Does anyone still make mini trucks?

Nissan Clipper

Starting as a Nissan branded Prince Clipper, the clipper name was revived in 2003 and sold as a Nissan badged version Mitsubishi Minicab kei truck.

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Daihatsu Hijet

Daihatsu is one of the major makers of kei class mini trucks, starting with the Hijet in the mid 60’s.

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Suzuki Carry

The Suzuki Carry is a staple in the world of kei class mini trucks. It has been serving as a workhorse for Japanese farmers and businesses for decades.

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Mazda Scrum

The Mazda Scrum is a kei class mini truck based on the Suzuki Every. Contact us to import Mazda Scrum directly from Japan.

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Mitsubishi Minicab

The Mitsubishi Minicab is a kei class mini truck from Japan that’s been in production since the mid 60’s.

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Subaru Sambar

The Subaru Sambar is a kei class mini truck that has been in production since the early 60’s. Since then it has served as a workhorse for Japanese farmers and workers.

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Honda Acty

A natural evolution of the Honda T360 mini truck, the Honda Acty first appeared in the 1970’s as a cabover kei class mini truck.

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Toyota Pixis

The Pixis is Toyota’s kei class mini truck that has been in production since 2011. It is based on the Daihatsu Hijet, and is almost identical to the model.

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Just because you haven’t seen mini trucks around lately doesn’t mean they’re gone.

Long ago mini trucks roamed the streets of North America as gas prices soared. They were a way to enjoy some utility without giving up your first born just to fill up the tank. On the West Coast a movement which came to be called by some mini truckin’ began to evolve. People would customize their trucks in a variety of ways, including slamming them like lowriders. As time has worn on automakers have abandoned the once-popular market segment. People naturally assume the mini truck culture is now dead. They are, of course, wrong.

In fact, the mini truckin’ culture is not only alive and well, it seems to be growing in popularity. To be clear, it was never a mainstream movement and likely never will be, but it certainly isn’t going away anytime soon.

The fact that the mini truck customization culture is still alive and well is a testament to the resilience of participants. After all, compact pickup trucks haven’t been sold in North America for quite some time. Ford brought the Ranger back acar fter killing it off, but there’s nothing small about the new generation. People are buying old compact trucks which have definitely seen better days, sometimes rescuing them from salvage yards, and turning them into rolling pieces of art.

If you go on pretty much any social media platform and search for “mini truckin” or “mini trucks” you’ll find quite a few groups dedicated to the culture. Occasionally you’ll find evidence of the movement’s continued existence in more mainstream car outlets, like when Gas Monkey Garage restored Krew Cut, a mini truck dually of considerable fame.

You might be surprised to find there are mini truck events held all over Canada and the United States, maybe even near where you live. Plus, there are car shows which are friendly and even encouraging toward mini truck owners participating.

What could keep the mini truckin’ movement going and maybe breathe even more life into it is a reintroduction of truly compact trucks in North America. Ford and Hyundai both are supposedly working on bringing their own versions of compact trucks to this market, with the possibility other brands could follow suit.

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