Volkswagen reportedly will resurrect Scout as an off-road EV brand for the US

Dutchtower

The Wall Street Journal reported that Volkswagen is considering resurrecting the SUV pioneer Scout as an off-road electric vehicle brand. The brand would be focused on the US market, where it would likely compete with popular brands.

VW's board of directors is expected to approve the plan on Wednesday. The plan envisions Scout as a subsidiary of VW, much like the other companies in the plan. The report refers to actions taken by the Volkswagen Group's supervisory board.

VW is one of the largest automakers in the world but only holds a small share of the US market. The plan to bring back Scout as an electric off-roading brand is clearly aimed at winning over US car buyers, who are increasingly interested in trucks and SUVs. VW has never created a separate brand focused on the US.

According to the Journal, VW hopes to eventually sell 250,000 Scout- branded vehicles in the US annually, with production set to begin in 2026.

Some of the vehicles could look like that. One appears to be similar to VW's Atlas SUV, which can seat seven, while the other is a pickup truck.

International Harvester introduced the Scout as a two-door SUV in 1961. It was intended to compete with Jeep, with rugged details and a fold-down windshield. The Scout and Scout II were made in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as two-door trucks with a hardtop.

VW bought the rights to the brand in 2020 after production stopped in 1980. International Harvester went out of business in 1985.

The ID Buggy, an electric dune buggy, was one of the concepts that VW had in the past. The MEB, orModulare E-Antriebs-Baukasten, which is German formodular electric drive matrix, is meant to show off the flexibility of the buggy.

VW is said to be willing to invest $1 billion into the new Scout brand, which could include building a new manufacturing facility and hiring a lot of US-based executives. The subsidiary could be listed on the public markets once it is up and running.

VW will have to contend with supply chain constraints, battery material shortages, and rising inflation as it tries to get this new EV venture off the ground. VW is basically sold out on electric vehicles in Europe and the United States for the year, according to the company's CEO. Anyone hoping to get an EV from VW, Audi, or any of the group's other brands may have to wait until 2023 as the company tries to navigate the chip shortage and production issues from COVID shutdowns in China.