A Toyota kei truck with a fold-down bed, a raised-roof cab and four-wheel drive will come off the line at the company’s Indiana plant in the second half of 2027, wearing a Scion badge for the first time in ten years.
Toyota Motor North America showed the truck, called the KEI-01, on November 9, 2026 at simultaneous events in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, and Frisco, Texas, and announced it the next day along with a revived brand, Scion by Toyota. The first buyers will be fleets, through a small group of Toyota dealers chosen to sell the new brand.
It is built to the federal rules for a low-speed vehicle, so its top speed is 25 mph.
Key Takeaways
- The KEI-01 is a right-hand-drive kei truck that Toyota will assemble at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana from the second half of 2027, backed by a $34 million investment and about 50 new jobs.
- It has a 660cc three-cylinder engine, a CVT and standard selectable four-wheel drive with an auto mode and a push-button lock.
- Payload is up to 600 pounds in a three-way fold-down bed. The truck is just over 11 feet long and under 5 feet wide.
- It is designed to meet FMVSS No. 500, the federal low-speed vehicle standard, which caps it at 25 mph. Florida, North Carolina and California keep low-speed vehicles to roads posted 35 mph or lower.
- Fleets come first, through a pilot program at Scion by Toyota dealers drawn from current Toyota stores. Toyota says it may add limited retail sales later.
- Toyota has not announced a price, horsepower, curb weight or towing rating.
- Its dimensions and extended cab match the Daihatsu Hijet Truck Jumbo, which sells in Japan from about $8,800 to $10,300 in 4WD form at current exchange rates. Toyota has not named a donor model.
The KEI-01 Is Built for Farms, Campuses and Delivery Routes
Toyota lists the buyers it has in mind: small business owners, farmers and ranchers, municipalities, universities and corporate campuses, delivery and service providers, and outdoor enthusiasts and hobbyists. It calls the KEI-01 “an intentionally low-volume, niche vehicle” and says the fleet pilot is meant to teach the company how U.S. customers use it.
Both sides of the bed and the tailgate fold down, so cargo can go on from three directions. On the Japanese Jumbo the bed floor sits 26 inches off the ground. Toyota rates the bed for up to 600 pounds and says the structure is rigid enough to tow small trailers and equipment, though it published no towing figure.
The cab is the extended version with a raised roof, which leaves room for seats that recline and slide and for secure storage space behind them. The enclosed cabin has heat and air conditioning.
What Toyota Has Announced About the KEI-01
| KEI-01 | What Toyota has announced |
|---|---|
| Engine | 660cc three-cylinder |
| Transmission | Continuously variable (CVT) |
| Drivetrain | Selectable 4WD, auto mode, push-button lock |
| Top speed | 25 mph |
| Payload | Up to 600 lb |
| Length / width | Just over 11 ft / under 5 ft |
| Steering | Right-hand drive |
| Bed | Three-way fold-down |
| Assembly | Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana, from second half of 2027 |
| Price, horsepower, curb weight, towing | Not announced |
The Japanese Truck It Matches Is the Daihatsu Hijet Jumbo
Toyota’s announcement names no Japanese model. The KEI-01’s 660cc three-cylinder, CVT, three-way bed and extended raised-roof cab line up with the Daihatsu Hijet Truck Jumbo, which Toyota-owned Daihatsu builds for Japan. Toyota sells its own badged version there, the Pixis Truck, but Toyota Japan’s spec sheet lists no extended-cab grade.
The Jumbo’s specs, from Daihatsu’s February 2026 sheet, give the closest picture of what the KEI-01 starts from. Its KF engine makes 46 PS, about 45 hp, and 44 lb-ft of torque, and the top Jumbo Extra 4WD CVT weighs 1,962 pounds. I converted the yen prices at the Federal Reserve’s November 6 rate of Â¥158.23 to the dollar.
| Daihatsu Hijet Truck Jumbo (Japan) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Engine | 658cc KF inline three, 46 PS (about 45 hp) at 5,700 rpm, 60 Nm (44 lb-ft) at 4,000 rpm |
| Length / width / height | 133.7 in / 58.1 in / 74.2 in |
| Wheelbase | 74.8 in |
| Bed (L x W x side height) | 65.0 x 55.5 x 11.2 in |
| Ground clearance | 6.3 in |
| Curb weight, Jumbo Extra 4WD CVT | 1,962 lb |
| Rated payload in Japan | 772 lb (350 kg) |
| Price, Jumbo Standard 4WD 5-speed manual | ¥1,391,500 (about $8,794) |
| Price, Jumbo Extra 4WD CVT | ¥1,628,000 (about $10,289) |
Why the U.S. Payload Is Lower Than Japan’s
The Japanese Hijet is rated to carry 772 pounds. The KEI-01 is rated for 600.
The federal definition of a low-speed vehicle sets a gross vehicle weight rating below 3,000 pounds, and a U.S. rating counts the empty truck, its cargo and 150 pounds for each seat. Using the Jumbo Extra’s 1,962-pound curb weight, two 150-pound occupants and the Japanese payload, the total comes to 3,034 pounds. With Toyota’s 600-pound figure it comes to 2,862.
Toyota has not explained its payload number or published the KEI-01’s weight, so this is my arithmetic on Daihatsu’s figures.
Where You Can Drive a KEI-01
FMVSS No. 500 is the federal standard for low-speed vehicles. It requires headlamps, turn signals, taillamps, stop lamps, reflectors, mirrors, a parking brake, a windshield, seat belts at every seat, rear-visibility equipment and a 17-digit VIN, and it caps the top speed at 25 mph.
The roads a low-speed vehicle may use are set by each state. Florida, North Carolina and California limit them to streets posted 35 mph or lower, and Florida and North Carolina allow them to cross a faster road at an intersection. Florida’s title procedure for low-speed vehicles and mini trucks requires registration, insurance and a driver’s license, the same as any car.
How It Differs From an Imported Kei Truck
The kei trucks on American roads today are used Japanese trucks brought in under the federal 25-year import exemption. They can reach about 55 mph, and state rules for them range from full road registration to off-road use only, which our state-by-state kei truck laws story covers.
Florida lets imported mini trucks onto the same 35 mph roads as low-speed vehicles. Pennsylvania registers them for road use only with a PennDOT grandfather letter dated December 1, 2021, and that status ends when the truck is sold. Rhode Island refuses to register kei trucks; one registered before June 1, 2024 can be renewed but not transferred, and is limited to roads posted 35 mph or lower. Maine classifies them as off-road vehicles.
The KEI-01 will be sold new through Toyota dealers and built to a federal standard, and Florida titles and registers a new low-speed vehicle the same way as any car. In exchange, it gives up about 30 mph of top speed against an imported truck. Rhode Island’s statute bars registering a “Kei truck” without defining the term, and the state has not said whether a truck built to the federal low-speed standard falls under it.
Scion Returns After Ten Years
Toyota started Scion in 2003 “as a laboratory to explore new products and processes to attract youth customers,” in the company’s words when it folded the brand in 2016. Scion sold 1,092,675 cars from 2003 through 2015, 70% of them to buyers new to Toyota, and half of its buyers were under 35. The FR-S coupe became the Toyota 86.
The new brand is called Scion by Toyota, and Toyota describes it as a “freedom lab.” Simon Humphries, chief branding officer and head of design for Toyota Motor Corporation, said in the announcement that “Scion by Toyota gives us a place to challenge conventional thinking, explore new possibilities and create mobility in new ways.”
Two concepts appeared beside the KEI-01. The SxS Concept, first shown at the 2025 SEMA Show, is a side-by-side with a turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid making more than 300 horsepower and a Silent Mode that runs on electric power alone. The BKE Concept is a compact personal mobility vehicle, and Toyota released no specifications for it.
The White House’s January 2026 “Make Driving Great Again” release credited the administration with authorizing “affordable and efficient ‘tiny cars.'” Toyota’s announcement does not mention it, and the KEI-01 is designed to the low-speed vehicle standard already on the books.
Who the KEI-01 Suits
The KEI-01 gives a farm, a campus or a city works department a new kei truck from a Toyota dealer, carrying 600 pounds on roads posted 35 mph or lower. A buyer who needs highway speed, or who wants one for personal use before Toyota decides on retail sales, is still shopping the 25-year-old import market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Toyota selling a kei truck in the U.S.?
Yes. Toyota announced the KEI-01 on November 10, 2026 under its revived Scion by Toyota brand. It will be assembled in Indiana from the second half of 2027 and sold first to fleet customers through selected Toyota dealers.
When can I buy a Toyota KEI-01?
Assembly starts in the second half of 2027, and initial sales go to fleets such as farms, businesses, universities and municipalities. Toyota says it may consider limited retail sales later, depending on demand.
How much will the Scion KEI-01 cost?
Toyota has not announced a price and describes the truck only as affordable. The Daihatsu Hijet Truck Jumbo it matches sells in Japan for about $8,800 to $10,300 in four-wheel-drive form at current exchange rates, including Japanese consumption tax.
How fast does the KEI-01 go?
Its maximum speed is 25 mph. Toyota built it to FMVSS No. 500, the federal standard for low-speed vehicles, which caps top speed at 25 mph.
Is the KEI-01 street legal?
Yes, as a low-speed vehicle, under rules each state sets. Florida, North Carolina and California limit low-speed vehicles to roads posted 35 mph or lower, and Florida requires them to be titled, registered and insured like any car.
What engine does the KEI-01 have?
A 660cc three-cylinder gas engine with a continuously variable transmission and selectable four-wheel drive. Toyota has not published horsepower or torque. The Japanese Hijet’s version of the engine makes about 45 hp and 44 lb-ft.
How much can the KEI-01 carry and tow?
Toyota rates the bed for up to 600 pounds. It says the truck can tow small trailers and equipment but has not published a towing capacity.
Where will the KEI-01 be built?
At Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana. Toyota is investing $34 million in new assembly operations there, which it says will add about 50 jobs.
Is the KEI-01 a Daihatsu Hijet?
Toyota has not named a donor model. The KEI-01’s engine, transmission, bed and extended raised-roof cab match the Daihatsu Hijet Truck Jumbo built by Toyota-owned Daihatsu in Japan.
How is the KEI-01 different from an imported kei truck?
Imported kei trucks are used Japanese trucks at least 25 years old that can reach about 55 mph, and states register them under widely varying rules. The KEI-01 is sold new and built to the federal low-speed vehicle standard with a 25 mph top speed, and Florida titles new low-speed vehicles like any car.
Which side is the steering wheel on in the KEI-01?
The right side. Toyota kept right-hand drive, as on Japanese kei trucks.
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn is the writer, photographer, and publisher behind The Weekly Driver. He cares about how cars drive and what they're like to own. He covers automobile industry news, car shows and events, and new car reviews. The reviews come from behind the wheel: day trips that favor back routes, treating a good meal as half the reason to go. He directs and produces the visual media, matching each car to a setting and mood that fit it. When he's not reviewing new cars, Michael races paddleboards, camels, and ostriches, along with the occasional exotic car on the racetrack, and has driven in every state and country visited.
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