9. Toyota Hilux
Despite the fact that older versions of this truck were sold in the US, the Hilux has been absent from America for decades now. It is a shame, really, since this compact truck is one of the widely recognized “tough as nails” vehicles capable of pulling, carrying, and going through the wilderness with ease. Toyota sells thousands of those tough 4×4 trucks around the world, practically on every continent except for North America.

So, what is the reason for that? First, most Hilux models sold globally are diesel-powered. The US customers are not used to compact trucks with that kind of engine, and there is the question of emissions standards. On the other hand, once the very popular compact truck market was pretty dead for a number of years, only to recently start to reemerge with models like Chevrolet Colorado. Since Toyota’s truck division is pretty strong on the domestic market, we possibly could expect a Hilux to arrive in US shores in the future, but nothing is announced. Until then, we can only envy the rest of the world for those cheap and extremely durable compact trucks we can’t have. However, you can technically own a Hilux and import it from overseas, you just cannot register it in the US. And if police see you cruising around in one of those trucks, you will get pulled over and impounded immediately.