Volkswagen has chosen to revive the Scout brand (of International Harvester Scout fame) for a new line of off-road-focused electric vehicles over 40 years after the last Scout II rolled off the production line. The new company’s first offerings will be an electric SUV and pickup duo that promise to blend retro-inspired design, go-anywhere capability and the best of VW’s EV tech into a package specifically designed for the American market and built locally.
Both will be fully electric vehicles. We’ve not heard any rumors about a possible range extender powertrain (although hybrids and plug-in hybrids have been ruled out). An extended-range EV powertrain can’t be ruled out given that it makes sense for those who want to do a lot of towing—the idea of having the plentiful instant torque of an electric motor but also an onboard generator to alleviate range anxiety when towing a heavy load seems to have struck a chord with buyers; we’re sure VW has at least considering it as a way to boost appeal for the Scout brand.
The two reborn Scout vehicles will put off-road ability and usability above opulent luxury, which will be reflected in their price. They are expected to undercut the vast majority of rivals, although by the time they arrive on the market, they will have more off-road EVs to contend with, and some of them will be more affordable than the vehicles you can buy today.
Power And Platform
Underpinning both vehicles will be an all-new platform not shared with any other VW models. It’s not going to be a modified version of the MEB platform that underpins most electric VWs, nor is it related to anything else the group makes, like the PPE platform used as the basis for the Porsche Macan EV and the Audi Q6 E-Tron.
This is because the two Scout vehicles will have a body-on-frame construction, which should make them more rugged and truck-like compared to unibody rivals like the Tesla Cybertruck. With the outdoorsy image that the brand wants to portray, a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain will probably come as standard—we don’t expect there to be a base single-motor variant with just one powered axle.
However, even though the ladder chassis will be new and bespoke to Scout, it will be packed with parts sourced from VW likely shared with other group vehicles. The electronics, motors and other vital components will be from the VW parts bin and while this may not sound particularly exciting, we’ve seen what other startups like Rivian managed to achieve without the backing of one of the world’s biggest automakers.
We don’t know how much power these electric Scouts will have, but given that they will most likely be dual-motor vehicles, we don’t expect them to have less than 300 horsepower.
The platform used to underpin Scout vehicles could have a Ford connection. Back in 2019, VW and Ford signed a deal to jointly develop pickups and commercial vehicles,` and there’s no reason why the collaboration couldn’t extend to Scout too. This collaboration has so far yielded Ford EVs built on VW’s MEB platform (the Explorer and Capri) as well as VW Transporter vans that are secretly Ford Transits underneath.
Batteries And Charging
Information on the two upcoming Scout vehicles is almost nonexistent, so we don’t know what their battery capacity and range will be. Rival trucks like those from Rivian provide up to 420 miles on one charge, although they are also more expensive than what the Scout trucks are expected to cost. To round it out, 300 miles on one charge would be a competitive range number.
We don’t know if they will have a 400- or 800-volt platform, but even with the former, charging speeds of up to 250 kW are still possible. If they run on 800 volts, they could charge at 350 kW like the EVs with the highest charging power currently available.
Design And Philosophy
Scout released a couple of design sketches showing the side profiles of the SUV and pickup. They look like they will have a retro-inspired design repurposing elements from classic International Harvester Scout vehicles. Their front overhang is unusually short and it looks like you could equip them with larger tires that would allow them to crawl up a vertical wall the same way a military Humvee can.
The pickup will be considerably longer than the SUV, with a wheelbase that looks like it could be around 20 inches longer if the size difference from the teaser images is true to life.
The design of the front and rear fascias is open to speculation since Scout hasn’t even hinted at the vehicles’ light signature in any of the official teasers. What we do know is that the front end will be quite blunt and upright as a nod to the classic Scout II. Our rendering shows what it could look like, but it’s not indicative of the actual vehicle’s design.
We don’t know what the interior design is like yet, but we anticipate it will have a similar approach to other off-roaders like the Jeep Wrangler and the Ford Bronco, prioritizing simplicity, toughness and durability over fancy design. With that being said, a recent teaser showed what looks like a compass that’s integrated into the headliner, which will most likely be present on the production vehicles.
Pricing And Naming
Scout has confirmed that the starting price for its electric trucks will sit somewhere north of $40,000, probably closer to $45,000 for the SUV and around $55,000 for the pickup. This will position them as some of the more affordable electric off-road trucks, and given that they will be built in America, they should be eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit that will further sweeten the deal.
Last year, Scout had a trademark spree to reserve the “Scout Reaper,” “Scout Traveler” and “Scout Hauler” names along with “Scout II” and “Scout 80,” among others. We’ll have to wait to see if any of them are used on the Scout's first two models, or if they were chosen for other vehicles that will be released down the line.
Reveal And Production
The Scout SUV and pickup will be shown to the public on October 24. With very little information revealed so far, we're hoping Scout will share technical specifications and exactly what the two trucks can do at the event.
Volkswagen is pouring $2 billion into building a brand new dedicated factory to build Scout vehicles. It is currently under construction in Blythewood, South Carolina, and it should be able to crank out the first prototypes in 2025 before full-scale production commences in 2026. The first to enter production will be the SUV, and it will eventually be joined by the pickup, although we don’t know how big a gap the manufacturer plans to leave between them.
