SCOUT MOTORS IS BORN

By Éric Descarries

Announced a few years ago, Volkswagen Group manufacturer Scout Motors has just confirmed the beginning of construction of its US$2 billion (nearly C$2.7 billion) plant in South Carolina. Starting in 2026, Scout will produce up to 200,000 electric vehicles a year, mainly pickup trucks and mid-size SUVs.

If the Scout name brings back memories, the Volkswagen Group has revived it from the International Harvester trucks, a heavy-duty truck brand acquired by the German manufacturer. The Scouts of the time were full-size SUVs produced from 1960 to 1980.

According to the president of the new Scout brand, the upcoming pickups (yet to be unveiled) will not be luxury vehicles. Instead, they will be offered at an affordable price, around US$40,000.