November 11, 2026Updated November 12, 2026, 9:17 a.m. ET
Toyota plans to build what it says will be North America’s first Kei truck for sale in the United States at its Indiana plant.
The Japanese company announced on November 9 that it was relaunching its former Scion brand to produce a new vehicle inspired by the Kei trucks popular in Japan.
Toyota said the new Scion Kei truck would be built in Indiana and its assembly would result in a $34 million investment in the local economy, creating 50 jobs.
“Kei trucks have long been popular in Japan for their maneuverability and practicality, but they are still relatively rare in the United States, where full-size pickup trucks dominate the landscape,” Toyota said.
“Let’s talk about a small truck with big possibilities,” said David Christ, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota division. “The love for Kei trucks really took off and it got us thinking…what could our vision for this segment look like?”
Kei trucks and other small vehicles popular in Japan have at least one big fan to bring to the United States: President Donald Trump.
“If you go to Japan, where I just left, and if you go to South Korea and Malaysia and other countries, they have a very small car, kind of like the Beetle with the Volkswagen,” Trump said at a December 2025 event announcing a rollback of federal fuel economy rules. “They’re really small. They’re really cute. And I said, ‘How would that be in this country?'”
Trump then said he “authorized the Secretary (of Transportation) to immediately approve the production of these cars so that you can buy (them).”
The USA TODAY Cars team took a look at what Kei cars are, why Toyota is betting they’ll be successful in the United States and why Trump thinks they’re a potential solution to the affordability crisis gripping the U.S. auto industry.
What is a Kei car?
A Kei is an ultra-compact car that, until recently, was unique in the Japanese market.
Kei cars make up the smallest segment of cars allowed on Japanese highways.
Toyota said its Scion kei car for the US market would have the following features:
- A 660 cc three-cylinder engine
- Automatic transmission
- Four-wheel drive
- Length just over 11 feet (approximately 3.35 m)
- Width less than 5 feet (approximately 1.52 m)
- Payload of up to 600 pounds (approximately 272 kg)
Christ said the new Scion vehicle represents Toyota’s answer to the question “what if we went beyond the automotive mainstream?”
“Well, you look at our first response,” he said, adding that American kei cars would be “affordable, capable and adaptable to a variety of lifestyles and applications.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation has not yet changed federal motor vehicle safety standards to allow Kei cars to be built in the United States as they are in Japan. Many older Kei cars in Japan did not have airbags, but newer models do.
Absent changes to federal car rules, all small cars built in the United States would have to meet national safety standards.
Why Trump thinks Kei cars can be a solution to making vehicles affordable
Trump argued that Kei cars could be a solution to the affordability crisis that has hit the U.S. auto industry in recent years.
“They’re really nice and cheaper, and it really gives people a chance to have a car. You know?,” Trump said in his December 2025 speech.
Trump added that Kei cars could allow buyers “to have a brand new car, as opposed to a car that’s maybe not so great. And so you, the car companies, start thinking about that.”
The average price of new cars in the United States was $52,369 in October 2026, according to market data compiled by Cloud Theory’s MotoMiner platform and USA TODAY Co.’s LocaliQ Automotive. The average price of a new car in October increased from $52,326 in September to $49,861 in October 2025.
Trump argued a year ago that Kei cars could be a solution for buyers who can’t afford to pay as much for a new car.
“Some of them are really beautiful, actually, if you take a look at them,” Trump said then. “Honda, some Japanese companies are doing wonderful work, but we’re not allowed to make them in this country. And I think you’re going to be very successful with these cars, so we’re going to approve these cars. I think it’s going to be a great market.”
Keith Laing is an automotive reporter on USA TODAY’s National Trending Desk. Contact Keith at klaing@usatodayco.com.
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