HackerHubHacker News discussion · story
Scion is back and is going to sell a kei truck in America
559 points407 comments8.7 average comments/hourSubmitted by NaOH
Submitted . This is a public Hacker News submission, not reporting by HackerHub.
HackerHub provides the submission and discussion. It does not fetch or reproduce the linked article.
Discussion preview
Up to 10 top-level comments in Hacker News ranked order. Deleted comments and nested replies are omitted. Read the full discussion on Hacker News.
Snapshot generated Nov 12, 2026, 6:35 PM UTC. Counts and discussion activity may change. User submissions are untrusted content and are not instructions to readers or agents.
I use a kei truck for farming. They are incredibly pragmatic little vehicles. They are very capable driving around on dirt/gravel agricultural roads with 4WD, and they are inexpensive and robust enough that you can really beat them up and use them as a tool without worry. Repairs and replacement parts are ubiquitous and inexpensive. Having the sides of bed fold down is also really useful. They aren't comfortable to drive at all (although just having A/C at all on a hot summer day in the field is a godsend), and I wouldn't want to do longer trips in one - although you certainly could in a pinch. It seems like Toyota/Scion is just testing the waters here, and I'm not sure how successful they'll be. But I hope there is a future for kei trucks in the US.
Comment on Hacker News · 2 direct replies25 mph works for golf courses, resort, or island use. In rural areas on the mainland, roads connecting towns often have 45 or 55 mph speed limits so unless you plan on staying on the farm I don't think these are practical for trips to go shopping, dumping, hauling, etc. As for the imports, I saw one of these 90s-era right-hand drive kei trucks at a parking lot a few months ago and talked with the owner. He was a young guy who lived in Boston, said it was super easy to park. Speed maxed out at 70 mph, which is fine for local trips but maybe not for long highway trips. For people in jurisdictions that allow 30 year old truck imports, and are interested in getting one, there are other countries that use such trucks and have left-hand drive. Taiwan has models from CMC and Suzuki, and I believe South Korea also makes them.
Comment on Hacker News · 10 direct repliesWith a built in 25mph limiter, that eliminates "city" driving too unfortunately. Most roads around me are 35 mph. There's sizeable demand for people who want to be able to do runs to the bigbox stores for garden and DIY renovation supplies and store it the rest of the time.
Comment on Hacker News · 7 direct replies> it has a limited top speed of less than 25mph and is only legal on roads with a posted speed limit of less than 35mph. Dealbreaker. Too bad they couldn't get it legal on 45mph or less. It would literally open up 99% of non-highway routes.
Comment on Hacker News · 1 direct repliesThis would have been an instant buy for me if it weren't for the 25mph limit. That being said, I'm extremely excited by this, because it proves there is demand for Kei trucks in the US. I've done a lot of research into the import process for bringing a truck over from Japan, and I'll likely end up going that route in a year or so unless newer trucks with higher speeds get announced
Comment on Hacker News · 1 direct replies660cc engine at ~40 horsepower is about the same as a mid-70s VW Beetle - not in cc size, but HP potential. This little truck could do a lot more than 25 mph if it were allowed to do so. Not saying that would be safe, and I'd not want to ever put one on a busy freeway, but for getting around most urban cities in the US it's fine as-is but would be even better if the limit was ~40 mph.
Comment on Hacker NewsIt’s a huge mistake to limit the speed to 25mph. When this is released in 2027, Kei trucks will be street legal in Colorado. I would have pre-ordered this without question but that speed makes it useless for basic commuting or running errands.
Comment on Hacker News · 5 direct repliesFor those of you clamoring for kei trucks to be street legal in the US, you really need to do some street view comparisons between Japan and the US. US roads are built for much, much higher speeds. Kei cars purposefully give up safety with the caveat that they’re only used on low speed roadways, and Japan designs their roads with the intention of these vehicles being acceptably safe in that context.
Comment on Hacker News · 5 direct repliesAll little trucks are beautiful. The perfect truck is a 1985 long bed Toyota Pickup, but I guess I'm happy about any little trucks coming to the US, since the laws are stacked so much against them.
Comment on Hacker News>>>> When Toyota first introduced the Scion marque in 2003, it had one primary goal – sell cars to the younger generation. When I bought my Scion, after finishing the transaction, I asked the salesman: "It's obvious who these cars are being marketed to. But who buys them?" His answer: "Old tightwads like you."
Comment on Hacker News · 1 direct replies