When the Scion xB was redesigned for the 2008 model year, it was upsized from a subcompact to a compact. That added a foot in length, almost three inches in width and more than 600 pounds. The post-2007 xB topped 3,000 pounds (Wikipedia, 2021).
Meanwhile, Toyota was apparently concerned that too many older people and families were buying the first-generation model (Hammonds, 2008). Thus, the xB was given a more “youthful” look, replete with a squat greenhouse. The above image illustrates how the second-generation xB had a street rod vibe.
The larger size and snazzier styling may have helped the xB better appeal to younger buyers. Even so, the essential genius of the original — a versatile but small and simple car — was lost. Toyota followed Ford’s playbook when it upsized the Mustang in 1971. We all know how that turned out.
Second-generation Scion xB sales collapse
The second-generation model was supposedly designed to better meet the tastes of U.S. car buyers. Nevertheless, sales fell well below the original. The first-generation xB averaged roughly 52,000 units between the 2004 and 2007 model years. That stood in stark contrast to its successor, which sold almost 46,000 units in 2008 but declined to less than half that amount within two years. And from 2011 through its demise in 2015, the xB never hit 20,000 units again (Wikipedia, 2021).
One factor in the second-generation model’s initially lower sales could have been the Great Recession. But even as the economy recovered, xB sales continued to fall. The fundamental problem was that the xB stopped being an exceptionally efficient and economical car.
Toyota failed to see that it had a modern-day Beetle
Paul Niedermeyer (2013) said it best in arguing that the xB had the potential to be a modern-day Volkswagen Beetle if it had stuck with the first generation’s winning formula (albeit with a bit more power).
I agree except for one thing: the xB would have benefitted from better aerodynamics, particularly in the front end. The upright fascia and windshield were stylistic affectations that added nothing to the car’s practicality.
Once upon a time Toyota was smart enough to not slavishly copy Detroit’s fixation with making its vehicles bigger, glitzier and more powerful with each redesign. Not anymore.
NOTES:
This is an expanded version of a story that was originally posted June 5, 2014.
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Hammonds, Don; 2008. “First Look: Scion xB less eccentric, boxy but more flexible.” Pittsburg Post-Gazette. Posted August 14; accessed Dec. 2, 2020.
- Niedermeyer, Paul; 2013. “Curbside Classic/Review: 2008 Scion xB – A Case Study Of How To Kill A Successful Car.” Curbside Classic. Posted May 3; accessed Dec. 2, 2020.
- Wikipedia; 2021. “Scion xB.” Page last modified Jan. 13; accessed Jan. 21.
“I agree except for one thing: the xB would have benefitted from better aerodynamics, particularly in the front end. The upright fascia and windshield were stylistic affectations that added nothing to the car’s practicality”.
I do appreciate your article but seriously disagree with the above statement. For many of us who own especially the first generation xB, the upright fascia and windshield were two critical factors that contributed to the voluminous, if not cavernous interior allowing for sofa like seating and massive headroom.
Besides being a modern-day Beetle, I thought it could be a modern-day of another iconic car althought not as popular as the old Beetle in North America but got its share of fans around the world, the Citroen 2CV who’s mainly known in North America thanks to its cameo in a car chase scene in James Bond movie “For your eyes only”.
https://www.imcdb.org/v002024.html
I really liked the first generation XB and was planning on buying a used one. Then I discovered it’s poor crash test results and was dissuaded. The second generation did not appeal to me visually nor size wise. If the first generation had been even smaller it would have been even more attractive. I likened it to a large MINI. Old people buy practical cars that are comfortable to drive and inexpensive. The XB and the Maverick. Standards have definitely increased!
Oh, I have got to wade iron this one, having owned a first generation toaster.
In the first place, my reason for picking the car (bought used) was because I was looking for a car that could comfortably haul myself, my terminally ill wife, and her wheelchair. Thanks to the wonderful salesperson at Carmax who went to the back room and dug out the wheelchair they kept at the dealership for emergencies, I spent an hour shoving in and pulling out the wheelchair from various cars before I even started on a test drive. The xB won out over a Honda Fit because of seat height, and the luggage space was perfect for a folded chair.
At the time I owned the car, I also owned a Porsche 924S. The xB (forever in my mind as “the Maus Car”) was the only car I’ve ever owned that I could swap between it and the Porsche without feeling disappointed in the Toyota. With the five speed, it was an absolute hoot on the back roads. On the highway, it desperately needed a sixth gear. But, other than the interstate, it was an absolutely wonderful drive.
Why did I get rid of it? I buried my wife three years into ownership, and, quite frankly, keeping it was painful. Besides, there was this Fiat 500c Abarth cabriolet . . . . .
I got to drive a second generation xB. Congratulations, Toyota, you turned a neat little car onto a boxy Corolla. After years of doing things right, you finally pulled a General Motors.
Thank you for your story; I don’t think we “car guys” talk enough about how our automobiles intersect with the rest of our lives. I’m sorry to hear about your wife; you sound like you took good care of her.
An Abarth sounds like a cool next car.