Volkswagen Group has announced an interesting leadership change at its North American division. Scott Keogh, the current president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America and CEO of Volkswagen North American Region, will become president and CEO of Scout, the newly established US independent company specializing in electric pickups and SUVs.
Scott Keogh will be replaced at the helm of Volkswagen Group of America and Volkswagen North America Region by Pablo Di Si, the Executive Chairman of Volkswagen South American Region, with both appointments taking effect September 1, 2022. Di Si's succession in Volkswagen South America will be announced in the near future.
The German automaker says the move is aimed at strengthening its U.S. leadership team to accelerate its ambitious growth strategy in North America.
"Scott Keogh and Pablo Di Si both have played key roles in turning around the businesses in their respective regions, North America and South America. In their future positions, they will be pivotal in helping the Group seize the historic market opportunities in the U.S., taking our growth strategy in the region to the next level."
Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess
The carmaker says it plans to roll out "the broadest electrified portfolio in the North American market," aiming to offer more than 25 battery electric vehicles (BEV) to American consumers. Volkswagen will soon start local assembly of the all-electric ID.4 compact SUV in Chattanooga and build up dedicated EV capabilities in engineering, research and development, assembly, components production, and strong supplier partnerships.
According to the press release, the market's transformation to EVs provides a historic chance to enter the market for all-electric pickups. As announced in May, VW will build on the iconic Scout brand to develop and manufacture a "true American" electric rugged SUV and pickup-truck brand in the US.
Scout will be essential to Volkswagen's growth ambitions aimed at doubling the market share of the Group in the United States, which is probably why a top-level exec like Scott Keogh was given the responsibility to focus exclusively on the development of the new Scout brand. As president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, he has led the company's return to profitability for the first time in year and driven its electric mobility push that saw the ID.4, ID. Buzz and Audi e-tron being brought to market in North America.
Pablo Di Si has similar credentials to Keogh, having led Volkswagen Group's return to profitability in the Latin America market for the first time in years and promoted the most significant new product launches tailored to the region's needs in its history.
