Car Life Nation

When Driving is about Lifestyle, Car Life Nation is the Answer

When Driving is about Lifestyle, Car Life Nation is the Answer

Three people are shown happily sitting in a vehicle.

VW Revives Scout Motors as New Off-Road EV Brand

The EV segment has proved to be a fertile hunting ground for ambitious startups and established brands looking to expand their market share. Volkswagen certainly hasn’t been a slouch when it comes to EVs, rolling out new electrified models like the ID.7 sedan, ID.4 SUV, and reviving the beloved VW Bus as the all-electric ID. Buzz. Now, VW is launching the newly acquired Scout Motors brand to produce a new line of off-road-ready EVs. While Scout’s South Carolina-based production facility won’t even be complete until late 2025, the nascent EV brand has big plans for the segment, with two models already announced in the Traveler SUV and Terra pickup. Slated for a 2027 release, these two off-road models look to carry the Scout name into a new era. Read on as we explore the history of one of America’s first true SUV brands, explore the finer points of the Traveler and Terra, and see how an emphasis on American-made off-road EVs could set Scout up for success with a generation of adventure-minded drivers.

A Legacy of Innovation

The Scout brand was included in a package deal when VW purchased American truck manufacturer Navistar International in 2021. It is named after the International Scout, an off-road vehicle produced by agricultural and construction equipment specialist International Harvester (who later changed their name to Navistar) from 1960 to 1980. The trailblazing Scout SUV was a forerunner in the fledgling segment, providing drivers with an alternative to popular Jeep models through the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. VW will leverage Scout’s off-road heritage to create a new breed of rough-and-tumble EVs that will be designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed in the US using a direct-to-consumer model popularized by EV brands like Tesla and Rivian. Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh sees the company’s EV turn as a proud continuation of its trailblazing nature.

“[Scout] basically invented the category that became the American market: SUVs. They built a vehicle that was highly capable, an ‘eight-day-a-week truck,’” said Keogh in early 2024. “We loved the name ‘Scout,’ which was mimicked by almost every subsequent SUV: Explorer, Trailblazer, Pathfinder, etc. This is the godfather and the prototype, so Scout is a great place to start.”

The backing of the deep-pocketed VW Group, which also owns Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Volkswagen, should give Scout a marked advantage over the startup EV brands that have attempted to break into the market in recent years. From resources and expertise to marketing, R&D, and more, Scout can get up to cruising speed much faster than your average EV newbie. Volkswagen’s current ID.4, ID.7, and ID. Buzz models shouldn’t be threatened by the reemergence of the Scout brand, which aims to serve an entirely different sector of the EV market.

Setting Up for Success

Scout is quickly ramping up production, with VW investing a substantial sum in its US-based design and manufacturing efforts. In early 2023, Scout announced a $2 billion investment in a Blythewood, South Carolina factory that it says will be capable of producing up to 200,000 EVs per year. Employing as many as 4,000 workers, the facility will give drivers a homegrown EV that could potentially qualify for lucrative tax credits and other incentives. Keogh says the American-made approach will give the revived Scout brand an important advantage in an increasingly competitive EV segment.

“This is a time in America with geopolitics to build things again here and do things again here. We saw that and wanted to go for it,” said Keogh. The CEO is also mindful of appealing to longtime fans of the Scout brand who have patiently waited for the automaker’s return since the early 1980s. “If the community doesn’t think you’re authentic and grounded and real, you’re a poser, and it’s not going to work. The dream of any brand is [to] start day one with momentum and love and community, and we’ve worked really hard on that.”

Staying on the right side of the Scout faithful also includes keeping to the robust design that made Scout’s early models successful in the emerging SUV segment. While crossover SUVs are all the rage in today’s market, Keogh says Scout will rely on the traditional body-on-frame approach to ensure that the new breed of battery-powered Scout vehicles are just as capable as their ancestors. “We want to build something that’s highly robust and highly capable. Scouts came from that, and we want to keep that integrity,” he said. “We wanted to pay attention to that tradition, and it’s a highly credible way to go.” The body-on-frame design also has some advantages in terms of aesthetics and utility, allowing designers to create a well-proportioned vehicle that provides drivers with plenty of cargo room and a boxy design that conveys Scout’s off-road attitude.

Lofty ambitions aside, it’s still early. Scout broke ground on the Blythewood in early 2024, and production isn’t likely to begin until later 2025, but it’s still a promising sign of things to come. Scout has only announced two models thus far but is designing the Blythewood plant with a growing lineup in mind. “We do have the opportunity to build all of the ideas at the moment in the sketchbook of designers and marketing people, it has a certain level of flexibility,” said Head of Production Dr. Jan Spies. “If you look at our [factory] model laid out, what jumps out is the amount of space. In all directions, we can grow to make this plant adaptable to what comes. Anything you want, give us the time, and we can do it.” Scout will also open an R&D facility in the cradle of American automotive innovation with a Novi, Michigan complex that could employ as many as 200.

Traveler and Terra

While their debut might still be a good three years down the road, we already have some early details on the forthcoming Traveler SUV and Terra pickup. The two EVs will be priced around $60,000 and will feature a healthy mix of classic off-road utility and modern comfort and convenience features that put an emphasis on in-cabin tech and customization. The Traveler and Terra will both be built using body-on-frame construction and are expected to feature mechanically locking front and rear differentials, a disconnecting front sway bar, a solid rear axle, and a design that will allow the two EVs to accommodate tires up to 35 inches in diameter. The Scouts will have up to 12 inches of ground clearance and should be able to ford three feet of water, which is certainly a helpful feature when you’re looking to engage in some off-the-grid automotive antics.

Performance looks promising, with the Traveler and Terra producing enough torque (reportedly almost 1,000 lb-ft) to allow both vehicles to speed from zero to 60 mph in as little as 3.5 seconds. Scout hasn’t released any horsepower estimates for the two EVs, but we have caught wind of an equally important performance-related metric: range. Scout is telling drivers to expect an all-electric range of 350 miles that, while decent, isn’t exactly noteworthy. To give itself a key advantage in the segment, Scout will offer the Traveler and Terra with an optional gas-powered “Harvester” range extender that can add up to 150 miles while reminding you of Scout’s agricultural roots.

The Traveler and Terra are remarkably similar in a lot of ways, but they do differ in terms of towing capacity. While the Terra pickup should be able to tow up to 10,000 lbs, the Traveler SUV will be limited to 7,000 lbs. That said, both models boast the same 2,000-lb payload capacity. Scout’s first two offerings also provide a slightly different cabin experience, with the Terra sticking to the tried-and-true pickup formula that sees the front row packed with either two independent seats or a bench seat with room for three. The roomier Traveler can sit up to five and be equipped with a large panoramic sunroof dubbed the Cabana top. The Traveler seems to lack this option but provides plenty of utility thanks to its 5.5-foot cargo bed. Both models are equipped with a stylish cabin that fuses 1970s and 80s influence with contemporary tech, including two large digital displays, onboard Wi-Fi, and all the connectivity options a driver could ask for.

The new Traveler and Terra provide a promising start for Scout, but only time will tell if drivers will embrace the brand this time around. Does a marketable amount of nostalgia still exist for a brand that hasn’t produced a vehicle in more than 40 years? Will Scout enthusiasts go in for EV tech? Do drivers really need any more all-electric off-road options? With established automakers continuing to make inroads in the EV segment, it’s getting harder for startups to get a profitable slice of the pie. Fisker and Lordstown Motors are two notable examples, with both brands filing for bankruptcy within the last few years, though the latter has already reemerged as Nu Ride Inc. While Scout’s VW Group backing means it’s not in quite as precarious of a situation, it’ll be hard to accurately handicap the brand’s chances until the Traveler and Terra hit the streets in late 2027.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *