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“Toyota is rebooting its Scion brand, which for 13 years sold small and entry-level vehicles aimed at younger buyers, as an experimental lab for making things besides traditional cars.
“Scion will start by selling the sort of microsize pickup truck that is beloved by Japanese buyers but long off-limits to Americans.
“The KEI-01 will be road-legal in all 50 states, but classified as a ‘low-speed vehicle’ and limited to 25 miles an hour.”
Not really sure just how "off limits" they are to Americans. I see them all over the place and you can buy them imported directly from Japan down at the docks in Tacoma Washington all day long. I've been thinking about doing down and getting one myself, a Subaru one.
I know you didn't write that though 😆
@justin It varies widely by state. Kei cars are outright banned in six states and restricted in ten more. The latter category includes California and New York.
https://www.jalopnik.com/1831031/kei-trucks-public-roads-legal-states/
@jalefkowit These will sell to ranchers like crazy.
@jalefkowit 
the dynamic range in that image
@jalefkowit This Scion reboot is more than nothing, but it needs more options and law changes to actually make it a viable alternative. I have driven Keitoras and Keicars, as in the Microvan types and the slightly bigger ones outside the kei class, like the Toyota Roomy. They are all great for what their purpose is supposed to be. You can work and shop and transport people (and animals) or things in all of them and they perform far beyond what you might expect coming from, in my case, a European perspective on cars. One other marginally different variant is one I did not have the chance to try, yet, but looks like a great combination of different aspects of the kei classes advantages, the so called Deck Van. Just looking at it makes me happy and I usually hate driving.
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@jalefkowit I am sitting in a parking lot right now and 80% of the cars are absolutely enormous and it would be so much better if people could drive those Kei cars because a large majority of people don't need anything bigger than that. They just don't have a choice.
@retrosponge I doggedly maintain a hashtag dedicated to advancing this argument. Follow #AdorableCarAlert for updates
Can we call it the Fu**CyberTruck?
😁
@jalefkowit ok, but when are they going to make a hybrid Yaris?
@theruran I was wondering when we'd get some details direct from Toyota! Thanks for tracking that down
@jalefkowit @theruran all its missing is "it's electric!"
my ebike can go up to 18 miles. 25 miles for all that steel is bullshit.
@jalefkowit Make it electric and I'm in.
@jalefkowit Finally. Probably all the truck most people need. Not surprised Scion needs to be rebooted, given the absurd trend in vehicle prices, but I also hope this starts a trend of Kei cars finding their way here outside of JDM imports.
Before you get too excited, it’s gonna have a speed governor limiting it to 25 miles per hour. They’re aiming it at the golf cart segment.
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@jalefkowit this just might have been the shortest emotional rollercoaster I've ever been on 😑
@jalefkowit watching the video now, holy heck, look how they massacred my boy 😭
Oh well, maybe this is the first step towards something. Not holding my breath but something's gotta give at *some* point with the truck situation.
“I think the Scion KEI-01 can work for a few specific demographics. If you’re someone who doesn’t want to deal with importing or buying a 25-year-old Kei truck, the Scion KEI-01 is an option. If you don’t want to deal with an importer or a random dealership you’ve never heard of, the Scion KEI-01 is an option. If you want official manufacturer support, the Scion KEI-01 is basically your only choice.
“The KEI-01 is also a decent choice for someone who drives primarily in an urban environment. If most of your miles are in places like San Francisco, New York City, or Chicago? Yeah, I could see the KEI-01 working out there. The KEI-01 is also for LSV buyers, so those who live in gated communities, work on farms, work at colleges, and so on.”
@jalefkowit as someone living in Japan...
this is so incomprehensible how they think to use them in the US
They are the basic utility vehicle for EVERYTHING over here
"As an intentionally low-volume, niche vehicle, the KEI-01 will initially be offered through a fleet-focused pilot program to help the company learn how it can best serve U.S. customers and use cases. Initial fleet sales are planned through Scion by Toyota dealers selected from current Toyota dealers, which will serve as the customer-facing sales channel. Based on market conditions, customer demand, and operational considerations, Toyota may consider expanding availability to limited retail sales at a later date."
@jalefkowit those little things are beasts of burden. Still see them running around T&T.
U.S. Likely won't get the diesel options. Those engines are tough.
And yes, they would make marvelous EVs, but you have to take away some of its capacity to do it.
@jalefkowit Totally cool, but it's a little weird for Toyota to describe Scion as a new brand in the US when they sold cars here under that name from 2003 to 2016 and some of them are still on the road.
@jalefkowit I see these trucks around Kauai...quite a few here. My main question about them is why there aren't electric options. Obvious vehicle to make EV.
@jalefkowit surely no one will modify that!
@jalefkowit My (legal) Class 3 ebike can go over 25mph.
@jalefkowit i imagine this is a necessary compromise to satisfy the NTSB. american tank-cars are so deadly heavy that reasonable sized vehicles have to stay out of their way, lest the reasonable occupants be pancaked.
@jalefkowit road legal in all fifty states, with about 100 caveats
@jalefkowit so, my experience here is limited but exactly 100% of the transport modes I have ever seen with speed governors have a punch-out on the dashboard for a switch that splices into the wire with a connector in the middle helpfully labelled “speed governor do not disconnect” and there’s a store across the street that mysteriously sells a switch that fits right in that slot.
@mhoye the video further down the thread claims there will be governors in software too, to make it harder to bypass.
@jalefkowit Kei truck would be so great!
![Birdhouse in Your [Redacted]](https://mediacdn.aus.social/accounts/avatars/109/299/873/808/002/836/original/e3f4136099a90a1c.jpeg "Birdhouse in Your [Redacted]")
@jalefkowit These have become very popular in the UK as alternatives to ATVs. Models are available with off-road tyres, 4WD and diff lock.
I've also seen a couple in use by tradespeople here in Ireland. They carry 350kg and are cheap to buy and maintain. (Not speed restricted!)
https://youtu.be/KwBKdZbjjZs
The next (little) big thing | Suzuki Kei trucks
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