LAS VEGAS Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume reports that Scout Motors has received over 50,000 refundable reservation deposits for its first electric pickups and SUVs.
Volkswagen brought back Scout, an American brand that existed from 1961 to 1980, and in October it unveiled the Terra pickup truck and Traveler SUV, which were intended for production. Both extended-range electric vehicles, or EREVs, and all-electric variants will be available.
When several all-electric vehicles were first being offered in the early 2020s, Scout received less reservations than other automakers. Reservations can serve as a gauge of interest but do not ensure sales.
During a private media event at the CES tech conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday night, Blume stated that the market’s reaction has been really good. “This is heritage,” was the reply. It’s somewhat of a romance.
Customers who want to be among the first to order a car when it opens must pay a $100 refundable deposit to Scout. In 2027, the cars are expected to arrive.
The Scout brand is a component of VW’s strategy to increase its market share in the United States across all of its brands, including its namesake, Audi, and Porsche. According to Blume, the German automaker’s U.S. share is currently at 4%.
Without revealing a possible market share target, Blume stated, “We have a much larger ambition to improve our market share, and we think we have some potential with all the new cars entering into the market.”
In a different interview at CES, Scout CEO Scott Keogh stated that the company’s expectations for reservations have been surpassed. According to him, the Traveler SUV has accounted for over 70% of reservations, which is consistent with business projections.
Keogh refused to reveal how reservations for the EREV and all-electric vehicles differed.
“We’re really pleased with the results,” Keogh told CNBC. The response to the EREV has been positive.
In essence, EREVs are a particular kind of plug-in hybrid electric car.When the battery runs low, they use a conventional internal combustion engine to power the vehicle’s electric components in addition to EV motors and battery cells. When the EV’s components need electricity, the engine essentially serves as a generator.
According to Keogh, Scout introduced EREVs to better safeguard the brand against market fluctuations in the face of lower-than-anticipated consumer demand for EVs.
According to him, the corporation is now concentrating on three primary goals: building a $2 billion facility in South Carolina, continuing vehicle engineering, and raising brand awareness.
According to Scout’s website, the Traveler and Terra are anticipated to start at less than $60,000. The business claims that the EREV vehicles would have a range of over 500 miles, with the all-electric variants having a range of up to 350 miles.
The connectivity and in-car user experiences of Scout’s future truck and SUV, which are intended to be outdoor recreational vehicles akin to those of Jeep and EV startup Rivian, were showcased at CES. This includes Scout trucks in remote locations having access to satellite connectivity.
Currently, Scout is constructing a plant in South Carolina that will be able to produce 200,000 automobiles annually. Scout anticipates using batteries, the priciest component of an electric car, from a Canadian joint venture battery cell factory owned by VW.
Additionally, Scout intends to include electrical design and software from a $5.8 billion joint venture agreement between Rivian and VW into its automobiles.
Following the worldwide conglomerate’s $3.7 billion acquisition of Navistar, the successor of Scout’s original owner, International Harvester, in 2021, VW purchased the Scout name and trademark.
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