Scout Motors mounts electric comeback with new SUV and truck concepts

Decades ago, Scout Motors helped introduce America to the “sport utility vehicle,” a strange new automobile that would eventually dominate our roads. The brand died in the 1980s — but now, it's back and it's all-electric.

Scout, now an independent company under the Volkswagen Group, today launched its first new concept vehicles: the Terra Truck and Traveler SUV. Both vehicles sit atop a brand-new body-on-frame, EV platform unique to the Scout. And both could start under $60,000 (including incentives) when production begins in 2027.

But beyond the novelty of launching a new EV brand while sales are still struggling, and on the eve of a big election that could determine the future of the auto industry, Scout is trying to sell something no one's really tried before: an original throwback that feels modern and fresh. by doing

“It's like this simple concept, but harder to execute,” says Scout CEO Scott Keogh, defining it as “heritage meets intelligence.”

Before we get into Scout's comeback story, let's go through the specs, because there are some real doozies here:

• Body-on-frame chassis, solid rear axle and front and rear mechanical lockers for off-road performance
• Towing over 7,000 pounds for the Scout Traveler and over 10,000 pounds for the Scout Terra, both with payloads of about 2,000 pounds.
• Acceleration from zero to 60 mph in an estimated 3.5 seconds is made possible by an estimated 1,000 pound-feet of torque via the four-wheel-drive system.
• Vehicle software, built on a modern zonal architecture, enables over-the-air updates and remote diagnostics
• Bidirectional charging and power from car to home
• An all-electric trim with up to 350 miles of range and an extended-range model with more than 500 miles of range via a gas-powered range extender

there is a lot Plus, a removable cabana roof, optional bench seats both front and rear, and plenty of tactile touchpoints like mechanical door handles, grab bars, and big, chunky dials and switches.

When I first spoke with Keogh earlier this year, he told me he didn't want to build another hyperminimalist EV festooned with touchscreens, glassy surfaces and haptic buttons. He wanted to create something that was tangible and mechanical—something you could hold and feel connected to.

“There's certainly a large segment that wants to bring some of the heritage forward,” he said this week. “They don't want to be disconnected from the car… they want to have a real switch. They want to have mechanical touch and feel.”

Keogh says the company is calling it a “connection machine” — a phrase it appears to be trying to trademark. The idea is that when you're behind the wheel, shredding some gravel or tearing up a 100 percent grade, you're connected to the car through the physical act of driving, but your passengers are equally bumping into each other. bench seat

That said, there are plenty of design and engineering choices that prove the Scout's looks are firmly set on the horizon. Incorporating a zonal architecture rather than a domain-style electrical setup will help ensure vehicles have plenty of “headroom” for future updates, Keogh said, not only on the production side, but also for owners, reducing maintenance costs.

Zonal architecture is still relatively prominent in the auto industry. Tesla has been doing this for years, but most automakers use domain architectures, dozens of electronic control units that control everything from power windows and airbags to braking.

Rivian recently switched to a zonal system when it launched the next-gen versions of its R1 cars. And VW (which owns the Scout) struck a big deal to license Rivian's “zonal hardware design” when it announced plans to invest $5 billion in the EV company.

Scout had the advantage of starting with a “clean sheet,” Keogh told me. “All these things sound pretty minor, but setting up your IT architecture without any legacy systems — that's huge.”

Another thing that caught my attention was the news that the Terra and Traveler will be built on “an all-new and proprietary body-on-frame platform.”

Scout will build its own platform rather than borrow VW's modular “MEB” electric vehicle platform, which might be somewhat odd given how expensive and labor-intensive it is for a new company to build its own bespoke platform. Sharing platforms are very common, especially when trying to spin up an entirely new production line. (For example, the Audi RS e-tron GT is built on the same platform as the Porsche Taycan.)

To be sure, VW is going through its own struggles around EVs. The company's plug-in models are selling well, but its market share in North America is shrinking. And its software has been plagued by bugs and customer complaints.

But Keogh assured me that Scout isn't trying to ignore its advantages over some of its rivals. The company intends to maintain its uniqueness but will still share some components with its parent company, such as drive units and other modules. Considering VW has never competed in the off-road segment before, the Scout will take those elements and combine them into something that can handle the toughest conditions.

“The last thing we want to do is grab a 100 percent carrier platform with all the modules,” Keogh said, “because then we'll be a badge. And Scout won't act as a badge at all.”

The inclusion of a gas-powered range extender is also sure to raise some eyebrows. At a time when car buyers are flocking to hybrids, the Scout certainly could have gone that route and no one would have complained. Instead, the company decided to include a small gas-powered generator that charges the battery instead of powering the engine.

The reason for this was twofold. First, electric trucks have historically struggled with range when carrying heavy payloads or towing large objects. Scout truck buyers should be convinced that they can do all the truck stuff they want without sacrificing range. Another reason is that Keogh firmly believes that EVs are the future, and he wanted a vehicle that puts battery power first, while still offering a smidge of fossil fuel to help alleviate range concerns.

“It introduces the buyer to electrification on American terms,” ​​he said.

The look of Terra and Traveler will be instantly recognizable to many people. It successfully blends designs from Ram, Jeep, Range Rover and Rivian (from Scout's lead designers Stellantis and BMW), while retaining the same iconic look and feel of the original International Harvester Scout of the 1960s and 70s.

Keogh said the goal was to land somewhere between avant-garde and safe. In other words, not quite as dystopian as the Tesla Cybertruck, but not as overly familiar as the Ford F-150 Lightning.

“I think it has its own place and its own world,” he said. “But of course, if you see a little bit of Range Rover, a little bit of Rivian, a little bit of Ram and a little bit of Scout, well that sounds great to me.”

Scout already has a storied history — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is a fan — and now, it's writing its next chapter.