Toyota Introduces Youth-Oriented Vehicle to Port Charlotte, Fla.-Area Market.

By Bob Massey, The Sun, Port Charlotte, Fla. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Mar. 22--PUNTA GORDA, Fla. -- Described as looking like "an old milk wagon" and "a Tonka toy," not to mention "super boxy -- like a box, only boxier," the Toyota-made Scion has become the vehicle people hate to love.

But love it they do.

Designed exclusively for the skate-and-surfer set, a new dealership has popped up in, of all places, Charlotte County -- not exactly known as a Mecca for the Generation X crowd who are the vehicle's major draw.

Toyota has been "perceived for quality, reliability and resale value," said Robert Ferreiro, sales manager at Palm Toyota in Punta Gorda, "not a sexy look or radical look."

The Scion as sex symbol? Perhaps in the way that a pug dog is so ugly, it's cute.

"Scion means descendant -- a descendent of Toyota, sharing the same DNA, but with its own individuality," boasts the sales rhetoric.

Put an emphasis on individuality.

The Scion presently comes in two models: the boxy xB and the xA, whose wedge shape might be considered sportier, but not much. The tC, a new version with a retractable sun roof, is due in June.

Each Scion is built "monospec," with the same basic features that are standard. Granted, some of these are unusual to find on base-model cars: power windows, four-wheel antilock braking system with electronic brake assist, dual power outside mirrors and a first aid kit.

One of the more impressive standard features is the 100 amp AM/FM/CD/MP3 player with with Bazooka Subwoofer. According to Aaron Gold, a reviewer for The Car Place Web site, "It ought to come with a warning label." He explains:

"One of the stereo's two-dozen buttons is labeled SSP -- Scion Sound Processing. It has three modes: SSP Neutral, SSP Hear and SSP Feel. SSP Normal is pretty tame. Select SSB Hear, and the subwoofer cuts in, which sounds a lot like someone pounding on the inside of the tailgate.

"I made the mistake of turning the bass up, then selecting SSP Feel.

"WHAM! THUMPA-THUMPA-WHAM! THUMPA-THUMPA-WHAM!

"I felt like I'd been body-slammed by a 767.

"I tried turning the volume down, but I could barely move my hands against the wall of sound. I quickly turned off SSP. My ears rang for an hour, but damage to nearby buildings appeared to be minimal.

"My investment advice: If this is what the 20-somethings want, invest in hearing-aid companies now, while the stock prices are still low."

Owners choose whatever other non-standard features they want from an a la carte menu of accessories. All prices are published -- and nonnegotiable.

Depending on each buyer's level of "individuality," you can end up with the automotive equivalent of spiked purple hair and tattoos. There are bold graphics to spike up the metallic base paint. Funky interior lights cycle in colors on the dash and rear speakers and in the cup holders, in case you want to experience what it's like inside a disco ball.

"Kids are building cars, creating cars, putting their originality into it," Ferreiro said. "Toyota gives you a fully equipped vehicle for a very low introductory starting price."

Yeah, OK. But why here?

"It's coming here is four years early, the way Scion had it staged out," said Jeff West, the Sun's automotive sales representative and a former Toyota employee. He watched the car's inauspicious debut at the Detroit auto show in January 2003.

Early attempts to attract the attention of Generation Xers flopped.

"Toyota found out they didn't get their news from the paper or TV, and very little from radio," West said. "The majority got it from the Internet."

Indeed, an entire Scion can be ordered and purchased via the Net. The company is providing special programs to accommodate first-time buyers.

But Palm's sales are bucking the trend, Ferreiro said. He has customers snatching up the Scion from every demographic.

"By it being here this far in advance, it's being well-received," West said. "They're selling like hotcakes."

Which broaches the question: With a Scion dealership in Charlotte County, can a Ron Jon Surf Shop be far behind?

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(c) 2004, The Sun, Port Charlotte, Fla. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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