Toyota is expanding its lineup in the United States by going small, unveiling plans to start making a minicar at a plant in Indiana and selling it under a resuscitated brand name.The Japanese carmaker said Tuesday that sales of the KEI-01 “ultra-compact utility truck,” which has a maximum speed of 40 kilometers per hour, will begin late next year. It’s the first vehicle under a revived Scion nameplate, which Toyota initially retired a decade ago after it failed to catch on among its target audience of younger buyers.While a novelty in the U.S., where these vehicles don’t meet federal standards for high-speed roads, minicars account for about one-third of all new-vehicle sales in Japan.
Toyota to build mini car at Indiana plant, reboot Scion brand
Minicars are still a novelty in the U.S., where the vehicles don't meet federal standards for high-speed roads.
In brief
Toyota is expanding its lineup in the United States by going small, unveiling plans to start making a minicar at a plant in Indiana and selling it under a resuscitated brand name.The Japanese carmaker said Tuesday that sales of the KEI-01 “ultra-compact utility truck,” which has a maximum speed of 40 kilometers per hour, will begin late next year. It’s the first vehicle under a revived Scion nameplate, which Toyota initially retired a decade ago after it failed to catch on among its target audience of younger buyers.While a novelty in the U.S., where these vehicles don’t meet federal standards for high-speed roads, minicars account for about one-third of all new-vehicle sales in Japan.
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