Skip to content

Business & Markets

Toyota plans to sell small kei vehicles in the U.S., starting with a pickup

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets across the spectrum.

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Cream-colored kei mini pickup truck with hay bales in its bed on a farm
Image via Business InsiderHow images are chosenReport this image

Toyota plans to sell kei vehicles, small Japanese light cars, in the United States, according to the Financial Times, The New York Times, Business Insider and The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times reports the first model, a Kei-01 pickup, will be assembled at Toyota’s plant near Evansville, Indiana, next year. It has a 660 cc engine and a top speed of 25 miles per hour. Donald Trump has praised Japan’s mini-vehicles as “cars of the very near future,” and Toyota has suggested they would suit small businesses and delivery fleets. The Financial Times reports the plan uses the revived Scion brand.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Toyota plans to sell kei vehicles, small Japanese light cars, in the United States.

    Reported byLeft2Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times, Business Insider
    Center
    Financial Times
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  2. The first model is a Kei-01 pickup with a 660 cc engine and a top speed of 25 miles per hour.

    One outletThe Epoch Times· Far Right

  3. The first model is to be assembled at Toyota’s plant near Evansville, Indiana, next year.

    One outletThe Epoch Times· Far Right

  4. Donald Trump has praised Japan’s kei vehicles as “cars of the very near future.”

    Reported byLeft2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times, Business Insider
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  5. The plan uses the revived Scion brand, according to the Financial Times.

    One outletFinancial Times· Center

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that Toyota plans to sell kei vehicles, tiny Japanese light cars, in the United States. The right leads with Trump’s support, the center with Trump’s fondness for the trucks and the revived Scion brand, and the left with the small, slow, low-cost product.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left-side headlines present the plan as a product announcement in the New York Times, while Business Insider frames the truck as tiny, slow and low-cost, stressing the business bet.

    Toyota Plans to Sell a Kei Pickup Truck in the U.S.
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Financial Times headline stresses Japan’s tiny trucks and Trump’s fondness for them, with the revived Scion brand named in its description.

    Toyota brings Japan’s tiny trucks that Trump loves to America
    Financial TimesCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The Epoch Times headline puts Trump’s support first, presenting the plan as a response to his endorsement of mini-trucks.

    Toyota to Bring Mini-Trucks to US, After Getting Trump’s Support
    The Epoch TimesFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    pull on President Donald Trump's heart strings

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    pull on President Donald Trump's heart stringsMore neutral: may appeal to President Donald Trump

    It presents the plan as designed to manipulate the president’s feelings, a motive stated as fact rather than reported.

    Toyota's big bet is to build a Kei truck that's bound to pull on President Donald Trump's heart strings.

    Used byBusiness Insider (Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Small size and low speed
  • Low cost and affordability
  • Trump’s enthusiasm for the vehicle
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The New York TimesLeft

    Toyota Plans to Sell a Kei Pickup Truck in the U.S.

    The automaker plans to sell Americans “Kei” pickup trucks, which are very popular in Japan and with U.S. auto enthusiasts. Even President Trump is a fan.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)
  • Business InsiderLeft

    Toyota bets America is ready for a tiny, slow, low-cost kei truck

    America has an expensive car problem. Toyota's big bet is to build a Kei truck that's bound to Loaded verb“pull on President Donald Trump's heart strings”It presents the plan as designed to manipulate the president’s feelings, a motive stated as fact rather than reported.More neutral: may appeal to President Donald TrumpDisagree with this highlight?.

    Read at Business Insider (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Trump’s fondness for the trucks
  • Revival of the Scion brand
  • Toyota as the world’s biggest carmaker
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Trump’s endorsement
  • Toyota’s American assembly investment
  • Vehicle size and speed
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    Business Insider, Nov 10, 2:00 PM EST

  • Center

    7 hr 47 min later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 9:47 PM EST

  • Right

    22 hr 50 min later

    Its first report, Nov 11, 12:50 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Business InsiderLeftNov 10, 2:00 PM EST
  2. The New York TimesLeftNov 10, 4:11 PM EST
  3. Financial TimesCenterNov 10, 9:47 PM EST
  4. The Epoch TimesFar RightNov 11, 12:50 PM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it
Embed

Show this story’s coverage card on your own site, blog or class page. It has the headline, who is covering it and a link back here, and it tracks nobody. See the card

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page