Electric Scout SUV and Pickup Updates: How VW's (Re-)Building the American Automaker

On a sunny February day in Blythewood, South Carolina, Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh and Head of Production Dr. Jan Spies sat down in an old brick house to answer questions about their newly resurrected automaker and the factory being built up in the field behind us. The new electric Scout SUV and pickup truck will be manufactured there, with final assembly equipment due to be installed on the factory floor in the third quarter of 2025 for production to begin likely later that year. While final engineering and design are not yet fully locked on the all-new EVs, here's what we learned so far about the new Scout models and the (very patriotic) brand they're going to represent.

The history and legacy of the International (now "Scout Motors") brand has given the returning automaker plenty of advantages for re-entering the bustling U.S. SUV and pickup truck markets. It all started with Scout, the CEO likes to point out: "What was the [Scout] product, what did it stand for, and what did it do? It basically invented the category that became the American market: SUVs. They built a vehicle that was highly capable, an 'eight-day-a-week truck...' and 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."

Keeping Scout Alive

Keogh is aware of the advantage of local manufacturing and the legacy of the American Scout brand, noting that the SUV and pickup markets are still dominated by mostly American automakers. "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." But he's not playing to politicians, instead worried about the existing Scout community's impression on where the company is headed: "Hurdle number one, 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 start day one with momentum and love and community, and we've worked really hard on that."

"We treat them with respect because they've kept the brand alive. We want to build something credible. If you have a mismatch between what the brand was anchored in and what you put on the market, that disconnect is going to be smelled out. I feel confident we have something that fits."

Not the Scout III

But don't expect the proverbial "Scout III" of your dreams; the new vehicles will honor the heritage of robustness and design while introducing a bevy of technologies to the brand: "You also don't want to be trapped in the 1970s", Keogh suggested. "It's funny—we looked into the archives for what they were planning for the Scout III, and I'll say I'm glad it never came. It came from that period where cars got a little wacky. This would be the Scout VIII or IX, you can project. We do not want to get handcuffed [to the past]."

What will remain between new and old is a body-on-frame vehicle platform underpinning both upcoming Scout models. "We gave body on frame a lot of debate, but from a design point of view, it allows you to set the car up and the proportions up well, aesthetically. The second thing, we want to build something that's highly robust and highly capable. Scouts came from that, we want to keep that integrity. Looking at the segments, they're 80-ish-percent body on frame. We wanted to pay attention to that tradition, and it's a highly credible way to go."

It's also practical; the teardrop, more efficient shape of a Tesla Model X significantly eats into the available rear cargo volume, where a boxier shape is less efficient on fuel savings, but can carry more. The Scouts will stick to the boxy route, for now. The CEO suggested the body-on-frame electric platform could be used by the broader Group of brands in the future, but had nothing to announce.

It Starts With Two, But There's Room for More

Beyond being all-electric and body-on-frame in construction, executives are still tight-lipped about specifications and layout of the new vehicles. The CEO did confirm some form of off-road lockers, whether electric or not, will be employed on the vehicles, as well, but declined to go into further detail: "The plan is to build two models, and of course packages and derivatives of those two models." InsideEVs has quoted the chief executive claiming the vehicles could have a starting price closer to $50,000 before incentives.

But there's room to grow, according to Spies: "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. Plus, if we don't have it today because we're not over-investing, 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."

Robust Business

The word of the day was "robust," in use regarding both the new vehicles, and the new factory that will build them. Dr. Spies warned to "never build the brand or product around the factory." Instead, he offers: "Scout logic applies to a factory with, I think, robustness. Trying to be as reliable as possible when ramping up something new, everything new. Let's stick to whatever is necessary and not much more, that is innovation, to take away what we love but can't use or utilize without experience. When it comes to innovation today, we think it's making a factory workable for the next 20-30 years because we don't know what the future will bring. The past did not consider electro-mobility."

"We are in a state where water, as a resource, is not counted as much as in Mexico, but it will be one day," the doctor warned. "If we don't account for that, we're making a mistake, not today but in ten years." Scout anticipates up to 40 jobs per hour from the factory once it's in full operation, with capacity for up to 200,000 units produced annually, if not more.

Startup Versus Group

While operating mostly as a well-funded startup, the backing of the bigger Volkswagen Group, the parent company behind Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche, Volkswagen, and now Scout, has had a significant boost in the pace of setting the Scout brand up, and its success so far in accumulating resources for the new factory and models. Keogh offers that component acquisition within the group is major: "Where there is an opportunity, and a component works, we're scaling components."

The Group also gets Scout ideal terms of trade with the supply base, says Keogh: "Where possible, we're bundling, bundling, bundling. The terms of trade that a pure unbacked startup would be quite different, in terms of hitting cost targets and ramp pace. As a pure play startup, if we wanted a plant with the hirings and the ecosystem and logistics, we wouldn't be where we are without the Group. However, at Scout, we want to zero in on what we can make a difference on, in design, engineering, and production." The CEO made a point to still distance Scout a bit from the German ownership: "This platform, this car, everything is designed to compete [in the U.S.] in cost and design. That's a unique thing, as opposed to modifying European cars."

Startup Benefits

Scout won't go anywhere near VW's batteries or battery factories, at least not yet. When asked about battery testing, both executives confirmed that's an investment worth considering for their bespoke battery pack assembly. The cell supplier is still being determined. "The [Volkswagen ID4] battery won't work for a host of reasons that I won't get into for this application. We'll announce when we're ready."

So what's the benefit of the startup approach for Scout and the CEO? Operating without the overhead and legacy of VW or the Group: "We as a group do not want to be one of these companies that withdraws, and only focuses on certain regions. No, we want to be globally successful in Europe, China, and the U.S. Scout is a brand with credibility and a name with character, and it allows us access to the two biggest profit pools in America. The smart thing is to do it with a clean slate as a startup, so you're not inheriting the legacy challenges. A company which is part of the Group with 660,000 employees is going to have a whole different series of systems and processes than a startup with 350 employees. Whatever it is about corporations over time, you build up legacy ideas, legacy costs, scar tissue, and [aging] IT systems, and on and on. To have a clean slate is smart."

Competitive Analysis

The execs confirmed that "design is hyper close, and engineering is a tack or two behind [design lock] but not far." But there's a clear vision for the brand as it moves to finalization of the vehicles: "I think of Scout a little bit like Levi's: They can be worn in Malibu or a work site, and it's a cool, iconic American brand," Keogh said.

"In terms of the competitors, we want to make sort of a tribe community type of vehicle, not a mainstream, just another SUV," he continued. "Who has done a good job of this? I think Bronco has done a good job of this, at the higher end Defender has done a fantastic job of this, Wrangler obviously has its thing. [Scout] will have a point of view. We're not building something to navigate the strip malls of America, we're building something that can navigate America."

"I think it's going to be a community, cool oriented car, with character and personality, that's not an optimized jelly bean. You can see the segments quite clear, the mainstream competitors, the only real difference is some are more expensive, some are more powerful, and then there are these tribe ones that people have fanaticism for, and that's what we want."

Aftermarket Accommodation

And what about the aftermarket? If Scout wants community, will they be able to easily modify these new tech-entangled machines? "The opportunities are massive on that front. The aftermarket accessories business is basically a mini company in most competitors. We want to do a lot of that here, and these are the conversations we're having. We will launch with a super cool 'accessorization' program. Some of the stuff we're designing ourselves, some we're finding good partners, but I feel confident we'll nail that."

"The key thing is not to make the car and then say let's stuff some roof racks on it. The key thing now is to get it all dialed in on the platform. So you have the software ready that's aligned to it, you can have the packaging ready for whatever is coming up. For the core stuff, you need to have the software and packaging; if you didn't think about it in this [early] phase, you missed it."

A Pure Play

Keogh was asked about the possibility of a return to combustion power and if the new automaker has hesitated on its pure-EV approach at all: "We are a startup, that gives us the ability to pivot and move fast, which is a beautiful thing," Keogh said. "But if we look at the world as we see it right now, we think there's enough opportunity for a pure play. That's where we're at right now."

"We're not naive to the noise out there, and we'll react accordingly. But if you have this dual state, if you will, you'll have factions within the company, and a pure play allows you to be laser focused. I don't think salvation comes from going back. I'm an optimist on technology, and an optimist on American technology."

Photos From Scout Factory Groundbreaking in Blythewood, South Carolina

Read more about the new Scout Motors:

• 2026 Scout by Volkswagen: Motors, Power, Price, On Sale, Rendering, and More
• Inside VW's Scramble To Bring Back the Scout Off-Roader
• Scout Motors Harvests Farm-Related Names Like Reaper, Swather, Thresher
• This 1,365-HP Twin-Turbo International Scout Is One Mean Street Machine