SPY PICS: Remember Scion?

Could the US-only Toyota Scion brand come to Australia?

The youth-oriented offshoot has so far avoided European attention but these spy shots from our hypothermic friends at Carparazzi show a thinly disguised xD model wandering in the Austrian alps -- a sign that plans could be afoot to extend its impact around the globe.

That is fine for left-hand drive Europe, but does not indicate right-hand drive versions for Japan -- where the brand does not currently exist -- and, as a flow-on, no sign of Australian suitability either.

However the brand has been under scrutiny by Australia for some time, particularly the Corolla-size, SUV-style xD hatch that wouldn’t make a bad fit at all if it came under the now-porkier RAV4.

The xD was first introduced at the Chicago auto show early in 2007 and uses a 1.8-litre engine familiar to Corolla owners.

The packaging is what makes the xD what it is, with vertical dimensions helping maximize interior space and a multi-function, sliding rear seat offering a swathe of loading options.

On top of the xD there’s the funky, square-rigged, even slightly outrageous Scion xB model that gets a bigger 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine from the Camry. Rounding out the Scion range in the US are the smooth TC coupe and the small xA hatch.

If the Scion xD goes for a European configuration, it would be reasonable to expect it would be launched at the Paris motor show at the end of 2008.

Australia? Japan would seem to hold the keys here.

-- with Carparazzi