丰田在美国的 Kei 卡车上重新启用 Scion 名称

Apparently, Toyota has been up at night watching Instagram reels. Reading the comments. Scratching its chin. Asking itself an important question: If people are already paying tariffs and other import fees to get old kei trucks into America from Japan, why don’t we just build new ones here?

That brings us to the Scion KEI-01. A small truck. With a tiny engine. And big dreams. What’s essentially a rebadged Daihatsu Hijet Jumbo, the Scion will instead be assembled at the same Toyota plant where the Grand Highlander and Sienna are built, in Princeton, Indiana. The word “kei” comes from the Japanese vehicle classification “keijidōsha,” which translates to light automobile.

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For now, you won’t find any hiding in the shadow of a lifted Toyota Tundra TRD Pro on dealer lots. Instead, these trucks—shorter than a Mazda MX-5 Miata—will be sold next year through a fleet-focused trial program to test the waters. If demand is strong, Toyota says limited retail sales could follow.

The Scion KEI-01 is as adorable as it looks and is said to weigh less than 2000 pounds, despite having all-wheel drive. Power comes from a tiny 660-cc three-cylinder engine paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission. It uses an independent front suspension, a solid rear axle, and a hydromechanical clutch to automatically shift power between the front and rear wheels based on traction needs. There’s also a “Lock” button to keep power evenly distributed between both axles.

The example Toyota showcased at a media event was equipped with tiny 145/80-12 Yokohama Super Van 355 tires. Its four-lug steel wheels, which almost hide the rear drum brakes, are roughly two inches smaller in diameter than the front brake rotors on the GR Corolla.

Here’s the catch. Just like another mini car—the Fiat Topolino—the Scion is restricted to low-speed duty, effectively making it a mullet-shaped golf cart. Top speed is limited to just 25 mph. Engineers tell us they baked this into the engine’s computer, and a simple “cut the wire” trick won’t unlock highway speeds. Its lack of speed is exactly how Toyota managed to get the KEI-01 into the U.S. so quickly. By meeting federal low-speed vehicle safety requirements, it can avoid the crash-test standards required of conventional passenger vehicles and pickups, retain its right-hand-drive layout, and stay as cute as a button.

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Measuring just over 11 feet long and less than five feet wide, the KEI-01 features a three-way folding cargo bed that can haul up to 600 pounds. That bed measures six feet six inches if you include the area under the cab, or five feet five inches without.

It comes with air conditioning, reclining seats, and push-button ignition. It will be sold with a cab-mounted reverse camera and may offer a towing package as optional equipment. Yes, it’s got airbags, though not many. Full pricing and options are still very TBD, as production is slated to begin in mid 2027.

The future of the Scion brand has also begun to take shape as a “freedom lab.” Toyota is using the name not as a conventional reboot, but as an outlet for experimental mobility ideas, such as a truck that measures just 11 feet in length.

Alongside the KEI-01, Toyota showed off its SxS Concept (previously revealed at SEMA last year), a side-by-side off-roader packing a turbocharged hybrid inline-four engine with more than 300 horsepower, and the BKE Concept scooter that already looks leagues more comfortable to ride than Honda’s Motocompacto.

It might not initially look like it, but the KEI-01 fits rather comfortably as a Scion. The original Scion brand spent its first life trying to convince young people to buy Toyotas. They wanted people to swap wheels, add racing stripes, and personalize an affordable car. That’s exactly what many people already do with their kei trucks. Just ask the guy baking wood-fired pizzas from the back of his Subaru Sambar if tiny trucks are any fun.

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Austin Irwin has worked for Car and Driver for over 10 years in various roles. He's steadily worked his way from an entry-level data entry position into driving vehicles for photography and video, and is now reviewing and testing cars. What will he do next? Who knows, but he better be fast.

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