How Scout Motors plans to bring rugged, retro cred to the EV era

“We are operating Scott Keogh chuckles in his first interview as CEO of Scout Motors, an American EV startup spun out of the VW Group.

While most established auto players call their shots from sprawling corporate palaces, Scout bases much of its operations, at least for now, out of WeWork near Washington, DC.

While Scout Motors’ operations will eventually be “fixed” near the $2 billion South Carolina plant announced Friday, Keogh believes remote work will be key to Scout Motors’ success. I’m here. The company already has key employees working remotely in the U.S. and internationally.

“I firmly believe that those days are over,” Keogh said of the classic era of centralized organizations.

origin

Capturing the American spirit is a big part of what Keough wants and plans with Scout Motors, an all-electric brand launched with a $100 million investment from Volkswagen. I’m here. Scout was the former consumer car brand of International His Harvester, which ended production in 1980 in the wake of labor unrest and his 1979 energy crisis.

Five years before the Ford Bronco came along, the original International Harvester Scout followed in the footsteps of the original Jeep, but with a more practical, enclosed body, it was a go-anywhere, do-anything utility vehicle. . “The way we think about it, Scout kind of seeded it. If you look at just about any SUV, they basically stole the name and made some changes,” says Keough. said Mr. Explorer and Discovery.

These models may be derivative, but they have one big advantage over the Scout. It’s all been in production at some point in the last 40 years. Scout, on the other hand, is in the difficult position of trying to honor the past while making up for nearly half a century of lost time.

Keogh used the phrase “blank slate” four times during interviews on everything from software to dealership presence. The Volkswagen partnership seems to give Scout Motors a distinct advantage over his other EV startups in that it could theoretically piggyback on hundreds of Volkswagen dealerships in the US. . But Keogh says there are benefits to following the path Tesla blazed in defining how manufacturers sell cars directly to consumers.

“We haven’t made a decision, but we’re taking it seriously,” Keogh said of online direct sales. While manufacturers historically dominated the scene, these days dealers have taken the lead, often at the expense of everyone else. We have focused on law, industrialization and networking as opposed to experience,” he said. “That’s the differentiator. It’s a great retail experience that’s focused on the customer and technology.”

launch target

Scout Motors will launch its first two EVs back-to-back from late 2026, Keogh confirmed.

The first is what Keogh calls the RUV, a small, off-road-focused SUV, or “rugged utility vehicle.” The second is a heavy truck, which is “a little leaner on road” when it comes to driving characteristics. Details like range and power output haven’t been set yet, but prices for the RUV, he said, will start in the $40,000 range, but the truck will be “a little north of there.”

Nonetheless, neither lacks off-road capability, a new focus for the Volkswagen Group.

Both vehicles will be built on a bespoke body-on-frame platform of the kind historically used on the most capable off-road machines. Manufacturing will take place at the newly announced factory in Columbia, South Carolina, USA.

No battery partners have been announced, but Keogh has persisted in structuring its suppliers to take full advantage of the EV incentives offered by the Inflation Reduction Act with domestic production requirements.

Scout’s new EV platform shares some components, such as HVAC components, motors and inverters, with other Volkswagen Group vehicles. But the similarities end there. Scout Motors aims to offer unparalleled driving characteristics and capabilities under the VW Group, a giant that includes a long line of EV platforms. The VW Group has the MEB under the Volkswagen ID.4, its successor MEB+, the J1 performance platform under both the Porsche Taycan and the Audi E-tron GT, and the upcoming PPE for the upcoming Porsche Macan EV. Created a platform.

In addition to its bespoke platform, Scout’s cars take a radically different approach to software integration and overall user experience. Some core parts of the software are provided by Cariad, Volkswagen’s software division. Keogh says his basic software architecture is in place. The user experience will be radically different, he added.

Keogh cites physical touchpoints as a key differentiator. For example, Volkswagen’s ID.4 has been criticized by many for being overly reliant on touch surfaces.

“We want to keep a lot of the mechanical qualities,” says Keogh. “If you look at American buyers, yes they appreciate software, but they don’t want software to rule everything. increase.”

So no touchscreen-controlled vents like the Tesla Model Y? “I can almost say yes,” Keough told me.

announced first

Two models of the Scout will be unveiled in early 2024. The company has already conducted limited screening in focus groups in California and Texas, where the prototype vehicle was compared to legacy offerings such as the Broncos and Rivian’s new entry. Keogh hoped the concept would work well among his EV-conscious and familiar audiences in California, but even the feedback in Texas was strong. “I have had some of the best results I have ever had in the clinic,” he said.

And what about the Scout advocates who still represent the brand at annual events like Harvester Homecoming? , some felt the style was a little too progressive. But Keogh said the brand needs to move forward. After the Scout II, if International Harvester hadn’t stopped making cars, “I would be in a Scout 8 now,” he said. “You certainly don’t want Scout VIII to look like Scout II.”

For Keogh, the key to attracting customers is the name. “It’s a simple line we’ve been using, but I think this concept of the world needs more Scouts is working. It can express aspects, or it can be dramatically less extreme, such as following who knows the latest ideas.”

Keogh is adamant that the new Scout will honor its past, but won’t be a legacy-obsessed brand like some of the gas-fired races. Dear America, it’s his 1977.