Toyota revives Scion with the KEI-01 kei truck for US fleets

Toyota revives Scion with the KEI-01 kei truck for US fleets

10 November 2026: Toyota Motor North America has brought back the Scion name as Scion by Toyota and shown its first vehicle, the KEI-01, an ultra-compact utility truck that will reach the United States in the second half of 2027. Toyota plans to sell it first to fleet customers through a pilot programme, so the first buyers will be organisations rather than individual drivers, and no price has been given.

A brand built as a testing ground

Toyota unveiled Scion by Toyota at simultaneous events in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, and Frisco, Texas, the day before its release, which is datelined Plano, Texas. It describes the brand as a "freedom lab" that will "learn and evolve through new vehicle concepts, designs, capabilities, and experiences" that could shape future Toyota mobility. The company says the brand builds on the experimental spirit of the original Scion, which it presents as reimagined for a new generation.

Simon Humphries, Chief Branding Officer and Head of Design at Toyota Motor Corporation, said that Scion by Toyota "gives us a place to challenge conventional thinking, explore new possibilities and create mobility in new ways."

What the KEI-01 is

Toyota calls the KEI-01 the first manifestation of the Scion by Toyota vision, and ties it to the kei trucks that it says have earned a strong reputation in Japan and some other Asian markets. The standard specification is a 660cc three-cylinder engine, a continuously variable transmission and four-wheel drive, with selectable 4WD that has an auto mode and a push-button lock.

The truck measures just over 11 feet long and under 5 feet wide. The cargo bed folds down on three sides and carries up to 600 pounds, and Toyota says the structure also supports towing small trailers and equipment. The cabin is enclosed, with heat and air conditioning, reclining and sliding seats, and secure storage behind the seats for tools and gear.

Two rules shape how it can be used. The KEI-01 is a right-hand-drive vehicle designed to comply with FMVSS No. 500, the federal safety standard for low-speed vehicles, and its maximum speed will be 25 miles per hour.

Assembly in Indiana, sales to fleets first

Toyota will assemble the KEI-01 at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana from the second half of 2027. The $34 million investment will add about 50 jobs and set up new assembly operations and upgraded production and logistics infrastructure.

Toyota calls the truck an intentionally low-volume, niche vehicle. It will initially go to fleet customers through a small network of Scion by Toyota dealers chosen from the existing Toyota dealer network. Toyota says it may consider limited retail sales later, depending on market conditions, customer demand and operational considerations, and that further information and the broader sales strategy will follow as plans are finalised. It has not published pricing, pilot terms or how a fleet applies.

The customers Toyota lists are small business owners, farmers and ranchers, municipalities, universities and corporate campuses, delivery and service providers in cities, and outdoor enthusiasts.

Two concepts beside the truck

Toyota showed two concepts with the truck. The SxS Concept, first shown at the 2025 SEMA Show, is a side-by-side off-road vehicle with a turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid powertrain producing more than 300 horsepower and a Silent Mode that runs on electric power. Toyota says it will keep advancing the concept and evaluate how it could reach enthusiasts as a product. The BKE Concept is a small personal-mobility concept that Toyota describes only in general terms.

For fleet managers the question is the pilot. Toyota has said who will sell the KEI-01 and in what order, but not what it costs or how a fleet gets one, and those answers are promised as plans are finalised.

Sources

• Toyota USA Newsroom: Toyota Says 'Okei' to America: Introducing the Scion by Toyota Brand and KEI-01, 10 November 2026, 10 November 2026