Toyota is reviving the Scion brand as an experimental mobility incubator, launching with the KEI-01, a Japanese-style kei truck built in Indiana and capped at 25 mph under federal Low-Speed Vehicle rules.
The KEI-01 features a 660cc three-cylinder gas engine paired with a continuously variable transmission. At roughly 11 feet long and under 5 feet wide, it's about half the footprint of a full-size pickup. The truck includes an on-demand 4WD system with push-button locking, a fully sealed cabin with heating and air conditioning, and can hold up to 600 pounds of cargo.
Toyota is investing $34 million into its Princeton, Indiana manufacturing plant to assemble the vehicle locally and add roughly 50 jobs. Production starts in the second half of 2027.
The company is launching the KEI-01 as a fleet-focused pilot program targeting corporate campuses, farms, municipalities, and local delivery operators through a specialized group of Toyota dealerships. Toyota may consider retail sales to consumers later if demand justifies it, but the initial rollout is positioned as an experiment to evaluate real-world US utility.
The KEI-01 joins two adventure-themed concepts unveiled alongside it: the SxS Concept with a 300-plus-horsepower hybrid turbo setup for off-roading, and the modular BKE Concept for compact personal mobility. Toyota positioned Scion's second act as focused on niche utility and experimental recreation, a departure from the youth-market hatchbacks the brand sold before discontinuation in 2016.