How A Single Piece Of Plastic Turns Scion's Kei Truck Into A Toyota Or Daihatsu
If any kei truck enthusiasts get their hands on a Scion by Toyota Kei-01, we're sure this could be a popular upgrade
Kei truck enthusiasts in the U.S. have reason to celebrate. That's because Toyota brought Scion back from the dead with the Kei-01, but if you're not fond of the "Scion by Toyota" badge, you'll have some options to change that. It's no secret that this pint-sized pickup shares its underpinnings, exterior, and interior design with the Daihatsu Hijet Truck — and the identical Toyota Pixis Truck — currently sold in Japan, with the only difference between them being the grille and the stickers on the tailgate.
So, if you wanted to change your Scion by Toyota to a Toyota or a Daihatsu, all you have to do is swap a single plastic component. The Scion even has kept the Toyota emblem on the steering wheel, so you don't have to worry about the interior. Replacing the grille with an OEM component should be an easy job. The only challenge would be to source the right component from overseas. After a quick search online, we found this brand-new Daihatsu grille on eBay priced just under $250, but there are much cheaper options listed for under $100.
You can also dress it in chrome
If you like shiny kei trucks, you have to check out Daihatsu's optional accessory catalog in the official Japanese website. Options include a chrome grille which retails for ¥34,870 ($220), and a gold-plated Daihatsu emblem for ¥6,490 ($40). You can also get extra chrome garnish for the headlights, nose, and bumper, matching side decals, different hub caps for the 12-inch steel wheels, and even a tiger sticker for the tailgate. Finally, there are options for the cargo area, and interior upgrades such as fancy seat covers and faux wood inserts.
The shared design between the Scion, Toyota, and Daihatsu kei trucks means that all of the aforementioned accessories should be cross-compatible. The same applies to their direct rivals in Japan, which are actually quadruplets. The Suzuki Carry, Nissan Clipper, Mazda Scrum, and Mitsubishi Minican kei trucks also share the same design and offer plenty of interchangeable accessories although none of them is available in the U.S.
This all-new Scion is effectively a 12-year-old truck
The current iteration of the Daihatsu Hijet Truck and the equivalent Toyota have been around since 2014, although they received a facelift in 2021 and a number of model year updates in 2025 and in 2026 improving their safety credentials.
Both models are powered by the 660cc engines producing 46 hp (34 kW / 46 PS) in naturally aspirated form or 63 hp (47 kW / 64 PS) in turbocharged flavor. Power is sent to the rear or to all four wheels through a five-speed manual or a CVT. The optional 4WD system can even be combined with a locking differential for more demanding terrain.
Unlike the U.S.-spec Kei-01, which will be designated a Low-Speed Vehicle capped at 25 mph (40 kph), the top speed of the Daihatsu and Toyota twins is much higher. According to Japanese regulations, kei cars should not be able to go over 87 mph (140 kph), although we doubt that the trucks can even reach that. In any case, we wouldn't feel comfortable exceeding 62 mph (100 kph) in a narrow cab-over vehicle with such a short wheelbase, narrow track, and tiny wheels.
Toyota's decision to use the Kei-01 name for the new Scion suggests that the automaker might bring more kei models to the U.S. market. A potential candidate for a future Scion Kei-02 is the Daihatsu Hijet Cargo (also sold as the Toyota Pixis Van), which is available with combustion and fully electric powertrains.
Toyota