger and roomier, although it now has curved, rounded edges and is subsequently less box-like. Not that Scion has alienated its customers, but it wouldn't hurt the Toyota subsidiary to return to thinking back inside the box, not to mention bring back a smaller wagon-like vehicle. The Hako Concept is actually about 2.0 inches shorter than the current Yaris Liftback, and some 0.8 inches smaller than the smallest 2008 model year Scion, the xD.

Styling is a big part of the Hako. Unlike the xB, which was designed to be a box, pure, minimalist and simple, the Hako was conceived to create a reaction, and not unlike Chrysler's PT Cruiser when it first debuted, it reverses the typical engineering belief that form follows function.

Orange driver's seat is the hot seat. Cabin looks like a gaming room. (Photo: Scion)

What makes the Hako so unusual is its combination of shapes; there's almost no congruency to it. It has a (relatively) long hood and short overhangs like a sports car, but its nose is tall and blunt. Bulldog, anyone? Then it has pronounced fender flares with integrated headlamps, a pontoon look similar in concept to the Mazda RX-8. And if that weren't enough of a curve ball, there's the trademark Scion box part of the design. The combination of a perfectly vertical windshield, with a low profile height and thick pillars, reinforces the box part of the message, but also brings something new to the automotive scene - from the side it looks like a custom hot rod. True to its tuner side, the Hako is filled with aesthetic components, such as the extra-thin side view mirrors and the large diameter deep-dish alloy wheels.

Scion also thinks that youthful people like gadgets. I'd be willing to reckon that anyone in their 20s or 30s who could afford to buy a new car, the people that blur the end of Generation X and start of Generation Y,

Joystick used to control the screens. A neat twist. (Photo: Scion)

would be on the up and up when it comes to electronic gear; items like your iPod, your laptop, your Bluetooth-equipped cellphone. The Hako Coupe embraces this, and actually pushes the use of cameras and displays to new levels. Because so much of the vital information can be displayed on screens, why bother having a curvy shaped dashboard when simple straight-up screens will do?

The Hako seats four in two benches; the driver's is orange and the rest are black. The front passenger is separated from the driver by a molded arm rest console that houses a trackball for controlling the audio system, nav and other goodies. The whole cabin is upholstered in easy-to-clean neoprene and rubber surfaces, and features storage space for gizmos and gadgets, plus magazines. While the layout of the cabin is improbable, this screen system is plausible sometime down the road.

As a styling exercise, the Hako Coupe is certainly different. Nothing on the floor in Manhattan's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center looked anything remotely like it. But is this what young consumers really want - a modern day, hot-rod inspired vehicle? Scion says that it will be taking auto show goers' feedback into consideration in determining what its plans for future vehicles might be. And although I happen to think the Hako is sort of cool looking, most of the show goers didn't like it. There are plenty of different vehicle types for Scion to experiment with, so expect to see many more concepts from this interesting new brand in the coming months and years.