That New "Kei" Truck Startup Is Describing a Side-By-Side. Right?

REO wants to offer working-class folks access to a base model truck. But they're describing a UTV.

Photo by: REO Industries

By: Jonathon Klein

Jun 25, at 9:15am ET

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For a long, long time, the humble Japanese Kei truck was the epitome of cool and functional for automotive enthusiasts and farmers alike. They offered fuel-sipping practicality with solid payloads, and we're the size that was perfect for tootling around town and not dominating the landscape. Yet, for most, they were unobtanium, as legal disputes around the country, and the US' own idiotic import laws, made them extremely difficult to get.

Some did, which somehow made them all the cooler. And that, along with new truck prices being astronomical, is what's led companies like Amazon-backed Slate and the new automotive startup REO Industries, which has been making the rounds on the internet as of late, to promise a modern Kei truck for the American populace.

But hasn't the time of the Kei truck gone? Not in that they aren't still cool or work, but in a world where utility side-by-sides exist, and more states are legalizing them for public road use, do we really need a modernized Kei truck at this point?

REO Industries takes its name from the long-defunct REO Motor Car Company, which was started by Ransom Eli Olds. If the last part of the name sounds familiar, and you're not Gen Z or later in age, you'll likely recall the Oldsmobile brand. That's the same Olds. However, this new startup has nothing to do with the family, as it only acquired the trademark for REO a few months ago.

The idea, however, is a simple one, and generally follows the same ideology as Slate, the Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup which recently announced its diminutive pickup truck would start at just $24,950. Small truck, not a lot of options, low price. But whereas Slate went all-electric for its pickup and SUVs, REO Industries wants a tiny, naturally aspirated 4-cylinder to power the supposedly forthcoming Slate and Kei rival.

Add that each has pretty solid payload and towing capabilities, but lacks the sort of basic creature comforts to drive down price, and you're left with a visage that suspiciously looks like a Can-Am Defender, Polaris Ranger, Kawasaki Ridge, and the rest of the modern utility-focused side-by-side offerings on the market today. Hell, even the footprints are pretty damn similar. So my question remains, do we need modern Kei cars or should we just focus on the "Kei" cars we have at home instead?

What do you think?

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I ask this as there's been a lot of hubbub about the legalization of UTVs for street use, as many have called into question their safety, reliability, NVH issues for the general public, and more by a host of enthusiast outlets. "Is this a good thing?" they ask, bemoaning the side-by-side's rise. Meanwhile, a day later, they're all praising the return of the Kei truck with the Slate or REO, or describing how they long to import a classic one. I don't see the difference between the two, as they share similar safety standards, capacities, and accessory catalogs. Yet, one is far more utilitarian and can climb up a mountain like it was nothing.

And I'm not talking about the Slate or REO.