Toyota’s 25-mph Kei-01 Targets the $67,912 US Pickup Market

By Olivia Hart

Toyota plans to assemble the Kei-01 pickup at its Indiana plant in the second half of 2027, reviving the Scion brand Toyota discontinued in 2016. The automaker announced the plan on Tuesday. Toyota has not said when fleets can order or what the truck will cost in America.

What is Toyota actually committing to?

Business Insider reported that kei vehicles, short for “keijidosha” and roughly translated as “light car,” are extremely popular and inexpensive in Japan. The average price for a kei car typically runs from $6,000 to $11,000.

Toyota says the Kei-01 is nearly four feet shorter than a Corolla. It has a motorcycle-sized three-cylinder engine, tops out at 25 mph and carries a steering wheel on the right side.

Toyota will initially reserve the truck for commercial fleets. That narrows its first customer group. The announcement does not set a fleet order date or individual retail launch schedule.

Toyota has a factory date and a target customer, but no US price.

What can the Kei-01 actually do?

Business Insider reported that the Kei-01 is based on the Daihatsu Hijet Jumbo, which sells in Japan for around $9,000. That figure applies to the Japanese model, not a confirmed American price. Toyota called its US-bound truck “affordable” without publishing a figure.

Toyota says the Kei-01 can carry up to 600 pounds in its bed. It also says the US version will have updated safety features, including modern seatbelts, and will be eligible to drive in all 50 states.

Business Insider reported that federal rules allow imports of vehicles at least 25 years old even when they fail to meet US safety standards. That exception created a small but devoted market for enthusiasts seeking older kei trucks.

Toyota has stated a 600-pound payload and 50-state eligibility, but its affordability claim still lacks a number.

Can a tiny truck find a place in a $67,912 pickup market?

According to Kelley Blue Book analysis, the average transaction price for a new US vehicle reached $51,109 in October, a record high. Pickups topped that category at an average transaction price of $67,912. The pickup average sat $16,803 above the broader new-vehicle average.

The higher prices leave room for a lower-cost work truck. Yet the market for low-cost new vehicles has contracted. Cox Automotive found that just five new-vehicle models now have an average transaction price below $25,000.

Business Insider reported that several sub-$25,000 options, including the Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Versa and Kia Soul, have been discontinued since the end of 2024. The departures leave US dealer lots with fewer low-cost choices.

Record prices create room for a small truck, but the supply of cheap alternatives is shrinking.

Does politics or competition strengthen the bet?

After a 2025 trip to Japan, President Donald Trump said he wanted companies to build tiny cars in America. On Truth Social in December 2025, he wrote: “I have just approved TINY CARS to be built in America. These cars of the very near future are inexpensive, safe, fuel efficient and, quite simply, AMAZING!!! START BUILDING THEM NOW!”

Trump’s post supplies political encouragement. It does not set Toyota’s price, safety standard or commercial availability. Those remain company decisions.

According to Business Insider, Toyota is the only car company with concrete US kei-truck plans. The report also said Ford plans to build its sub-$30,000 Fathom EV, while Slate Auto and Telo are developing roughly Mini Cooper-sized electric pickups for the US market.

Toyota has the only concrete kei-truck plan, while several electric makers target the broader small-pickup opening.

What must happen before 2027?

The first fleets will test whether a 25-mph truck with a 600-pound payload has a place in a market where pickups averaged $67,912 in October. Toyota has not disclosed a fleet order date, retail timing or US pricing.

The automaker also has not said whether the Indiana-built Kei-01 will match the roughly $9,000 Japanese price of its Daihatsu Hijet Jumbo base. US buyers therefore have no direct price comparison.

Before the Indiana plant starts building in late 2027, Toyota must put a credible US price on a 25-mph, 600-pound work truck. Without one, its affordability claim remains untested.