GoKawiilToyota revives Scion brand with Indiana-built kei truck for 2027
Toyota is reviving the Scion name as "Scion by Toyota," an experimental mobility unit whose first product is a small Japanese-style kei truck built in Indiana. The KEI-01, expected in the second half of 2027, uses a 660cc three-cylinder gas engine with a CVT, measures about 11 feet long and under 5 feet wide, and is limited to roughly 25 mph.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The move suggests Toyota is testing whether America's growing appetite for imported kei trucks—more than 30,000 have entered the US since 2020—can support a domestically built, street-legal version. Reviving Scion could also be an attempt to reconnect with younger buyers through a brand associated with customization and niche vehicles, though Toyota frames it more broadly as an incubator for unconventional models that don't fit its mainstream lineup.
- Toyota is relaunching Scion as an experimental mobility brand, not a youth hatchback line.
- The first product, the KEI-01, is a small kei-style truck built in Indiana, arriving in late 2027.
- The truck's compact size and low speed cap target niche uses like farms, campuses, and tight urban spaces.
Source: theverge.com — Andrew J. Hawkins, 2026-11-11
Published there as: “Toyota’s Scion is back, starting with an American-made, 25-mph kei truck”
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