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A legend reborn!
Come 2026, there is a new nameplate on the horizon! Scout will return as VW’s EV off-road brand, representing a new company under the VW Group conglomerate. With this move, VW will not only join the electric off-road market by creating this new company with the long-defunct Scout nameplate, but will kick off production in 2026 with both an electric pickup truck and SUV duo.
Beginning next year, prototypes of this exciting product will be revealed, with vehicles based on a new platform and designed specifically for the U.S. market.
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A Scout — defined!
The original Scout was created in light of the popularity of military surplus Jeeps as off-road fun cars! These vehicles also boasted car-like comfort, with the original Scout debuting in 1961. It was originally designed to be configured as either a small pickup or an SUV with a removable top. An even more popular second generation model was introduced in 1971.
The Scout has enjoyed constant popularity, unrelated financial problems and labor issues at IHC which forced the company to sell off this great product to an Indiana RV builder in May of 1980. Throughout its time, there have been many versions of the Scout, with the new company possibly reviving any of them.
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What else we know!
Teaser images have been revealed, highlighting a front-end design for these upcoming electric off-road models. Reviving this legendary nameplate — Scout — is not only a smart move, but the best move, with the moniker made famous by truck and tractor maker International Harvester in the 1960s and 70s, now returning on an electric SUV and pickup truck.
Hints at these new prototypes include a rugged, boxy SUV and pickup duo, with an upturned window line that recalls the rear glass from the 60s original. Based on the EV platform, the Scout and more of its design cues will be revealed in the coming year.
VW’s future plans, although still not completely unveiled, may include them aiming to sell 250,000 Scout-branded vehicles per year in America. The automaker discovered the Scout moniker when its Traton truck division took control of Navistar International, the descendant of International Harvester, in 2020.
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The Scout brand may even secure their own factories, likely to be located in the United States. A separate listing on a stock exchange for a new company is also rumored.
Once the Scout comes on board, it will join a fairly full market of other current players, including the GMC Hummer EV and Rivian R1T, among others.
Let’s be clear — this is not only the rebuilding of a new Scout SUV, this is an entire new brand being brought forth by VW. The two models, a pick up and an EV SUV are just the start, and others can be forthcoming. Also, Scout has been launched as an independent company solely owned and financed by the VW Group, and not a subsidiary of one of the company’s existing brands.
Since Scout is going to be primarily a brand only for U.S. shores, most of the leadership and engineering currently in Germany will be transferred. One source reveals that the new company is choosing between building its own entirely new factory, hiring a contract manufacturer like Magna or Foxconn to do the job!
By building in the U.S., the new brand can take advantage of helpful tax credits for domestically produced EVs. The automaker has also been lauded for the possibility of bringing new jobs to the tune of 4,000 and a $2 billion factory to the area of possible expansion, its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
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Time is of the essence!
2026 will be hear quicker than you realize, with three years not much time considering the herculean task before VW. Design or engineering, two huge components, have not yet been determined or locked down, and many questions still linger of how deeply the new Scout brand should lean toward the original design and the SUV’s agricultural heritage.
What we do know is that the Scout brand, which is hinted at coming in at a $40,000 price tag, needs to stand out in what is a packed field of competitors. The brand has its work cut out for them, and must have something unique and that supports the long-known value of the Scout name. They also must sell, sell, sell — and in meaningful numbers.
Direction will be further determined once the hiring of key executives takes place. Such responsibilities of these individuals include deciding whether two motors, one front and one rear providing all-wheel-drive, will suffice or whether three- or four-motor models are necessary to stand up to the competition.
While much is to be decided, it is even rumored that a pair of Scouts might find their spot in the Baja 1000 in the coming years. In the meantime, much work is on the horizon to not only build a factory, but also a standalone dealership network.
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Heading toward the revival of the classic Scout off-roader as an EV in 2026, it is important to recall that initially the brand will focus on a modern, Volkswagen Atlas-sized SUV and a Honda Ridgeline-sized pickup. They will both ride on the same off-road optimized fully electric platform to be built in a yet-to-be-determined U.S. facility.
Volkswagen is taking a significant step — and making an even more significant investment toward this launch. The company will investing at least $100 million, and even up to $1 billion into this project.
In just three years, a legend will be reborn with the Scout returning as the VW’s off-road brand. The EV market for this major automaker will be that much stronger. Stay tuned when a legend is reborn!