Toyota Scion returns with KEI-01, a right-hand-drive mini truck

What is the Scion KEI-01?

It is a mini truck, 3.4 metres long and 1.48 metres wide. A 0.66-litre three-cylinder petrol engine powers it, and the 40 km/h cap comes from US rules for low-speed vehicles. It can carry up to 272 kg and tow small trailers. The bed has three drop-down sides, and the enclosed cab has heating and air conditioning.

Who can buy one? At first, only companies. Toyota says the initial customers will be businesses such as farms and delivery services. The price has not been announced.

What was Scion?

Scion launched in the US in 2003 as a Toyota sub-brand for younger buyers, selling cheap compact cars with unusual styling. It worked, at least early on: 70% of Scion buyers had never owned a Toyota. But the audience grew up and moved to other Toyota models. Sales fell from 173,000 cars in 2006 to 56,000 in 2015, and the brand was closed the following year.

This time the plan looks different. Instead of cheap cars for twenty-somethings, Scion becomes a label for odd little vehicles aimed at work, and the company is testing the idea on fleets before anyone can walk into a showroom.