Scion's Little Secret

These sorts of trendy cars, like the Toyota Matrix, the Honda Element and three varieties of Toyota's Scions, were designed and marketed expressly for 20-somethings. But the people at the wheel often look more like Ozzie and Harriet than like the serially pierced offspring of Ozzy Osbourne.

For a variety of reasons, manufacturers of youth-oriented cars are missing their targets. "The original anticipated median age of the Matrix driver was 28.8, but it's actually 42.7," said Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research, a consulting firm in Bandon, Ore., that tracks auto industry trends. "And Element drivers are at 44.7 instead of the anticipated 28.6."  Read more (NY Times)