Toyota revives Scion brand with kei truck for US
The gist
Toyota revived its retired Scion brand with the KEI-01, a 660-cc kei truck to be built in Indiana.
Fleet-only sales start in 2027, testing whether tiny trucks fit US roads.
How it unfolded
- Nov 4, 2025Toyota revived the Scion name on the Scion 01 Concept, a turbo hybrid side-by-side UTV concept with 300+ hp, designed by Toyota's US-based CALTY crew.
- Dec 2025President Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had 'just approved TINY CARS to be built in America.'
- Nov 10, 2026Toyota announced the official revival of Scion as 'Scion by Toyota,' a 'freedom lab' for mobility ideas, with the KEI-01 kei truck as its first production vehicle.
Key terms
- kei truck
- A small Japanese pickup truck built to meet the keijidōsha light-vehicle size class, also called a kei truck or keitora.
- UTV
- A utility terrain vehicle is a side-by-side off-road vehicle with at least two seats in a roll cage and four wheels.
Source: Wikipedia