Article: Scion seeks to avoid the sophomore slump; Brand aims to remain hip while it matures gracefully.(News)

Byline: Mark Rechtin

Jim Lentz remembers seeing the original Scion xB concept for the first time and wondering whether he was sacrificing his career by backing a toaster on wheels.

Those were scary times for Lentz, who was the first boss of the Toyota youth brand. But back in 2002 he was trying for something completely different, so those anxious moments were oddly reassuring.

Two years later, Scion struck quicksilver when it introduced its quirky trio of vehicles. The brand nailed its Generation Y demographic target and easily topped sales goals. When demand got too hot, Scion even had to ask hard-charging dealers to back off some.

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