Rich in heritage and detail, the launch event showcased the Scout's EV 4×4 concepts that are the size of a Jeep or Bronco.
Scout Motors, the electric truck manufacturer that belongs to Volkswagen, released its first two 4×4 models outside of Nashville on Thursday evening. The Terra truck and Traveler SUV share many design and interior features, with the truck riding on a longer wheelbase. Although the cars shown will change, Scout officials suggested that what fans, owners, and journalists gathered were 85 to 90 percent of the production cars.
Two different electric trains will be offered: a battery-electric version with a range of up to 350 miles, and a Harvester model with a range-extending gasoline engine that delivers a combined range of more than 500 miles. It's not a plug-in hybrid but an extended EV, meaning the gasoline engine powers a generator that charges the battery, but it can't power the wheels on their own. Prices for the Scout will start around $60,000 before benefits, and the company is aiming for first production in 2027.
Aside from the electric powertrains, the two Scout models use a newly developed body-on-frame architecture unlike anything available elsewhere in the VW Group. For 4×4 power, it features a solid rear axle and differential lock front and rear. When they launch in 2027, they will compete with off-road models including Ford's Bronco 4x4s and Jeep's Wrangler and Gladiator, all of which are gasoline-powered, and electric trucks like the GMC Hummer EVs and the Rivian R1S and R1T. All of those vehicles will likely have been updated from today's specifications by the time Scouts go on sale.
Photos by John Voelcker.
Scout plans to sell the vehicles directly through its sales and service network, which envisions authorized dealers selling all other VW Group vehicles in North America—none of which have expertise in SUVs or heavy-duty 4x4s. The Scouts will be built in a brand new factory now under construction near Columbia, South Carolina. Buyers can reserve new models on the Scout Motors website.
In the long run, we'd expect the Scout to end up selling more Traveler SUVs than Terra trucks—as Rivian has said, and has done, with the R1S utility vehicle versus the R1T truck that preceded it in production.
Hard on values, simple details
Leaning heavily on a heritage theme, the launch event featured a dozen original International Scouts, including the first one built in 1960 and the last Scout II built in 1980. many say they doubt the idea of Scouts running on batteries and electric motors.
Those early Scouts we've seen would fit the bill of midsize trucks in today's terms. The new Scouts are full-size trucks, closer to the Ford F-150 and Expedition than the Rivian R1T and R1S. The longer of the two, the Terra pickup, is 229 inches long, 77 inches high, and 92 inches wide. Riding on a wheelbase that's 28 inches shorter than the Terra's 148 in, the Traveler SUV is 21 inches longer.
Photos by John Voelcker.
The bed of the Terra is 5.5 feet long, about a foot longer than that of the Rivian R1T. And 6-foot-tall adults will easily fit into the rear seats, which are accessed through extra-tall doors. A middle seat is also available in the front row, enabling two-row Scouts to carry six passengers instead of the usual five.
Weight remains an open question; any battery-powered vehicle-with a 100 kWh battery or possibly weighing 3 to 4 tons.
Those who watched the event online commented heavily on the Rivian resemblance, with some speculating that the Scouts were based on Rivian underpinnings. Given VW's development deal with Rivian, which was announced in July, that wasn't out of the question. But aside from Scout's use of Rivian's zonal electrical architecture—which allows for on-the-fly upgrades and additional features to be added during the vehicle's life—Scout executives similarly said there are no structural, mechanical, or interior components from Rivian.
Details about the details of electric trains were scarce. No power output is given, though torque is rated at “close to 1,000 lb-ft” with acceleration from 0 to 60 mph as low as 3.5 seconds. Scout did not provide details on the range-extending combustion engine, which will be located under the cargo area behind the rear axle. (One official confirmed it will NOT be a diesel, ahem.) The bet among reporters is that the engine will be a version of the Volkswagen EA288 inline-4, likely supplied from VW's factory in Puebla, Mexico.
The base suspension is mechanical, but air suspension will be available as an option. Wheels up to 35 inches in diameter will be offered, ground clearance in excess of 12 inches and a projected depth of approximately three feet. Payload for each model is quoted as “nearly 2,000 pounds,” with estimated towing capacity given as 10,000+ pounds for the Terra truck and 7,000+ pounds for the Traveler SUV.
The owners do it themselves
One theme of the reveal was the simplicity of the classic controls. Scouts have fixed door handles, not the hinged or retractable ones used by Rivian and Tesla to reduce aerodynamic drag. Knobs and dials do all the major functions in the cabin—a consistent fault of Volkswagen, which has replaced many hard controls in its latest models with on-screen icons and physical controls.
There's a small front trunk, which Scout says is big enough to hold a bag of golf clubs, a cooler, and a gym bag. A rectangular panel behind the left rear fender, below the taillight, opens to reveal a NACS charging port—standard on every Scout—and three 120-volt power outlets. Three 240-volt outlets are also mentioned, something that shocked and impressed Scout owners in attendance.
A loyal Scout in attendance clapped and cheered at several points during the introduction of certain features—the bench seat, power outlets, locking axles. But the biggest, longest round of applause came at the end, when Scout CEO Scott Keogh stood in front of the screen saying “One more thing”.
The screen then showed the fuel gauge, and Keogh announced the range extender and its name—Harvester, another nod to the Scout's heritage, as it was born as a product from the International Harvester farm-equipment company.
Will Harvester EREVs be connected?
Keogh went on to insist that Scouts are still EVs, with all the benefits that go with them, including a front trunk. But, he noted, the combination of a small battery pack and a range-extending generator will provide more than 500 miles of range—something that very few EVs offer today.
After that, I met Phil Coonrod, the owner of the first Scout (#501). He was very happy during the day, with the faithful Scout thanking and praising his preservation of the 1960 model. What did you think of the new ones, I asked? He liked them, he said, and planned to order one that night for his wife.
Which model, battery electric or extended? “Oh, it's a mix,” she said.
It's understandable. Would he connect it? He was silent for a while.
“I don't know. Maybe.”
We'll see if the wealthy suburban families who are likely to buy lots of new Scouts take the same attitude. As passionate as the Heritage Scout community is, and as it appreciates the capabilities of its 4×4 trucks, the full-size electric SUV is more likely to be used as family transportation than rock crawling—as a Scout official quietly admitted.
With more than two years to go until production begins, there is still much to learn about the new Scouts. But it seems safe to say that the market for full-size pickup trucks, subframes and SUVs—the most popular vehicle segment in North America—will have an electrified newcomer in a few years. The new Scouts had a successful start. Now the company has to do the hard work of getting them into volume production. Stay tuned.
Scout Motors provided airfare, lodging, and meals to enable you to bring this first-person report to you.