From Business Insider · Ben Shimkus · · 1m 40s
Toyota brings tiny kei truck to America in 2027
Toyota will build the Kei-01 pickup in Indiana starting late 2027, betting Americans want cheaper alternatives as new vehicle prices hit record highs.
In brief
Toyota will build the Kei-01 pickup in Indiana starting late 2027, betting Americans want cheaper alternatives as new vehicle prices hit record highs. Toyota will assemble the Kei-01 pickup at its Indiana plant in the second half of 2027, reviving the Scion brand to offer Americans a low-cost alternative as vehicle…
Toyota announces US kei truck
On Tuesday, Toyota announced plans to assemble the Kei-01 pickup at its Indiana plant in the second half of 2027, reviving the discontinued Scion brand for commercial fleets.
What makes the Kei-01 different
The Kei-01 is nearly four feet shorter than a Corolla, has a motorcycle-sized three-cylinder engine, tops out at twenty-five mph, and has a steering wheel on the right side.
American car prices hit record high
In October, the average transaction price for a new vehicle rose to fifty-one thousand one hundred nine dollars, a record high. Pickup trucks averaged sixty-seven thousand nine hundred twelve dollars.
Cheap cars vanishing from US market
America's menu for low-cost options has vanished quickly. Several sub-twenty-five thousand dollar options have been discontinued since the end of 2024. Just five new-vehicle models now have an average transaction price below twenty-five thousand dollars.
Kei-01 based on Japanese model
The Kei-01 will be based on the Daihatsu Hijet Jumbo, which sells in Japan for around nine thousand dollars. Toyota says the truck can carry up to six hundred pounds of payload in its bed.
Trump backs tiny cars for America
President Donald Trump has said he wanted companies to build kei trucks in the US. In December 2025 he wrote on Truth Social: "I have just approved TINY CARS to be built in America."
“I have just approved TINY CARS to be built in America.”
The takeaway
Toyota will assemble the Kei-01 pickup at its Indiana plant in the second half of 2027, reviving the Scion brand to offer Americans a low-cost alternative as vehicle prices surge.
