The Drive: Toyota revives the Scion sub-brand by introducing a US-made Kei truck

Few things on the road really make me look twice than seeing Kei-cars; obviously as they are not native to the United States, seeing them on the roads anywhere in America is always a novelty.  I know of at least two homes in my general neighborhood who have Kei-cars, and I know one person who has two.

Aside from the quirky aesthetic that Americans don’t get, and the weeb-y idea of having one, I too would really enjoy having a Kei-car if I had the means and the available disposable income to make it happen.  They’re efficient in so many different manners, from fuel economy, space consumption, cargo hauling, and I like how they’re noticeable and attention-grabbing without having to look like a douche in any sort of European supercar.

When Toyota introduced the KEI-01, I couldn’t help but feel like a sudden sucking of all the air of coolness and intrigue from actual J-spec Kei-cars.  It’s kind of like the Family Guy Effect, but instead of a show, it’s a large corporation that has acknowledged the intrigue and novelty of a very niche thing, and by slapping their name onto it and proclaiming the intention of building it in Indiana, it suddenly makes it nowhere nearly as cool as they used to be.

It doesn’t help that they’ve nerfed them into oblivion with their reported 25mph top speed, and automatic transmission, but the whole aesthetic of making them tin metal silver looks like they’ve never heard the expression that it doesn’t matter how much you polish a turd, it’s still a turd.  Because let’s face it, Kei-cars aren’t pretty, they kind of are turds on wheels, but all their positives outweighs the aesthetic, which is why they’re still so likeable.

Additionally, Toyota is intending on gatekeeping them even further by claiming that they’re only going to be commercial vehicles, intending on making them only available through commercial and fleet services, with the general idea that only farms, agriculture and factories will be the only one with access to them.  Cute idea, but people will be people, and if people wanted Lonzo Ball’s shitty shoes just to say they got them, them ordinary people will inevitably want and find ways to get KEI-01s for their own selfish private reasons.

Personally, if I were financially better off, and in a position to acquire a Kei-car, I’d still rather go the original route and get one imported over here; like an old Daihatsu, Suzuki or Honda, one with a manual transmission, and capable of getting to perhaps 55 mph.

I could very well change my mind in the future if circumstances change, the KEI-01 is allowed to go a little faster and is made more available to ordinary consumers, and it might be worth revisiting, but at a first blush, Toyota’s Scion KEI-01 has only really managed to accomplish sucking the fun and intrigue out of Kei-cars outright, in my opinion.  Fewer things kill the vibe faster of a fun little imported commodity than slapping a big American “Made in the USA” sticker on top of it.