The launch of VW Group’s new Scout Motors brand in the United States has been delayed by at least a year. According to German newspaper Der Spiegel (Paywalled and requires translation), the company will hold off on production until at least 2028, citing a combination of “technical issues” (per an automated translation) and existing financial obligations.
Scout was originally branded as an all-electric revival of the SUV of the same name produced by International Harvester from the early 1960s until about 1980. A rapidly changing political and economic climate has forced Scout to backtrack on its initial all-electric pledge. Now, it seems likely that the majority of Scout’s trucks and SUVs will be range-extended models equipped with onboard gasoline generators.
The company chose an American location for its production facility largely to take advantage of the shelter provided by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which was done away with by Congress in 2025.
The VW Group subsidiary has been given a long leash, being treated as an independent brand with more of a startup atmosphere than a traditional automaker. It is also the third major effort by Volkswagen to establish a production foothold in the United States. The first, a plant in Westmoreland, Penn., operated for a decade. The second was (and still is) the company’s highly successful Chattanooga facility, where the bulk of its mainstream U.S. models are now produced.
Scout Motors originally broke ground on its Blythewood, South Carolina facility in early 2024 and completed the bulk of construction in 2025. The company had originally planned to bring its first models to market no later than 2027.
“Scout Motors has not shared any timing or product update announcements,” a company spokesperson told The Drive in response to an emailed inquiry. We will update this story if we receive a more detailed statement.
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h/t to Zerin!