Toyota’s tiny kei trucks are coming to the US. Here’s when.

WASHINGTON - Toyota Motor said Tuesday it plans to introduce its ultra-compact kei trucks to U.S. fleet customers in the second half of 2027, beginning a limited rollout after President Donald Trump encouraged the move.

Dig deeper:

Mini, or "kei", cars accounted for a third of the 3.7 million new cars sold in Japan last year. American automakers do not produce the tiny vehicles. Toyota’s KEI-01, equipped with a 660 cc three-cylinder engine and four-wheel drive, will be assembled at the company’s Indiana plant.

Why you should care:

Toyota plans to invest $34 million and add 50 jobs for the project. The right-hand-drive trucks are just over 11 feet long and less than 5 feet wide, with a top speed of 25 mph.

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What they're saying:

The company said the trucks are designed to meet federal safety requirements for low-speed vehicles. Initial sales will focus on fleet customers, though Toyota may offer limited retail sales later.

Trump has pushed to bring kei vehicles to the United States while calling for them to be assembled domestically.

Toyota said potential customers include small-business owners, delivery fleets, farmers and ranchers, along with cities, universities and corporate campuses.

The automaker also said it is relaunching its Scion brand in the United States.

The Source: Reuters contributed to this report. The information in this story came from Toyota’s announcement detailing its planned U.S. kei truck rollout, including production in Indiana, investment and hiring plans, vehicle specifications and potential customers. This story was reported from Los Angeles.