Toyota’s Scion Returns As An American-Designed Stealthy Side-By-Side

Toyota may be about to chase Honda into the woods.

The automaker’s U.S.-based CALTY Design Research team has built a side-by-side that could one day compete against Honda’s lineup of UTVs.

The Scion 01 Concept debuting at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas resurrects the name of the automaker’s former Scion division, which was disbanded in 2016.

The four-seat four-door features a purpose-built chassis powered by a rear-mounted version of the 2.4-liter four-cylinder-based hybrid powertrain fro the Tacoma that’s been tuned to 300 hp. CALTY also grabbed some Toyota truck parts for the suspension and braking systems, but set up with off-road racing in mind.

The Scion 01 Concept is equipped with a roll cage built to SCORE and FIA regulations, which means it’s ready to head straight from Las Vegas to Mexico for next week’s Baja 1000 if Toyota wanted to.

However, it’s also been designed to tread very lightly and can be operated in an all-electric Silent Mode for quiet running in the woods, although Toyota hasn’t announced its EV range.

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“The Scion 01 Concept is about taking what we do best at Toyota and blending it with the passions that drive us,” Don Federico, chief engineer and vice president of Vehicle Performance Development, said in a news releaase. “It’s the intersection of advanced performance and our deep enthusiasm for adventure. By bringing those worlds together in a side-by-side format, we’re exploring how Toyota performance can live in entirely new space — and inspire a new generation of enthusiasts to get out and go.”

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Toyota hasn’t confirmed any plans to put the Scion 01 Concept into production, or what the price point might be, but a factory Honda Talon with about 100 hp costs $25,000 while Polaris sells a competition RZR with 255 hp for $140,000.

Toyota’s TRD-USA team also brought another electrified off-road concept to SEMA. The Tacoma H2-Overlander is a Tacoma that’s been turned into an electric pickup powered by a hydrogen fuel cell system.

The pickup borrows components from the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car and has three tanks installed within the frame rails that are used to generate electricity for its 547 hp dual-motor powertrain. The hydrogen is augmented by a 24.9-kWh battery pack that can store energy recovered under braking or from a charger and the truck is equipped with a 15 kW power take-off that turns it into a mobile generator. The fuel cell system also captures the water vapor that is created as it generates electricity by combining the stored hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen and stores it in a container to use for drinking water. As with the Scion, the Tacoma H2-Overlander is just a concept … for now.

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