This week, I got my first up-close experience with Scout Motors, and I came away impressed. I was able to get access to the interiors, which have a premium off-road feel with pleasing materials and an airy sunroof. It was also my first chance to walk around the Traveler (SUV) and Terra (pickup) prototypes-the retro styling is spot-on.
From a business perspective, Scout CEO Scott Keogh was up front up the the company’s pivot from all-electrics to some electrics, with a lot of extended-range electric models mixed in.
Perhaps a sign of the times: 87 percent of Scout’s reservations are for the EREV model. A lot has changed in the car industry and geopolitically since Scout relaunched in 2022, but Keogh is optimistic the brand will still capitalize on the so-called Carhartt boom of people seeking utilitarian (even retro) goods for daily life. I think he’s right on that front.
With the war in Iran causing fuel prices to surge, it’s also possible the electric variant might become more attractive down the road if gas prices remain high. Meanwhile, other companies like Chevy, Toyota, and Subaru are all sticking with their own attractive new EVs.
Keogh wouldn’t confirm a delay, but said Scout is on track for launch and there’s no technical holdups, though the customer deliveries are now listed as 2028 after the company originally said ’27. Production will still begin in 2027, meaning any potential delay is likely a matter of months, and test prototypes will be on the road this year. “We are basically doing exactly that,” Keogh said Wednesday at an Automotive Press Association event at the Scout Innovation facility in suburban Detroit.
AutoGuide’s Take:
I think Scout will be a company to watch as the decade rolls on, and I’d expect it to be at the North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards in 2028.
Scouts were originally produced by International Harvester from the 1960 to 1980 and remain highly sought after by collectors, sitting in the pantheon of the Ford Bronco, Toyota Land Cruiser and early Jeeps.
Scout is owned by Volkswagen but plans to function as a separate entity.
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Here’s a rundown of our latest Scout Coverage
— Interior Reviews of the Terra and Traveler (For comparison, here’s my take on the Rivian R1T)
