As quoted by the German newspaper Automobilwoche, Volkswagen plans to build a completely new plant for its Scout EV brand, which was recently acquired.
The Scout brand dates back to the early 1960s, when the International Harvester Corporation (IHC) made the first model.
Scout’s compact four-wheel drive vehicle was the first real competitor to the popular Jeep brand before the Ford Bronco or Chevy Blazer.
The brand quickly gained a following with popular new models, including some early versions of what we now call SUVs.
Despite the success of the Scout brand, IHC was having its own financial problems, which led to a business review, including changing its name to Navistar, a manufacturer of commercial trucks and engines.
Volkswagen gained access to the Scout brand in 2021 following its trucking unit, Traton Group, merged with Navistar.
Soon following, rumors surfaced that VW was considering reviving the Scout brand, turning it into a new electric off-road vehicle company to compete in the rapidly expanding US SUV market.
Volkswagen confirmed these rumors, saying that the company will launch a new “all-electric pickup truck and rugged SUV” in the US under the name Scout. The first prototypes are expected to be revealed this year, with production scheduled for 2026.
Initially, it was suggested that Volkswagen was in talks with Foxconn and Magna Steyr to help make the vehicles, but a new report from Automobilwoche claims that VW will build its own electric vehicle plant in the US to produce Scout models and possibly Audi. ev too.
VW will build Scout EV plant in the US
Automobilwoche has learned from company circles that VW is no longer considering Foxconn or Magna for its Scout US facility. Instead, the automaker plans to build its own plant.
In addition to the Scout brand, Volkswagen wants to build Audi EVs in the US, which Automobilwoche says the company will co-produce in a new plant.
Audi recently teased its own off-road EV that doubles as a crossover and pickup truck with a hatchback that folds down to open up a roomy cargo space in the “truck” bed.
Source: electrek
