In April 2022, then-VW Group CEO Herbert Diess has been quoted saying that the company "didn't take US customer seriously enough."
The VW Group then announced the following month that it was reviving the Scout nameplate for the US. If you think that this move was relevant to Volkswagen's aim to sell more vehicles stateside, then you'd be correct.
In a video released by the VW Group, the company explained that the revival of the Scout brand was decided to get more Americans to buy more of its products. The aim was to reach a 10 percent market share, and the iconic status of the Scout brand in the US should help the company achieve that.
THIS IS FOR YOU - #USA! 🇺🇸🛻
— Volkswagen Group (@VWGroup) May 11, 2022
⚡ We will produce an all-electric pick-up and rugged SUV
⚡ The strong Iconic brand #Scout get's electrified
⚡ Production will start in 2026 pic.twitter.com/blZy8b0Z29
"After Volkswagen's successful turnaround in the US, we are now taking the opportunity to further strengthen our position in one of the most significant growth markets for EVs," said Diess before. "Electrification provides a historic opportunity to enter the highly attractive pickup and R-SUV segment as a group, underscoring our ambition to become a relevant player in the US market."
The Scout nameplate won't just be a badge for electric VW SUVs and trucks to be sold in the US. It will be a standalone brand under the VW Group, a separate unit that will be managed independently and will operate in the US. This month, VW announced Scott Keogh as Scout's CEO, in charge of building the brand.
Scout is expected to start making cars in 2026, but prototypes of the new pickup truck and SUV should be introduced in two years' time. Of note, the electric Scout vehicles will use a "new technical platform concept."
While the Scout brand's revival was conceived under Diess's helm, the completion of the project will now be under the leadership of Porsche CEO Oliver Blume, who has been recently named as VW Group's Chairman of the Board of Management. Blume will be leading both Porsche and the VW Group, and added that he will focus on "the customers, brands, and products" as the boss of both companies.
