Between 1961 and 1980, big-rig semi-tractor and farm-implement maker Worldwide Harvester constructed a tidy, rugged, succesful off-road SUV referred to as Scout. The Scout competed for gross sales with automobiles from Chevrolet, Ford, and Jeep, however preceded all of them to market. Respectively, the Blazer arrived for 1969, the Bronco for 1966, and the Wagoneer for 1963. The Scout by no means bought in particularly huge numbers, however served effectively Harvester’s core agricultural clientele, most of whom doubtless appreciated the Scout’s trim footprint and go-anywhere 4WD.
2027 Scouts
Historical past
Later, then referred to as the Scout II, the scrappy Harvester loved the advertising push of a critical advert marketing campaign for 1979 and 1980, together with the introduction of a Nissan-supplied diesel engine, however gross sales by no means reached hoped-for ranges. Harvester deserted the Scout after that, having already ended gross sales of a rugged however slow-selling pickup truck in 1975. Although appreciated by a distinct segment viewers of classic-truck aficionados, the Scout by no means loved the identical love as did classic Ford Broncos.
Time handed, and Worldwide Harvester grew to become Navistar, and in July of 2021, Navistar was acquired by the Volkswagen Group, becaming a part of the German maker’s huge Traton commercial-truck operation. For these not within the know, Traton’s holdings embrace such corporations as Scania AB (as soon as a part of Saab), Man (busses and massive rigs), and, in fact, Worldwide. Although owned by VW, Navistar maintains its headquarters in suburban Chicago, and continues to construct common Worldwide-brand industrial vans.
New Scouts
Quick ahead to at the moment: Volkswagen company varieties, trying to develop a brand new, electric-truck-only model particularly for the U.S. market, realized it had advertising gold in its model portfolio within the type of the Scout identify, which it acquired as a part of the Navistar deal.
The all-new Scout model, which isn’t a division of Volkswagen, however a completely owned subsidiary (we’ll speak about why that distinction is essential in a second), revealed this week—in idea type– it’s two preliminary merchandise, the Traveler SUV and Terra pickup truck. Be aware that Traveler and Tera have been variations of the unique Scout.
Scouts Can be Electrical
The Scout people have been sparse with info, however we all know a pair issues. First, along with the electrical drivetrain at all times meant for these automobiles, Scout will even supply an extended-range variant, about which we all know little. Nevertheless, extended-range variations of both Scout will function a gasoline engine that can generate electrical energy ought to the Traveler’s or Terra’s batteries totally deplete.
Dimension and Class
The 4-door Traveler crossover idea is 208 inches lengthy, considerably longer than a Ford Explorer (199 inches), closing in on the full-size Ford Expedition (210 inches.)
Likewise, the Terra pickup truck idea is 229 inches lengthy, simply shy of a Ford short-bed F-150 crew-cab. Appears that Volkswagen can be making an attempt to crack the full-size truck market simply after Nissan discontinued its huge truck, the Titan. In fact, the Titan was not electrical.
Cabin
Each vans function a charmingly reimagined Seventies/Eighties-era cabin, in addition to a Scout emblem true to the unique. Be aware that the Scout loved a pair a long time of on-again/off-again promoting assist. You may take a look at a few of these traditional journal commercials right here.
And about Scout being a subsidiary…
Scout Motors
Volkswagen intends to market Scout vans by way of a direct-to-consumer mannequin, thus sidestepping the standard franchise-dealership mannequin. This issues for a few causes. First, Volkswagen sellers will definitely see this association as a betrayal of their franchise agreements with VW, although their declare on the Scout model is tenuous. Audi and Porsche, additionally VW divisions, might make the identical declare.
However, extra importantly, Volkswagen’s U.S. operation has for years been petitioning the house workplace for a pickup truck to promote within the U.S., And whereas Volkswagen appears to agree that the time is correct to promote a pickup Stateside, it gained’t accomplish that by way of the VW model or franchise community. That mentioned, it’s doubtless VW sellers can be referred to as on to service Scout merchandise, maybe even ship them. We’ll see how that goes.
Dealerships
Be aware that Scout will set up a community of “retail areas” all through the U.S., although count on the overall rely of shops to be comparatively low, and, no less than initially, situated close to EV-friend cities. Per Scout, the brand new vans be produced in South Carolina, with the primary automobiles rolling off the road in 2026 as 2027 fashions.
Enjoyable Reality: Swiss bespoke luxurious carmaker Monteverdi as soon as constructed a limited-production SUV referred to as the Safari utilizing the chassis of the Scout. You may examine that very-rare truck right here.
CG Says
We very enthusiastic about Scout Motors, and it’s seemingly market-savvy method to retailing electrical automobiles. Volkswagen has struggled to maneuver electrical merchandise, however this America-specific, legacy-themed effort feels stable. That mentioned, solely Toyota has ever cracked the full-size-pickup code within the U.S., although we’re cautiously optimistic VW in on the fitting path.
Including and extended-range powertrain choices to the vans was a last-minute add by the Scout people, however the function, moderately priced, could also be sufficient to deliver EV averse people into the model.
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2027 Scouts
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