Generally Honda is the name among Japan’s Big Three automotive powers that’s pushing out a fast, ferocious new side-by-side during any given calendar year. This time around, though, it’s Toyota. The company adds to its already large list of recent concept debuts with a radical side-x-side that uses a hybrid drive to deliver an extra 50+ hp over any current production SxS out there. At the same time, the four-seater brings back an iconic nameplate that was previously gone but not forgotten.
The Scion 01 – that’s the name Toyota slaps on its new concept OHV (off-highway vehicle), developed for this year’s SEMA show. As many will recall, Toyota launched Scion back in 2003 in the US and Canada as an entry level brand targeting younger buyers. It discontinued it nearly a decade ago after more than a million vehicles sold, reasoning that it had served its purpose in bringing in the type of younger buyer it was after. In fact, Toyota said then the Scion brand had the youngest average buyer age on the market at 36, with 70 percent of Scion buyers representing customers new to Toyota.
“This isn’t a step backward for Scion; it’s a leap forward for Toyota,” Jim Lentz, founding VP of Scion and then-CEO of Toyota North America said in announcing the discontinuation in 2016. “Scion has allowed us to fast-track ideas that would have been challenging to test through the Toyota network. I was there when we established Scion and our goal was to make Toyota and our dealers stronger by learning how to better attract and engage young customers. That’s exactly what we have accomplished.”
Toyota
It’s that type of flexible, experimental spirit that brings the Scion badge back to the surface today. Toyota notes it dusted off the nameplate as a nod to the brand’s former role as a creative test bed. And a Toyota side-x-side is definitely a piece of experimental creativity.
We have no problem using Scion as a model name so long as the make is “Toyota.” Because a side-by-side feels like a natural extension of Toyota’s longstanding role as a global leader in off-road trucks and SUVs like the Hilux, Tacoma and Land Cruiser. In fact, the Scion 01 Concept is the second SxS concept Toyota has revealed in recent times, the first being the hydrogen-engined Lexus ROV from 2021.
Two side-by-side concepts in four years? Is Toyota actually considering getting into the powersports game?
We’re still highly skeptical about any serious production plans, but the Scion 01 does sport a race-spec roll cage developed by Toyota to meet FIA and SCORE regulations. So maybe a UTV run at Baja or Dakar in the future? Toyota already has a rich history racing those events in truck/car classes, so why not stamp its name on a separate page of the books?
Toyota
Whatever it does or does not intend to do in the future, Toyota makes a strong case for the new Scion adventurer right now. A very strong case.
Borrowing powertrain components from its intrepid truck lineup, Toyota installs the turbocharged 2.4-liter hybrid drive from the Tacoma/4Runner to give the Scion 01 up to 300 horsepower with which to work. That may not sound like much on the floor of SEMA, where extreme excess lives and breeds, but it’s enough to best any current factory side-x-side we know of. That comparison was quite easy since we already did the legwork when Kawasaki was teasing and announcing its all-new 250-hp 2026 Teryx4/5 H2, besting Can-Am by a slim but noteworthy 10 hp for the current power crown.
Toyota
Beyond that segment-topping power, the Scion 01 leverages the battery-powered half of its hybrid drive to offer a pure-electric “Silent Mode,” perfect for scouting wildlife down scenic trails or respecting quiet hours when returning to camp after dark.
Toyota doesn’t give any other hard specs, but it does note the 01’s driveline, suspension and brake components also borrow from its official parts bins and have been carefully selected for performance in extreme conditions. The high-powered four-wheeler is designed to do everything a production side-x-side does well: inch slowly up and around rock fields, disappear into its own dust cloud on the dunes, and explore the thinnest ribbons of barely navigable trail for days on end.
Toyota
Toyota does leave us a sliver of hope that the Scion 01 will show up beyond the floor of SEMA, saying: “With exceptional suspension articulation, balanced track width, and a nimble footprint for tight trails, the Scion 01 Concept aims to surpass current SXS products in power, capability and range.”
What’s the point of surpassing the competition without ever competing?
Here’s to hoping the Scion 01 proves more than just a short adventure detour.
Source: Toyota
