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Scout Motors, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, on Thursday unveiled two electric vehicles that it hopes will appeal to American customers with a rugged, modern design that downplays digital technology and embraces the mechanical.
hunting? The company will also offer variants of its all-electric Scout Traveler SUV and Scout Terra Truck that will come equipped with a built-in gas-powered generator using a system called Harvester – a nod to the brand’s roots with the International Harvester Scout from the 1960s.
If the idea of an electric generator meeting gas sounds familiar, it is. Last year, the Stellantis Ram brand unveiled the Ramcharger, a battery-electric truck equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 and a 130-kilowatt generator that, when combined, promises a targeted range of 690 miles.
The Scout EVs — a truck and an SUV — won’t arrive until 2027. The new brand launched two years ago was initially scheduled to produce these vehicles in 2026. When they finally go into production, the vehicles will have a body-on-frame chassis A solid rear axle and front and rear mechanical lockers plus a powertrain that will deliver 1,000 lb-ft of torque and 0-60 mph acceleration of 3.5 seconds (on some models).
These specific car details are key to what Scout hopes will resonate with buyers: new, technologically advanced electric vehicles with on-road and off-road performance that also provide nostalgia and memories of real buttons and switches. Although there are buttons inside the vehicles, there is also a central touchscreen.
Scout Motors President and CEO Scott Keogh, who initiated the unveiling, seemed keenly aware of the challenges facing the auto industry, not to mention this new brand named after the famous International Harvester Scout that hit the market in the early 1960s.
“These are, without a doubt, complex times,” he said in a live-streamed event. “Industries are facing labor tensions, unease around the transition to electric vehicles, infrastructure, geopolitical uncertainty, inflation, supply chains, the need to get software right, digital trust, and of course return on investment.”
From Q’s point of view, the two new electric scout cars will overcome these challenges.
Nuts and bolts
The all-electric models are expected to offer a range of up to 350 miles, the company said Thursday. The EVs will also be equipped with Tesla’s North American charging standard. But in a development that suggests Scout wants to hedge its bets, the company will also offer variants with an extended range of more than 500 miles with a built-in gas-powered generator.
Keogh is quick to note that the gas-powered generator version called the Harvester “is still a Scout.”
“All that great capability, all that ability, all that recognition, nothing goes away when you get a range extender,” he said, adding that it’s still an electric car. “You still have the box, you still have all the packaging, the battery will power both axles, and of course, the engine will power the battery. This gives you a proper EV experience with the alternator of course.”
He also noted that the Harvester model future-proofs the brand, which is “critical for us in these times.”
Regardless of powertrain, the EV platform will offer up to 35-inch tires, more than a foot of ground clearance, the ability to ford nearly 3 feet of water, a separate front sway bar, front and rear mechanical lockouts, and competitive approach and departure angles. And solid suspension options, according to Scout. All of these details are part of that powerful messaging that Scout hopes will attract customers.
The company also said the Terra truck will be able to tow more than 10,000 pounds while the Traveler SUV will be able to handle 7,000 pounds. There is no information on how this will affect the range of vehicles.
The guts of these two electric vehicles will include what Scout describes as a state-of-the-art zoning architecture, allowing for over-the-air software updates and remote diagnostics. VW, Scout’s parent company, has struggled to deliver this kind of software performance in its cars despite creating a 6,000-plus-person subsidiary called Cariad dedicated to exactly that.
Recently, Volkswagen Group agreed to invest $1 billion in electric vehicle startup Rivian as part of a large-scale software development deal that could expand to as much as $5 billion. It’s possible, even likely, that the joint venture could lend a programming helping hand to Scout as well.
The interior design continues the theme of new meets old. The touchscreen is front and center, but the toggle switches and knobs, which are used to control the air conditioning and heating, are located directly below it. There is also a compass on the roof near the rearview mirror. One detail that embraces its International Harvester roots is the option to eschew the multi-function console for the front row seat.
“Americans have not forgotten how to do things like open the car door, turn the handle, or pull the key, so I promise you all kinds of functions to allow Americans to stay at their jobs and continue to do things by themselves,” Qiu said in a simple gesture. Dig into many modern electric vehicles.
Pricing
The Scout Traveler and Terra models will have an entry price of less than $60,000. Scout noted that these prices could reach $50,000 with available incentives. This assumes that the incentives provided for in the inflation reduction law remain in place. Scout is poised for these incentives because it will design the vehicles in Michigan and build them at a new $2 billion factory capable of producing 200,000 electric vehicles per year in South Carolina.
Scout is also taking the controversial step of selling its electric vehicles directly to consumers, which would avoid the use of Volkswagen dealers. The company said potential customers Reservations are possible To order a Scout Traveler SUV or Scout Terra Truck for a refundable $100.
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