Toyota Motor North America is reviving its dormant Scion brand for a new domestic venture: manufacturing tiny, Japanese-style utility trucks in Indiana, the automaker announced Tuesday.
The company unveiled the KEI-01, an ultra-compact pickup scheduled to reach the U.S. market in the second half of 2027. Backed by a $34 million investment at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana in Princeton, the project will add approximately 50 jobs to assemble the vehicles locally, according to company announcements.
A Japanese fixture adapted for American fleets
Kei vehicles are a staple of Japanese transportation, where strict light-vehicle regulations govern their size and engine displacement. In Japan, these tiny workhorses represented roughly one-third of the 3.7 million new vehicles sold last year, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. While domestic auto manufacturers have never produced them in the United States, enthusiasm has steadily climbed, with more than 30,000 used models imported since 2020, according to The Verge.
Toyota’s newly badged Scion KEI-01 is roughly 11 feet long and under 5 feet wide—around half the footprint of a traditional full-size pickup. Power comes from a 660cc three-cylinder gasoline engine paired with a continuously variable transmission and four-wheel drive featuring a push-button locking mode.
Certified under federal Low-Speed Vehicle safety rules, the KEI-01 tops out at 25 mph. While limited in velocity, the truck features an enclosed, heated, and air-conditioned cabin, an extended roofline for additional headroom, and a right-hand-drive layout that allows operators to step out directly onto curbs. The flatbed includes three drop-down sides that fold completely flat, offering a cargo capacity of up to 600 pounds.
Presidential push and commercial rollout
The compact design aligns with public encouragement from President Donald Trump, who has urged automotive executives to bring miniature vehicles to American roads. In a post on Truth Social in January, Trump wrote that he had approved miniature vehicles to be manufactured in the country, praising their fuel economy and low production expenses. Trump previously authorized federal transportation regulators to accommodate their production, The Verge reported.
Scion, which Toyota established in 2003 and retired several years ago, was originally conceived as an affordable entry brand for young buyers. Under the new banner of “Scion by Toyota,” the automaker is framing the label as an experimental testing ground rather than a conventional passenger car lineup.
“Scion by Toyota gives us a place to challenge conventional thinking, explore new possibilities and create mobility in new ways,” said Simon Humphries, chief branding officer and head of design at Toyota Motor Corporation.
Alongside the truck, Toyota also displayed two design studies: the SxS Concept, a high-speed off-road buggy powered by a turbocharged hybrid engine delivering more than 300 horsepower, and the BKE Concept, a modular personal mobility minibike.
What comes next for Scion
Private buyers will have to wait before parking a KEI-01 in their driveways. Toyota stated that it will introduce the truck through a targeted pilot program strictly focused on commercial and institutional fleets.
Initial distribution will run through selected Toyota dealerships, targeting potential buyers such as farms, universities, corporate campuses, municipal operations, and neighborhood delivery services. Toyota officials noted that while retail consumer sales remain possible if market interest warrants it, current plans keep the low-speed pickup focused entirely on commercial utility.
