Scion by Toyota gives the automaker a contained way to test niche US demand without staking the main Toyota brand on it
Toyota Motor North America has brought back the Scion name as Scion by Toyota, an experimental brand whose first vehicle, the Kei-01 utility truck, will be built in Indiana from the second half of 2027. Modelled on Japan’s kei trucks, the right-hand-drive truck is classed as a US low-speed vehicle, capped at 25mph.
A US$34m investment at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana will add about 50 jobs. The truck pairs a 660cc three-cylinder engine with a continuously variable transmission and selectable four-wheel drive, runs just over 11 feet long and carries up to 600 pounds.
The speed cap points it at farms, campuses, municipalities and urban delivery. Fleet buyers come first through selected Toyota dealers, with limited retail sales possible later, a cautious pilot for testing US demand for kei-sized utility vehicles. Two concepts widen the scope: the SxS, an off-road side-by-side with a turbocharged hybrid of more than 300hp and an electric-only mode, and the BKE, aimed at compact personal mobility.
In a statement, Simon Humphries, Chief Branding Officer and Head of Design at Toyota Motor Corporation, said: “The future of mobility will not be defined by one vehicle, one technology or one way of thinking. Scion by Toyota gives us a place to challenge conventional thinking, explore new possibilities and create mobility in new ways. The Kei-01, SxS and BKE concepts each represent a different possibility—and together, they show what can happen when curiosity leads the way.”
Source: Toyota Motor North America
Source: www.automotiveworld.com
