Volkswagen Plans New Scout Electric SUV Brand For North America - Report

The Volkswagen Group is looking to set up a new electric SUV and pick-up brand focused on the US market. As per reports, the company is set to revive the Scout name for the new electric vehicle brand which will offer a range of rugged SUVs and Trucks. This will mark the revival of the name in the US which was previously used for an SUV in the 1960s and 1970s by International Harvester, now Navistar. The VW Group reportedly hold the rights to the Scout name in the US via its Traton commercial vehicle subsidiary under the Navistar brand.

As per reports, the VW Group plans to operate the Scout brand as a standalone alongside its existing brands in the US such as Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini and Bentley. VW's board is expected to make a decision on the matter in the coming days with plans to bring the new Scout-badged models to market as early as 2026.

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The Scout name was originally used for a SUV in the 1960s and 1970s retailed by International Harvester (Now Navistar International).
Photo Credit: Jeremy from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Volkswagen is eyeing sales of up to 2,50,000 Scout-branded vehicles a year in the US given the popularity of SUVs and pick-up trucks in the market. The company is reportedly eyeing the set-up of a third North American manufacturing facility to produce its Scout branded models. The company is reportedly planning to create a dedicated skateboard architecture for the new Scout brand for a range of off-road centric SUVs and pick-up trucks.

The Group is reportedly eyeing an initial investment in the region of $ 1 billion to ready the project with plans to source additional financing from outside investors.

The trucks and pick-ups are expected to be of a similar size to the US-specific VW Atlas and the Amarok.

Skoda currently uses the Scout name on the more off-road centric variants of its models. Skoda Octavia Scout pictured. 

While initially the brand will be retailed only in the US, the company is considering expanding to other markets in the future.

The VW Group currently uses the Scout name as a suffix on its line-up of more rugged-looking and off-road centric variants of Skoda cars. Notable examples include the Skoda Kodiaq Scout and the Octavia Scout estate. The group currently does not offer cars under the Skoda badge in the US.

Source: WSJ