Scion is back in the news. On November 10, 2026, Toyota announced it is reviving the brand after a 10-year break, starting with a tiny U.S.-built pickup truck. The ownership answer is short, but the story around it is worth knowing.
Who Owns Scion in 2026?
Scion is owned by Toyota Motor Corporation. That has been true since the brand began in 2003, and it is still true now that Toyota has relaunched it as Scion by Toyota. Scion was never an independent car company. The 2026 version is described as a Toyota badge rather than a separate brand, according to the Detroit News.
Toyota is publicly traded, so no single person owns Scion. Its shares are spread across banks, insurers, pension funds, and more than 1.27 million shareholders, according to Toyota’s investor page.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Party | Role | Approx. Stake | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Owner of Scion by Toyota | 100% of the brand | Listed in Tokyo, Nagoya, New York, and London |
| Toyota Motor North America | U.S. arm that launched the brand | Operating arm | Unveiled Scion by Toyota on November 10, 2026 |
| The Master Trust Bank of Japan | Largest Toyota shareholder | ~12.8% | Trust bank holding shares for clients |
| Custody Bank of Japan | Toyota shareholder | ~6.1% | Custody bank holding shares for clients |
| Nippon Life Insurance | Toyota shareholder | ~4.9% | Japanese life insurer |
| Toyota Industries | Former top Toyota holder | ~9.1% before May 2026, now ~0.01% | Sold its stake in Toyota’s tender offer |
| Akio Toyoda | Toyota chairman, founder’s grandson | ~0.5% | Largest individual holder tracked |
| Kenta Kon | Toyota President and CEO | No major stake | In the role since April 1, 2026 |
What Is Scion by Toyota?
Toyota Motor North America introduced Scion by Toyota at events in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and Frisco, Texas, as Quartz reported. Toyota calls it a “freedom lab,” a place to test new vehicle ideas and new ways of moving around.
The first vehicle is the KEI-01, a mini pickup with a 660cc three-cylinder engine, selectable four-wheel drive, and a 25 mph top speed. It is built to meet low-speed vehicle rules, will be assembled at Toyota’s Indiana plant from the second half of 2027, and will start as a fleet-focused pilot through select dealers. Toyota has not given a price.
GM Authority adds that the truck is just over 11 feet long and carries up to 600 pounds in its bed. Two concepts came with it: the SxS, a hybrid off-roader, and the BKE, a compact mobility idea that The Drive says folds in about 30 seconds. Neither has a launch date.
The Original Scion: 2003 to 2016
Toyota launched Scion in 2003 as a youth-focused brand sold through its existing dealers. It peaked at over 170,000 sales in 2006 and then slid, according to Wikipedia’s Scion entry. Toyota announced on February 3, 2016 that it would phase the brand out that August.
Fortune reported that half of Scion buyers were under 35. Toyota also used the brand as a test lab while some core Toyota models were drawing buyers in their 60s. The surviving models were rebadged as Toyotas, including the FR-S as the Toyota 86, the iA as the Yaris iA, and the iM as the Corolla iM.
Why Toyota Brought Scion Back
The revival began at the 2025 SEMA Show, where Toyota showed the Scion 01 side-by-side concept. Chief engineer Don Federico told Road & Track that the brand is about returning to its roots as a test laboratory, as Car and Driver reported. The new Scion is not aimed at traditional cars.
Toyota’s chief branding officer, Simon Humphries, framed it as a place to challenge conventional thinking about mobility. For now it is less a showroom comeback and more an experiment to see whether fleets and outdoor buyers want small, purpose-built machines.
Who Owns Toyota?
Toyota was founded in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda, according to Wikipedia, and today it has no controlling owner. For the full picture of the group behind the brand, see our breakdown of who owns Toyota.
As of March 31, 2026, the biggest names on its share register were trust and custody banks, which mostly hold shares for pension funds and other clients. By my calculation from Toyota’s disclosed share counts, after deducting treasury shares, Master Trust Bank held about 12.8%, Custody Bank of Japan about 6.1%, Nippon Life about 4.9%, State Street Bank about 4.6%, and JPMorgan Chase Bank about 4.1%.
Toyota Industries was a top holder at about 9.1%, but it tendered its shares in Toyota’s tender offer, and its holding fell to roughly 1.2 million shares on May 25, 2026. That was part of a wider group shake-up in which Toyota Industries was set to be delisted on June 1, 2026, per a Toyota Industries document.
Chairman Akio Toyoda, the founder’s grandson, personally holds only about 0.5%, according to WallStreetZen’s ownership data. Exact percentages shift by date and data provider, so treat them as close estimates.
Other Brands Under Toyota
Toyota’s main brands today are Toyota, Daihatsu, Century, and Lexus. It also holds minority stakes in other automakers, including about 20% of Subaru, about 5% of Mazda, and smaller stakes in Suzuki and Isuzu.
Scion by Toyota works like Honda’s Acura: a division of a bigger automaker, not a company of its own. If you like these stories, there are plenty more in automobile companies.
Who Runs Toyota Today?
Kenta Kon, the former chief financial officer, became president and CEO on April 1, 2026, as the Japan Times reported. Koji Sato moved to vice chairman and a new chief industry officer role, while Akio Toyoda stays on as chairman. Leadership has changed, but ownership of Scion has not.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Scion in 2026?
Toyota Motor Corporation owns Scion through the relaunched Scion by Toyota.
Q2. Is Scion a separate company?
No, it is a Toyota sub-brand and badge, not an independent automaker.
Q3. When did Toyota bring Scion back?
Toyota announced the revival on November 10, 2026.
Q4. What is the first new Scion vehicle?
The KEI-01, a 25 mph mini pickup built in Indiana starting in the second half of 2027.
Q5. When was the original Scion discontinued?
Toyota announced the shutdown on February 3, 2016 and phased it out that August.
Q6. Who are Toyota’s biggest shareholders?
Master Trust Bank of Japan (about 12.8%), Custody Bank of Japan (about 6.1%), and Nippon Life (about 4.9%).
Q7. Who is the CEO of Toyota?
Kenta Kon has been president and CEO since April 1, 2026.
Q8. Can I buy a new Scion today?
Not yet. The KEI-01 starts as a fleet-focused pilot in 2027, and no price has been announced.
Official website: toyota.com
Scion is owned by Toyota Motor Corporation, which launched it in 2003, closed it in 2016, and revived it on November 10, 2026 as Scion by Toyota. It is a sub-brand and test lab, not a separate company.
Toyota itself is widely held, led by trust banks, insurers, and group companies, with Kenta Kon as CEO and Akio Toyoda as chairman. The first new product, the KEI-01 mini truck, is due in the second half of 2027.