NASHVILLE – In a multibillion-dollar gambit to elbow its way into the lucrative U.S. market for pickups and off-roading SUVs, Volkswagen unveiled a pair of striking electric vehicles under the old Scout brand on a Tennessee hillside Thursday.
Targeted for production in 2027, the midsize Scout Terra pickup and Traveler SUV were designed to recall the rugged Scout vehicles U.S. farm equipment and heavy truck maker International Harvester built in 1961-80.
VW has coveted the U.S. pickup market for decades but balked at the massive cost of developing vehicles tailored to it. The new pair are exactly that tailored, to the market, and showpieces for VW’s latest EV technology to boot.
The automaker won’t say how much it invested in the project, but industry observers put the cost around $3 billion.
“Going with the Scout brand as opposed to VW gives it an advantage,” said S&P Global Mobility principal analyst Stephanie Brinley. “VW has no heritage in the U.S. for pickups and off-roaders.”
In addition to electric power, the new Scouts will feature components for serious off-roading and an airy, attractive interior.
“Scout is clearly positioning the vehicles to be a little bit premium,” said S&P Global Mobility principal analyst Stephanie Brinley. “They’ve got a couple of years to start building buzz and get people thinking about the brand. Just being electric isn’t enough. By 2027 they need to offer more to get internal combustion vehicle owners interested.”
VW designed and engineered the Terra and Traveler in Michigan, where the brand has its headquarters. It will build them in an assembly plant near Columbia, South Carolina.
Scout Terra pickup at a glance
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Prices starting under $60,000
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Four-door crew cab
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On sale in 2027
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Assembled near Columbia, South Carolina
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Anticipated eligible for full federal EV and battery tax credits
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Four-wheel drive
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Body-on-frame platform
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10,000-pound+ towing capacity
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Nearly 2,000-pound payload
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Predicted battery range up to 350 miles
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Available gasoline-powered range extender
Out the door for $50K with 350-mile range?
Prices for the production versions of both vehicles will start under $60,000. VW expects them to qualify for full federal tax credits. While those credits may change by 2027, Scout predicts Traveler prices will start as low as $50,000 after incentives, the Terra as low as $51,500.
“The prices are in the same neighborhood as internal combustion engines,” Brinley said. “That eliminates cost as a compliant, but Scout has a lot of work to establish the brand.”
Scout predicts range up to 350 miles on a charge. In addition to all-electric models, a version with a range extending gasoline engine should deliver more, providing 500 miles’ range. Scout calls the range-extending feature “Harvester,” another nod to the vehicles’ heritage. The German automaker got the rights to the Scout name in 2020 when it bought Navistar International, formerly International Harvester.
Scout’s not saying how big the batteries will be, or how long it will take to charge them, but the vehicles will have Tesla-style charging ports and be able to accept power up to 350kW when DC fast charging.
They will also be capable of bi-directional electric flow to provide household power during blackouts.
Scout Traveler SUV at a glance
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Prices starting under $60,000
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On sale in 2027
-
Assembled near Columbia, South Carolina
-
Anticipated eligible for full federal EV and battery tax credits
-
Four-wheel drive
-
Body-on-frame platform
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7,000-pound+ towing capacity
-
Nearly 2,000-pound payload
-
Predicted battery range up to 350 miles
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Available gasoline-powered range extender
Similar, but not the same
Scout calls the vehicles it unveiled Thursday “concepts,” but they’re clearly intended for production with minimal changes.
The new pickup and SUV’s vertical noses, long hoods and roofs recall the nearly forgotten International Harvester Scouts, which went out of production 44 years ago.
“It’s a new brand to many people, but it has a lot going for it,” AutoPacific analyst Paul Waatti said. “There’s so much focus right now on off-roading, EVs and nostalgia. Three trends come together in Scout.”
The exteriors feature LED lighting and badges, including “Scout” in lighted script.
The effect is dramatic, with thin lines of white light limning flat, rectangular noses and glowing red lines apparently etched into the tailgate and along the top of the rear window.
The vehicles’ profiles recall their namesakes, but with more refined exterior panels nearly devoid of 20th century-chrome bling and featuring sophisticated curves and short overhangs clearly designed to imply, and probably provide, off-road capability.
They appear to be on the large side of the midsize pickup and SUV classes, similar to the electric Rivian R1T and R1S.
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Rugged engineering for off-roading
Both vehicles will use a new body-on-frame architecture developed specifically for Scout. Commonly used in pickups, that type of basic structure is associated with workhorse capability and off-roading.
The vehicles will also offer locking front and rear differentials, mechanical components that help maintain traction in the most challenging conditions.
Other stats include several suspension options, more than a foot of ground clearance, the ability to ford 3 feet of water and up to 35-inch tires.
The vehicles will have four-wheel drive and an electric motor on each axle.
3.5-seconds 0-60, plus real switches and dials
Scout’s not saying how much horsepower they’ll develop, but it promises nearly 1,000 pound-feet of torque and 0-60 mph times as quick as 3.5 seconds.
The Terra pickup will have a 5.5-foot bed with one 240v and two 120v power outlets. The Traveler SUV comes with a horizontally split tailgate to keep cargo from rolling out and provide shelter from the weather.
There will be an available glass roof with a power sunshade and a power-folding fabric ‘Cabana Roof.’
“There are obviously challenges for a new brand, but this scratches an itch for a lot of people,” Waatti said.
The interior also features conventional physical switches and dials for many features, plus a large touch screen.
The Scouts will come with a “zonal” electrical architecture, which reduces vehicle weight and complexity. That sounds a lot like the widely praised Rivian system VW recently agreed to use in a multibillion-dollar deal.
Scout will sell the vehicles direct to customers without a traditional dealer network. That disappointed VW dealers bitterly, but the automaker promises a single app, login and password for most aspects of purchase, service and repair. The brand will have physical showrooms and service centers, but Scout says 80% of repairs can be done on off site.
Shoppers can reserve a Scout for a refundable $100 here.
Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: VW makes a billion-dollar bet its EVs can revive this failed SUV brand
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