The 10-Second Version (AI Summary)
What happened: Toyota is reviving Scion in the U.S. as Scion by Toyota, starting with a fleet-only kei truck.
Why it matters: It opens a niche fleet customer for participating Toyota dealers, aimed at small businesses, ranchers, and operators.
What to do: Toyota dealers with small-business and agricultural fleet customers should watch for Scion by Toyota participation details before sales start in the second half of 2027.
AI-generated and reviewed by the ASOTU team.
Paul built his first business in Scion xBs.
One of the first new vehicles Paul J. Daly ever bought was an original 2004 Scion xB. The $398 payment felt like all the money in the world, and he built his reconditioning business out of those boxy little cars. So when Toyota brought Scion back this week, he had stories, which he told on today's episode of the Automotive State of the Union.
The new Scion has nothing to do with why people bought the old one. It's a tiny work truck, and Paul is all in anyway.
"A kei truck is like something that I would just love to own. ... I want to put a plow on it."
Paul J. Daly
He also predicts that the first YouTube video after launch will show someone removing the 25-mph limit. Kyle's reaction to the spec sheet was that it reads like a motorcycle shop.
Toyota announced a new sub-brand called Scion by Toyota on Tuesday.
Its first product, reported by Jalopnik, is the KEI-01, sold elsewhere as the Daihatsu Hijet and Toyota Pixis.
What is the Scion KEI-01?
Size and layout: about 11 feet long, with right-hand drive
Powertrain: a 660cc three-cylinder and a CVT, with selectable four-wheel drive
Top speed: limited to 25 mph so it qualifies as a low-speed vehicle
Payload: 600 pounds in a bed with three fold-down sides
Built in: Toyota's Indiana plant
On sale: second half of 2027, fleet-only at first, through participating Scion by Toyota dealers
Toyota is aiming the truck at small businesses, ranchers, and operators who need something compact and efficient, and says retail sales could come later. Pricing hasn't been announced. Toyota also showed a hybrid side-by-side concept and a folding electric bike under a new "Freedom Lab" initiative, though neither has production plans.
Our take: This won't fix affordability, but it gives participating Toyota dealers a reason to call on customers they rarely see, from landscapers to ranchers.
Want to hear the rest of Paul's Scion stories?
Watch the full conversation above, from the original xB to why Paul wants two kei trucks. New episodes of the Automotive State of the Union drop every weekday.
