Influx

In recent weeks both Honda and Nissan have announced plans to bring Scion killers to the United States next year. Honda will launch the Fit and Nissan will produce a version of the Sports Concept that debuted at a number of shows earlier this year.

The Nissan product looks the most interesting from a design perspective. It has aggressive sporty lines and is likely to have strong appeal with the street racing and modifier/tuner crowd.

Honda’s Fit looks like a glorified mini-van. With this design, Honda’s going to have to work hard to sell this idea. It’s also important to consider that Honda failed to market the Element to this crowd, so the odds don’t look particularly good for the Fit.

Neither Nissan nor Honda is planning to launch these vehicles under a sub-brand and there are no there details on their customization programs.

Influx’s extensive research on Scion has shown that much of its appeal comes from two areas; firstly that it is a separate brand from Toyota, it’s not your parent’s Toyota and building on this concept, it’s the one automotive brand that lets Generation Y take control. Scion’s success has come from bottom-up marketing, rather than top-down.

While Scion’s Japanese rivals plan to introduce models into the country, it is unlikely that they can achieve Scion’s cult like success, without a radical marketing strategy.

To date, it doesn’t look like this will happen, but of the two companies, based on product, Nissan looks like it has the best shot.