In Nashville, TN, last week, Scout Motors Inc. revealed its first two production-intent vehicles in concept form designed and engineered in Michigan to be manufactured in South Carolina. Two years in the making, the new Volkswagen Group brand’s priority with the electric four-door Traveler SUV and Terra pickup truck was to honor the spirit, design, and utility of the original two-door Scouts manufactured by International Harvester through two generations—80/800 and II models—from 1960 to 1980.
“The original core idea—rugged, versatile vehicles capable of off-road adventure and family duty— is more relevant than ever,” said Scott Keogh, President and CEO of Scout Motors. “We couldn’t be prouder to revitalize this iconic American brand, create thousands of American jobs, and put American ingenuity back to work.”
Keogh did acknowledge that it is a challenging time to introduce a new brand and two new vehicles.
“These are, without a doubt, complicated times, industries facing labor tensions, unease about the shift to EVs, infrastructure, geopolitical uncertainty, inflation, supply chains, the need to get software done right, digital trust, and of course, return on investment,” he said. “In short, many of these issues have complicated the market, and when you complicate the market, in our opinion, you reduce consumer trust in our beloved industry, and in fact, you reduce enthusiasm for the very products we’re trying to sell.”
With the challenges as a backdrop, Keogh says that U.S. consumer preferences are changing.
“Americans want to simplify,” he said. “They want to trade in a lot of the virtual experiences for real, tangible experiences [in a] digital detox. Americans are de-urbanizing for the first time since the ‘70s. People are moving from big cities to small towns. Americans are rediscovering the outdoors. Participation in outdoor recreation has grown to nearly 170 million Americans. And through it all, of course, as always, Americans remained optimistic. They want to move forward, they want to build things, they want to do things.”
Scaled-up design
For the new vehicles, Chris Benjamin, Chief Design Officer of Scout Motors, said Scout designers wanted to create a versatile multi-tool that would stand out in the marketplace and be a helpful companion because “our vehicles should enable all of your activities and make them easier, faster, and lighter. That’s the whole point of a Scout.”
The SUV and pickup feature iconic Scout proportions like a short front overhang and a long dash-to-axle with the visual weight of the cabin shifted to the rear—without add-on cladding or other adornments. The bumpers and rockers are separated from the body to protect it and show off the platform’s frame.
The front and rear black vertical “masks” are another nod to Scout’s heritage. The front and rear daytime running lamp horizontal lines continue from the mask into the body and mimic the side markers on the Scout II SUV, with the Scout logo offset to the right.
Broad shoulders and rugged stances are intended to accentuate the off-road capability of the vehicles. A simple lower-body undercut is intended to solidify and balance the volume between the wheels and highlight the ground clearance.
Benjamin said that the side-window daylight opening is very reminiscent of the Scout II and the shoulder softness and the “little flick” on the back of the pickup truck bed comes from the Scout 80.
The Traveler’s rear spare tire carrier integrates into the body structure and rear mask graphic, carrying up to a full 35-in spare with minimal impact on aerodynamics. The Terra underbody spare tire carrier can house up to a 33-in tire, with an optional in-bed tire carrier for 35-in all-terrain tires.
The new Scouts are much larger than the originals. The Traveler SUV and Terra truck, respectively, are 207.9 and 229.2 in (5280 and 5822 mm) long, 91.6 in (2326 mm) wide, and up to 76.3 and 77.8 in (1938 and 1976 mm) tall on 120.4- and 148.6-in (3058- and 3774-mm) wheelbases. Maximum center ground clearances are 12.1 and 11.8 in (307 and 300 mm).
The bigger size puts the new Terra at about a foot greater in vehicle length, bed length, and wheelbase than the electric competitor Rivian’s R1T pickup, and about a handful of inches smaller than an electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickup, but with a longer wheelbase.
Body-on-frame and EREV
The new Scouts are built on a new body-on-frame platform with a galvanized steel frame and solid rear axle designed to deliver credible capability and off-road performance. Based on preliminary estimates for the concept vehicles, the platform is projected to deliver towing of more than 10,000 lb on the Terra and more than 7000 lb on the Traveler, and nearly 2000 lb of payload for both models.
The platform is intended to offer up to 35-in tires and nearly 3 ft (0.9 m) of water-fording capability, “competitive” approach and departure angles, a front sway bar disconnect, front and rear mechanical locking differentials, and available air springs. The mechanical/tactile touch extends to mechanical door handles, grab bars, switches, and dials to provide a “hands-on” user experience.
As the mass market more seriously considers EV adoption, some U.S. drivers have expressed concerns about the ability to recharge while on the road, according to Scout Motors. So, Traveler and Terra will be configured as a pure battery electric vehicle (BEV) or a Harvester range-extended electric vehicle (EREV) for customer flexibility.
Both energy systems are said to preserve the off-road characteristics and packaging benefits of electric propulsion, designed to be flexibly integrated into the platform and production process so that Scout can respond to evolving market demand. The estimated range is up to 350 mi (563 km) for the BEV and more than 500 mi (805 km) for the range-extended Harvester variants using a gasoline-fueled generator.
The EREV energy system uses a small internal combustion engine to recharge the vehicle’s high-voltage battery. While it maintains the packaging and performance benefits of an electric vehicle, it provides the option to refuel anywhere a customer can find a gasoline pump.
A four-wheel-drive system with an electric drive unit on each axle will accelerate Scout vehicles from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in as quick as 3.5 s thanks to the powertrain’s nearly 1000 lb·ft (1356 N·m) torque output. All Scouts will use the NACS (North American Charging Standard), an 800-V architecture, up to 350-kW charging capability, and be capable of bi-directional charging.
Community UX
The interiors follow a simple and tactile design philosophy with durable, sustainable materials. Customers can choose from a front-row multifunctional console or bench seat for both models.
The instrument panel has a bold upper brow and deep undercut reminiscent of the Scout II, with a lower bar that defines and frames the screens in between.
The Scout Community UX user interface is designed to be flexible, configurable, and easy to use by drivers and passengers and developed to bring people together in the vehicle. The digital interface is designed to not bury features in menus or screens, and combined with the tactile buttons and knobs is intended to ensure intuitive, low-effort interaction and a cohesive user experience.
The center display is complemented by a bank of toggle switches and knobs for easy climate control and a pullout tray just below. Overhead is another bank of buttons for the offroad controls and a manual compass.
“A Scout vehicle should always be a helpful companion,” said Benjamin. “It should always enable the customer to do the things they want to do and make their experience easier, better, faster.”
Interior material highlights include a leather that has a worn look with natural scars and nicks in it, he said. The Terra concept on display with a Canyon interior theme uses hemp wood on the instrument panel and doors.
“Hemp wood is very sustainable, easily renewable, and the pieces that are coming off of that hemp wood as scrap are used to power the machine that creates the parts, so it is 100% 360° sustainable,” he said.
The Terra features a 5.5-ft (1.7-m) pickup bed with two 120-V power outlets and one 240-V for heavy-duty jobsite tools or to keep your home appliances running during an outage. The Traveler split tailgate offers easy access to cargo and protection from the elements when opened. Both vehicles will include a front trunk capable of fitting golf clubs, a gym bag, a small cooler, and power for multiple devices with 120-V and USB-C power outlets.
The vehicle’s modern zonal hardware/software architecture will enable over-the-air (OTA) software updates and remote diagnostics. The in-vehicle experience is said to be highlighted by “snappy” touchscreen interfaces, high-resolution camera views, and the ability to personalize experiences.
One-to-one customer relationship
As a self-described independent American company and startup, Scout Motors says it is not only building its teams, factory, and vehicles from the ground up but also its own customer experience through an exclusive retail network and a direct relationship with its customers. From reservations and vehicle sales to delivery and service, it will support the consumer directly with one app, login, and experience. It says customers can expect full price transparency and vehicle purchase transactions completed in minutes.
The company’s vehicles are designed for competitive cost of ownership through robust repairability and flexible serviceability. It is planning for a national collision partner network and hands-on service when needed, though it says that 80% of repair types can be completed outside of a Scout Workshop, whether in a driveway or while adventuring.
Scout Motors will offer a portfolio of accessories including auxiliary lighting, assist steps, power off-boarding solutions, off-road bumpers with recovery points, and a heavy-duty winch. Powered accessories are expected to be integrated into the user experience, assigned to switches, and in some cases controlled by the customer’s mobile app to make installation, setup, and control easier. Multiple available roof types will include an available Cabana Top, targeted to be one of the largest roof openings of any SUV, or an available glass roof with the thermal benefits of a powered shade.
Scout Motors began accepting reservations for the Traveler and Terra on October 24 starting under $60,000 for the U.S. market. The Traveler and Terra entry models will start as low as $50,000 and $51,500 with available incentives, respectively.
Consumers can visit www.scoutmotors.com to make a reservation with a $100 fully refundable reservation fee, selecting their preferred model and energy system. Initial production is targeted to begin in 2027 at the new Scout Motors Production Center in Blythewood near Columbia, SC—creating over 4000 jobs there.
“The company’s new factory is not burdened with legacy cost or aging infrastructure,” said Keogh. “It allows us to be profitable after the first full calendar year of operations. That’s significantly before even getting to a full second or third shift. That’s the benefit of having our clean sheet, fixed cost base, and laser-focused on building a proper, profitable product business case.”
Scout also is an opportunity to build a longer supply chain based on nearshoring.
“We are targeting 80% of Scout’s cost base to be sourced within the region, and more than 50% of our suppliers will be located within 200 miles of Blythewood, South Carolina,” he added. “This will translate into thousands of more jobs—new jobs in communities across America.”