Scion KEI-01: Toyota’s New US Kei Truck Is Capped at 25 mph
Toyota has introduced the Scion KEI-01, a new Japanese-style Kei truck for US dealers, limited to 25 mph and offered first to fleet customers. A Kei importer explains who might buy it, and how it compares with existing mini-trucks.
Toyota has introduced the Scion KEI-01, a new Japanese-style Kei truck for the US market, and it is limited to 25 mph. Toyota is selecting fleet customers first, with sales to the general public possible later.
The speed cap is the catch. It has disappointed enthusiasts who had long asked automakers to sell a brand-new Kei truck in America.
Still, someone addicted to Japanese Kei trucks sees a market for it. The writer has imported three Japanese Kei cars and researches them extensively. He says the truck has "about the same usability as a golf cart" but will still find buyers.
What a Kei truck is
In Japan, the Kei-jidōsha, or "Kei," is the smallest category of highway-legal car. Keis cannot be longer than 134 inches or have an engine larger than 660cc. Manufacturers also keep to a gentlemen's agreement capping official output at 63 HP.
In return, Japan gives owners tax benefits. The category covers sports cars, hot hatches, mini vans and neo-retro family cars.
Kei trucks are among the most popular forms. Japanese users put them to work in farming, mail and package delivery, firefighting, construction and off-roading. The writer compares them to work-trim pickups in America.
Two kinds already sold in America
Americans can already buy two types of Kei truck, according to the writer. The first is the "mini-truck," fitted with limiters that hold it to 25 mph and imported for off-road use only. Some municipalities allow them on roads where traffic moves no faster than 35 mph.
Mini-trucks have been sold in America for decades. They turn up on farms, college campuses and in gated communities. A new one from an independent dealer usually costs over $20,000, with no factory support and at best a limited warranty.
The second type is unrestricted. US rules require an imported vehicle to be converted to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards or to be at least 25 years old. In states friendly to imports, owners can drive these trucks almost anywhere.
Top speeds are typically above 70 mph, with cruising speeds closer to 65 mph. Legal examples can come with air conditioning, an airbag and fuel injection.
Where the KEI-01 comes from
Toyota's press release does not say where the truck originates. The writer says it is a rebadged Toyota Pixis, which is itself a rebadge of the Daihatsu Hijet.
He argues American buyers treat Kei trucks as novel and fun, a counterculture alternative to Detroit's large pickups. Toyota, he says, is giving Americans "a taste of Japanese work life."
