GoKawiilToyota revives Scion brand with US-market kei truck, the KEI-01
Toyota has relaunched Scion, now branded 'Scion by Toyota,' a decade after discontinuing the marque in 2016. The brand's first vehicle, the KEI-01, is a rebadged version of the Toyota Pixis/Daihatsu Hijet Jumbo Cab kei truck, built using Toyota's Indiana manufacturing plant and certified as a low-speed vehicle with a sub-25mph top speed for US roads under 35mph.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
By capping speed and limiting road use, Toyota appears to be positioning the KEI-01 as a niche or novelty vehicle rather than a daily driver, suggesting the revived Scion brand may serve more as an experimental 'freedom lab' for unconventional mobility ideas than a mass-market sales play like the original Scion. The low-speed classification could also let Toyota sidestep stricter US vehicle safety and emissions requirements that would otherwise apply to a standard passenger truck.
- Scion returns as 'Scion by Toyota,' a decade after its 2016 discontinuation.
- The KEI-01 is a rebadged Toyota Pixis/Daihatsu Hijet Jumbo Cab, built in Indiana.
- Its low-speed vehicle certification limits it to under 25mph on roads with speed limits below 35mph.
Source: theautopian.com — Leslie Hanna, 2026-11-10
Published there as: “Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei truck in America”
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