Electric vehicles are inseparable from newness , whether it ’s raw technical school , new designs , or new ship’s company like Rivian , Lucid , and Tesla . But the Volkswagen Group ’s unexampled EV - only brand also trust heavily on the past .
reveal Thursday , the Scout Traveler electric SUV and Scout Terra electric tone arm truck are modern version of the classic International Harvester Scout . Manufactured from 1961 to 1980 , the original Scout helped popularize the theme of the rugged , off - road - adequate to utility vehicle , setting the stage for modern SUVs .
VW cherry - picked the historic Scout name for what is otherwise a new initiative , giving the automaker the off - road vehicle that were previously missing fromits U.S. lineupand an excuse to silo development and sale from its other brands . Scout Motors will manufacture the Traveler and Terra at a new mill in South Carolina , with both role model expected to arrive in 2027 .
Scout Motors
Old-school inside and out
With their unrelentingly solid outside , the Traveler and Terra certainly enamor the look of the erstwhile International Scout . But the similarities are more than skin deeply because , like the original Scout and other motortruck of its era , the Scout EVs lineament dead body - on - frame construction , mechanical four - wheel - drive systems , and firm rear axle .
With these old - shoal underpinnings , the Traveler and Terra have as much in common with gasoline off - roaders like the Ford Bronco , Jeep Wrangler , and Toyota Land Cruiser as they do with other EVs . The only company that ’s come close to doing something like this with an EV isBollinger Motors , and it ’s long since pivot to commercial vehicles .
In a similar venous blood vessel , Scout interiors are n’t just about tech for technical school ’s sake . emptor will still get a 16.2 - column inch touchscreen and 12.3 - inch digital instrument cluster , but all switchgear is analog . You also wo n’t discover any fancy ( and fragile ) electronic door plow like in many other eV . Scout will even put up a front bench rear end — something that went out of fashion with the last Buick Century — in addition to more conventional individual front seats with a pith console .
Scout Motors
Gas-truck capability
The Scout EVs are unlike anything else inthe VW Group portfolio , and that ’s because they offer capableness unlike anything from the auto manufacturer ’s survive brands . Scout promises a maximum towing capacity of 10,000 pound for the Terra pickup — outmatch most gas midsize pickup — and 7,000 pounds for the Traveler SUV . Both models also sport a 2,000 - pound loading capacity .
To maximise off - road capacity , both trucks are designed to accommodate 35 - inch tires , helping render up to 12 inch of earth clearance and 36 inches of water - fording capability . They will also be available with disconnect front sway bars and front and rear mechanically skillful lockup differentials , the latter treatment up to 1,000 pound sign - feet of torque . That will help get both vehicles from zero to 60 mph in 3.5 second , Scout calculate .
The standard all - electric versions get for 350 miles of range , but Scout will also declare oneself a reach - exsert powertrain nickname Harvester , with a gasoline engine act as a source to help recharge the battery pack . Conventional DC fast charging is via a Tesla - styleNorth American Charging Standard(NACS ) connector . The Scout vehicle have an 800 - volt electric architecture that allows for quick charging at up 350 kilowatts , plus bidirectional charging that let the trucks to act as nomadic mightiness source . The Terra also has AC sales outlet built into its 5.5 - foot bed .
Scout Motors
Forging a new path
Pricing has crept up a bit since 2023 , when Scout CEO Scott Keogh said the brand ’s SUV would start at around $ 40,000 . Scout now await both the SUV and pickup to retail for around $ 60,000 , although it expects pricing to be tightlipped to $ 50,000 for the sport utility and $ 51,500 for the getaway once incentives are factored in . get today , customers can put down a $ 100 refundable depository to reserve one . Sales will be on-line , but Keogh promises Scout wo n’t sell client data .
Even these prices undercut theRivian R1 T and R1S(not to mention the GMC Hummer EV andelectric Mercedes - Benz G - Class ) although Rivian design to debut its$45,000 R2 SUVin 2026 . The Wrangler - likeJeep Reconis also require to beat the Scout EVs to marketplace with a 2025 arrival .
If the driving experience is as genuinely retro as the spec sheets suggest , though , Scout will stand out from the numerous other galvanic off - roaders push trailhead and charging stations . galvanic power does n’t require throw out other familiar aspect of car , but Scout may be the first stain to go all the way down that track .
Scout Motors
Scout Motors
Scout Motors
Scout Motors
Scout Motors
Scout Motors
