German automaker Volkswagen is hoping to capitalize on Americans’ appetite for throwback-style off-roaders by reviving the Scout brand for a new series of battery-electric trucks and SUVs.
Top brass at Volkswagen approved the new Scout sub-brand during a meeting held Wednesday, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Scout nameplate will operate as a new VW sub-brand in North America, similar to the VW, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini and Bentley brands that it sells in the U.S. and Canada. The first models marketed under the Scout brand will be a battery-electric pickup, along with a large battery-electric SUV.
VW acquired the rights to the Scout nameplate when it bought out American truck manufacturer Navistar International Corp. in 2020. Navistar was established in 1986 as a continuation of the International Harvester company, which went out of business the year prior following years of financial hardship. International Harvester manufactured the International Scout, a sturdy body-on-frame SUV that was sold in various iterations between 1960 and 1981.
Sources familiar with VW’s plans told WSJ this plan is still in its infancy. VW first needs to create a U.S. management team for Scout before establishing a design team and finalizing the designs for the truck and SUV models. The Scout vehicles would likely also require their own separate manufacturing facilities with different machines and tooling, as they will not have much in common with current VW models from a mechanical standpoint.
An EV-focused Scout brand would serve as a direct competitor to GM’s own off-road-ready electric models. It’s not clear what price point the Scout vehicles will occupy, however WSJ’s sources said these vehicles will be mid-sized rather than full-sized and would therefore not compete with large American offerings like the Ford F-150 Lightning or Chevy Silverado EV.
VW Tarok Pickup Truck Concept
The source also said VW hopes to sell as many as 250,000 vehicles a year under the Scout brand, with production set to commence in 2026.
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Comments
Meh
Seat, Skoda, VW, Scout, Audi, Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti
When half your brands are losing money:
Americans trim the dead weight. Invest in the money makers
Asians double down. Invest in turning money losing
brands around
For Europeans it’s a new brand. New Formula 1 team and very old Cognac.
No Americans get bailed out with tax payer money.
Dick: Hate to burst your bubble, but the Asian brands have gotten bail-outs from Japan. The Germans from their country. It happens much more than you may understand. And just to clear the air, the US government made money on that deal. Therefore the tax payers got a good return on the investment.
Actually the U.S. government borrowed that money. Which GM paid back, with interest
Actually the US government has no money of their own, they never have either that’s why you pay taxes which means its tax payer money.
I can see that Dick is going to be another like one of my brothers who loved to jump on that old worn-out and false argument. It’s not difficult for them to do a quick search online about this. But no, instead let’s just keep spreading the false and worn-out lies. After hearing my brother say that for too many times, I put him to task and forced him to put up or shut up. Thank goodness I no longer have to listen to him about that.
Matt: You said it well.
What’s a false argument? The government has no money of their own so what exactly is false and worn out about that? Do you really not comprehend why you pay taxes?
Little dicky
What you never heard of U.S. Savings Bonds? That’s money loaned to the U.S. government.
Pet names? Save those for your husband. Again it was a bailout with us tax payer money you don’t have to like it but that doesn’t change the fact.
Was it a bail-out or a loan? It was called a bail-out, but it was paid back with interest, so isn’t it a loan? Why, then, is it called a bail-out?
At least 3 people on this site comment under the name “Dick” you’re the young one. Earning you the name “little dicky”
Like I said save the homo crap for your husband I’m not interested in the fag crap.
You know, Dick really is an appropriate name for you isn’t it.
You must be Matt husband.
Not exactly, the $50+ Billion borrowed only some was paid back, the balance was done with issuing stock which keeps dropping, somewhere about $30 share which means the taxpayers lost again.
Brad Barefoot
You’re ignoring all the retiree pension debt the U.S. Government would have been on the hook for if GM, Ford & Chrysler were allowed to go bankrupt.
Cry you little weasel
GFY
VW is not doing well in the states and thinks this will do better….i doubt it. Their current Ev’s are so ugly and boring looking. I don’t see them do well in the US at all.
The renderings of the Scout vehicles look extremely promising. Genius move by VW
If they truly go for it, I think it could be successful. I personally would brand it as an International Scout, sold through VW and International dealers. I think using the International brand could be successful, giving it a similar flavor to GMC with the “professional grade” angle. And then really keep the design connected to the heritage. I own a first model year Scout so high likelihood I’ll try to get one of these, but if it’s going to be successful it can’t be just a jacked up VW rebranded as a Scout, it’s really gotta be its own thing. Time will tell!
Will it rust out as fast as the “real” ones did?
Boring.
Electric Scout, we have a family friend who inherited his Dad’s 1964 Scout, and has driven it daily since 1968. A 2-door hard top, with the 4 cylinder engine, the drive train is still original, and still running today. The EV Scout, is a bad joke.
I am not sure about VW itself or the Scout brand for that matter, but the VW Group premium and exotic brands have never failed to impress me. So clearly, they know what they are doing. If they applied that same effort to the Scout brand and lineup, then they will have yet another brand that can do extremely well.