Scout Motors: Everything You Need to Know

Scout Motors announced that it hired Chris Benjamin as its chief design officer. Benjamin comes from Stellantis where he was in charge of producing some of the best car interiors in the industry for Jeep in vehicles such as the Grand Wagoneer.

Scout Motors announced that South Carolina had been selected as a site for its new production facility. The brand says the plant will be able to produce 200,000 vehicles per year. Making the vehicles in America will meet one requirement to be eligible for the federal tax incentive.

Scout has said production will start at its South Carolina facility before the end of 2026; we don't know yet whether the pickup or SUV will launch first. Scout promised prototype reveals for some time in 2023.

Volkswagen’s truck subsidiary Traton merged with Navistar. Navistar was the corporate descendent of International Harvester, the company that built and still owned the trademark for the Scout.

Scout will be part of the broader VW Group. But VW says Scout vehicles will be designed, engineered, built and sold in America. We’re not sure new CEO Scott Keogh (formerly head of Volkswagen Group of America) will literally take the stage to Grand Funk Railroad’s “We’re an American Band.” Still, we expect Scout marketing to convey that sentiment with gusto.

VW did release an MEB platform off-roader concept with the ID. Buggy concept. But Scout has confirmed its vehicle will not use the MEB or any other extant Volkswagen EV platform. It will use a newly created all-electric platform.

The new Scout platform design will focus on "ground clearance, approach angles, robust axles, payload capacity and all-electric range" to deliver "credible capability and off-road prowess."

That platform presumably could be an option if Audi decides to proceed with an electric pickup.

Volkswagen Group of America Chief Operating Officer Johan De Nysschen floated the idea of a Scout brand to journalists before the official launch. He described it as like Rivian but “at a $40,000 price point instead of $70,000.”

According to a Facebook post from a prominent Scout enthusiast who got early access, VW will provide a wide range of accessorization options, which could be where Scout makes its profit.