Straightline

Whether you think it's massively cool or just as far down on the ugly spectrum, the Scion Hako coupe concept was one of the most unusual and interesting-looking cars unveiled at New York's Javits Center today.

Actually, Jack Hollis, Scion vice president, is kind of hoping you won't like it. "If you think it's ugly, great. That's perfect. As you know, polarizing style fits in well with our lineup."



So do boxes. "Hako" means "box" in Japanese. But this is a smaller box than the current-generation Scion xB. Curiously, it's almost identical in size to the current generation of the Japanese-market Nissan Cube, which today Nissan confirmed would be coming to the U.S. following a redesign (with an unveil at the L.A. auto show). This also means it has a Mini Cooper-size footprint, though the Hako is a couple inches wider. We also think it looks a bit like the Japan-only Toyota bB.



But Hollis was keen to emphasize the "coupe" part of the Scion Hako coupe concept, which is the work of Toyota's Tokyo design studio. "It's a very large departure from the xB," he told us. "It's a whole new variation on what a coupe could be."

At the same time, there's apparently a strong retro element to this concept. "The Hako Coupe's high beltline, vertical windshield and strong flared fenders are reminiscent of classic American coupes popular with trend-setting youth," Hollis said. He was referring to Japanese youth, obviously, but we're struggling to come up with any American car that looks anything like the Scion Hako coupe. Ideas, anyone?



Although we think the Hako is basically a two-door Nissan Cube, we kind of like the idea of it joining the Scion lineup simply because it's polarizing bordering on unattractive. The current Scions play it way too safe with styling.

However, we get the feeling that Scion hasn't yet decided what to do with the Hako coupe. Hollis said the brand could expand to include as many as six nameplates. "Will we have a truck in our lineup? Does it make sense to have a hybrid powertrain? Is a subcompact roadster the answer? Or will an SUV ever be viable for us? We don't know the answers quite yet, but we're very open-minded."

So here's the kind of Scion we'd like to see: a small, affordable, rear-drive car that looks good and handles even better. -- Erin Riches, Senior Editor, Inside Line