Scion xB and xD Coming to Japan as Deka bB and New ist

The Scion xD(foreground) and xB(background)

Newly introduced at last month's Chicago Auto Show, the second generation xB and the all new xD, two models from Toyota's youth orientated US brand Scion, are due for release in Japan in the summer. However, the Scion brand itself, together with the frankly nonsensical xB/xD nomenclature, will not be making the move East, despite Toyota's recent success in establishing the Lexus brand in Japan. Both vehicles will thus be released in Japan as Toyotas; the xB being renamed as the Deka (meaning 'big') bB, and the xD becoming the successor to the current ist.

Although the first generation Scion xB was based on the Japanese market first-gen Toyota bB, the second generation of the Toyota bB, released early 2006 in Japan and forming the basis of the Daihatsu Coo/Materia, will not be finding its way stateside. Instead the longer, wider Toyota Deka bB will form the basis for the new Scion xB in the US. Meanwhile, in Japan, the Deka bB slots in above the regular bB in the Toyota range, and will be marketed as a successor to the Corolla Spacio MPV. Although exact specifications for the Japanese market Deka bB are yet to be finalised, it seems unlikely that the vehicle will be offered with the 158 horsepower 2.4l engine that has been promised for the American version. Indeed, inline with the rest of the Japanese market, 1.5l and 1.8l engines seem to be more probable options for power units. It also appears that the Deka bB, due to go on sale in Japan in August, may do away with the third row of seats found in the current Corolla Spacio, duly limiting its seating capacity to five.
The MK1 Toyota ist
The MK2 Toyota ist


The second generation Toyota ist (Scion xD), is due to replace the current model in June, and is based on underpinnings from the new Toyota Yaris/Vitz. The current ist is marketed as Toyota's sophisticated small car, with increased sporting pretensions, and this trend looks set to continue with the new model, if the semi-bucket seats of the Scion xD shown at Chicago are anything to go by. While the new ist retains virtually the same dimensions as the outgoing model, engine capacities is expected to increase, with a 128 bhp 1.8l powerplant joining the 103bhp 1.5l unit from the current model. It is however anticipated that the 85bhp 1.3l from the current model will not see service in the new ist.

With the new ist posing as a bloated, squared-off Yaris, and the Deka bB taking on the guise of a heavy-set Japanese market bB, the styling of both cars can hardly be seen to be a harbinger for a new Japanese car design direction. Instead, the design of the two vehicles seems to merely reaffirm the prevalence of utilitarian cubism - the design philosophy of choice in Japan over the last few years. However, with the addition of bulging curvature, the Deka bB and new ist do bring something new to the cubism party, yet these bulbous curves seem merely to dilute the bold and unadulterated cubism of the mk1 bB, and Toyota's attempts at curvaceous cubism don't seem to be as well executed as those of the now somewhat venerable mk2 Nissan Cube. Stylistically then, Toyota's two new offerings seem to be something of a retrograde step, especially considering how well Toyota matched cubist architecture with taut convex surfaces on the Japanese market mk2 bB launched last year.
The Japanese Market Second Generation Toyota bB