Revived Scout Model Teases First Off-Highway EV

In an alternate universe the place the Worldwide Harvester automotive model by no means went away, you would go to Scoutmotors.com to configure your future electrical SUV.

Or on this one. It’s actual.

Retro SUV Pattern Meets EV Pattern

The previous few years have seen a complete era of traditional SUVs reborn. You should buy a 2023 Ford Bronco or Jeep Wagoneer – names from when Lyndon B. Johnson was within the White Home.

They’ve additionally seen the primary electrical off-roaders – hyper-capable machines just like the GMC Hummer, with its “crab stroll” four-wheel steering, and the Rivian R1T, with its separate motor for every wheel.

These tendencies will come collectively across the 2026 mannequin yr when Scout plans to launch its first new automobile in additional than 1 / 4 of a century.

It’s a challenge of Volkswagen. The German automaker owns the rights to the Scout title by means of a circuitous spherical of mergers and acquisitions. It has determined to resurrect the title, as soon as related to inexpensive, rugged off-roaders, with a sub-brand.

A Glimpse of What’s to Come

The brand new Scouts will likely be all-electric and constructed within the U.S. We’re not but clear on whether or not the brand new firm will promote them by means of VW’s present dealership community or on-line solely. However we do have a glimpse of the primary Scout automobile.

The Scoutmotors.com web site launched this week. There, you’ll discover a careers part, a discussion board (the place Scout management is asking for ideas on future merchandise), and this – a rendering of an idea SUV.

The shadowy, head-on picture doesn’t give us a lot to go on. However we are able to see hints that the brand new Scout could also be heading in the right direction. It reveals a boxy, upright design theme that might believably be the evolution of the legendary Scout II that left the market within the early Nineteen Eighties. It reveals spectacular floor clearance, although the low angle of the picture might be deceptive.

These traditional Scouts have been convertible SUVs. Within the rendering, mild appears to shine by means of roof home windows beneath the roof rack, which may trace at detachable roof panels.

Pickup Coming, Too

A press launch asserting the positioning’s launch mentions an “all-electric truck and SUV to hold the Scout legacy into the long run,” so we anticipate to see a truck model as properly.

The launch of the primary Scout product is years away, in order that’s all we get for now. However Scout CEO and VW veteran Scott Keogh provides a shout-out to long-time followers within the press launch, saying, “We began this discussion board to nurture an open dialogue with our group members, to listen to what they anticipate in all-new Scout autos.”