Toyota to bring 'really cute' tiny trucks favored by Trump to the US - USA Today
Toyota is planning 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 Nov. 9 it is reviving its former Scion brand to produce a new vehicle inspired by the Kei trucks popular in Japan.
Toyota said the new Scion Kei truck will be built in Indiana, and its assembly will result in a $34 million investment in the local economy, creating 50 jobs.
"Kei trucks have long been valued in Japan for their maneuverability and practicality, they are still relatively uncommon in the United States, where full-sized pickup trucks dominate the landscape," Toyota said.
"Let's talk about a small truck with some big possibilities,"Β said David Christ, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota Division. "The love for Kei trucks has really taken off and it got us thinking... what could our take on this segment look like?"
Kei trucks and other small vehicles that are popular in Japan have at least one big fan of bringing 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, sort of like the Beetle used to be with the Volkswagen," Trump said during a December 2025 event announcing a rollback of federal fuel economy rules. "They're very small. They're really cute. And I said, 'How would that do in this country?'"
Trump said then he "authorized the (Transportation) Secretary to immediately approve the production of those cars so you'll be able to 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 are a potential fix for the affordability crisis that has gripped the American auto industry.
A Kei is an ultra-compact car that until recently was unique to the Japanese market.
Kei cars are the smallest segment of cars allowed on Japanese highways.
Christ said the new Scion vehicle represents Toyota answer to the question "what if we go beyond the automotive mainstream?
"Well, you're looking at our first answer," he said, adding that the 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 amended the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to allow Kei cars to build in the United States like they are in Japan. Many older Kei cars in Japan didn't have air bags, but newer models do.
Absent any changes to federal car rules, any tiny cars built in the United States would have to meet domestic safety standards.
Trump has argued that Kei cars could be a fix for the affordability crunch that has gripped the American auto industry in recent years.
"They're really nice and less expensive, 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 shoppers to "have a brand-new car, as opposed to a car that maybe isn't so great. And so, you 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 new-car price in October rose from $52,326 in September and $49,861 in October 2025.
Trump argued a year ago that Kei cars could be a solution for shoppers who can afford to pay that much for a new car.
"Some of them are really beautiful, actually, if you take a look," Trump said then. "Honda, some of the Japanese companies do a beautiful job, but we're not allowed to make them in this country. And I think you're going to do very well with those cars, so we're going to approve those cars. I think it's going to be a tremendous market."
Keith Laing is an automotive reporter on the National Trending Desk at USA TODAY. Contact Keith atΒ klaing@usatodayco.com.
