Toyota Brings Back Scion With the KEI-01, an Indiana-Built Kei Truck Capped at 25 MPH

The tiny right-hand-drive pickup has a 660cc three-cylinder engine, four-wheel drive and a 600-pound bed, and will go first to fleet buyers in the second half of 2027.

PLANO, Texas - Toyota is bringing back the Scion name as an experimental brand for small and unusual vehicles. Its first model is the KEI-01, a Japanese-style kei truck that Toyota will assemble in Indiana and sell in the United States starting in the second half of 2027, Toyota Motor North America said in its announcement.

The company introduced Scion by Toyota at simultaneous events in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, and Frisco, Texas, and describes it as a “freedom lab” for new ideas in utility, outdoor adventure and personalization. The original Scion line was discontinued in 2016, The Verge noted.

The KEI-01 is just over 11 feet long and under 5 feet wide. Image: Toyota

Kei trucks are built to fit Japan’s light vehicle rules, and used ones have become a popular import in the United States, with more than 30,000 brought in since 2020, according to The Verge. The KEI-01 is Toyota’s own take on the format. It has a 660cc three-cylinder engine paired with a continuously variable transmission, and standard selectable four-wheel drive with an auto mode and a push-button lock for mud, snow and uneven ground. The bed holds up to 600 pounds and folds down on three sides for loading at a lower height, and the truck can tow small trailers and equipment.

The cab is enclosed, with heat and air conditioning, a raised roofline, reclining and sliding seats, and storage behind the seats for tools. Like the Japanese trucks it is modeled on, the KEI-01 is right-hand drive.

The bed folds down on three sides. Image: Toyota

The catch is speed. Toyota designed the KEI-01 to meet federal safety requirements for low-speed vehicles, so its top speed will be 25 mph. Toyota lists small business owners, farmers and ranchers, municipalities, universities, corporate campuses, urban delivery and service providers, and outdoor hobbyists as the intended buyers.

Inside the KEI-01’s cab. Image: Toyota

Toyota is starting carefully. The KEI-01 will first be offered through a fleet-focused pilot program, sold through a small group of Scion by Toyota dealers chosen from existing Toyota dealers. The company says it may consider limited retail sales later, depending on demand, and has not announced a price. Assembly at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana is backed by a $34 million investment that will add about 50 jobs.

“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.

Toyota also showed two concepts under the new badge: the SxS Concept, a side-by-side off-roader with a turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid powertrain making more than 300 horsepower that first appeared at the 2025 SEMA Show, and the BKE Concept, a compact personal mobility vehicle.

A KEI-01 carrying flowers outside a barn. Image: Toyota