By laksh5382 
Scout Terra Pickup Truck and Scout Traveler SUV Concepts
scout
Nashville, Tennessee – volkswagenBacked Scout Motors on Thursday revealed its first electric vehicles and announced the brand’s plans to expand its lineup to include an emerging type of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in addition to EV models.
The Scout, a former American vehicle brand from 1961 to 1980, was expected to Offer EVs exclusively In a bid for the German automaker to expand its presence in the US, however, the slower-than-expected adoption and higher costs of EVs has led it to change course and include extended-range electric vehicles, or EREVs,
“Being a startup that moves fast, we can pivot,” Scout CEO Scott Keogh, a longtime auto executive who previously led VW’s operations in the U.S., told CNBC. “The pivot we made to the range extender offering several months ago was definitely a smart play.”
EREVs are basically a type of plug-in hybrid electric vehicleThese include the EV motor and battery cells, as well as a traditional internal combustion engine that powers the vehicle’s electrical components when battery energy is lost. The engine essentially acts as a generator to power the EV components when needed.
scout terra pickup truck concept
Keogh said Scout added EREV to better protect the brand from any market volatility amid lower-than-expected consumer demand For EVs.
“We think electrification is the future,” he said during an interview Thursday. “The range extender positions it as an EV car, so it introduces people to electrification, yet it has a super smart, value Here, there’s a ‘backup plan’.” “It will drive like an EV.”
He said Scout has no plans to offer a traditional, non-electric vehicle with only an internal combustion engine.
The company’s first vehicles – a full-size pickup truck and large SUV – will cover about 40% of the highly profitable US sales market.
Keogh said the company aims to be profitable on an operational basis within the first full calendar year following initial production of the vehicles, which will be manufactured 2 billion dollar plant It is under construction in South Carolina.
“If you look at these profit pools, these two areas, from pickup trucks of this size to SUVs of this size … these are the largest profit pools in the world,” Keogh said.
Scout Traveler SUV Concept
scout
It would be quite successful to be profitable during that time frame, like current EV startups Rivian Automotive And Lucid Group After several years they lose thousands of dollars on every vehicle produced.
Meanwhile, Keogh said the announced software deal between VW and Rivian will not impact Scout’s operations. he described it $5 billion software deal, Which includes setting up a joint venture as an “exciting opportunity” for the Scouts.
“It’s good for scaling. It’s good for technology. It’s good for everything,” Keogh said.
Scout’s South Carolina plant is planned to have a production capacity of 200,000 vehicles. The Scout is expected to use batteries – the most expensive part of an electric vehicle – from VW’s joint venture battery cell manufacturer in Canada.
The company opened reservations for the vehicles on its website on Thursday night. Scout plans to sell vehicles directly to consumers instead of through a traditional franchised dealer network like VW in the US
New SUV, Truck
The Scout’s first two vehicles will be the Traveler SUV and the Terra pickup truck, which are scheduled to arrive in 2027.
The company revealed a “production-intent concept vehicle” — meaning they expect it to be largely the same vehicle that goes on sale Thursday outside Nashville, Tennessee.
Interior of the Scout Traveler SUV concept
scout
According to Scout, both the Traveler and Terra are expected to start between $50,000 and $60,000 with available incentives. Keogh said pricing for EREVs is also expected to be in the same range. He declined to say whether they would be priced higher or lower than all-electric models.
Keogh said Traveler SUVs are expected to account for two-thirds of the company’s initial sales.
According to the company, EREV vehicles will have a range of more than 500 miles, while all-electric models will have a range of 300 miles.
The Traveler and Terra designs are modernized versions of the former Scout vehicles. They have similar design features but have a sleeker, more stylish exterior. The interiors of vehicles feature large horizontal screens and soft-touch materials.
VW acquired the Scout trademark and name in 2021 following the global conglomerate’s $3.7 billion acquisition of Navistar, the successor to Scout’s original owner International Harvester.
Scout Traveler SUV Concept
The fully electric Scout vehicles are targeted to climb 100% grades and accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and deliver nearly 1,000 pound-feet of torque. of torque, the company said.
scout said vehicles will use North American charging standardAn 800-volt architecture with a charging capacity of up to 350 kilowatts, and will be capable of bi-directional charging that will allow the vehicle to act as a generator.
tough market, competition
This SUV is expected to compete with traditional off-road SUVs from Jeep as well as the Ford Bronco toyota land Cruiser. It’s bigger than Jeep’s famous Wrangler, which is currently available as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.
The truck is a full-size pickup – a segment currently dominated by Ford, General Motors And Stellantis’ Ram brand. But electric pickup market Where the Scout will compete remains a developing market.
Automakers like GM and Ford rushed to release all-electric pickup trucks earlier this decade to compete against the many EV startups, many of which never came to fruition, as well. TeslaStellantis is expected to release an all-electric and EREV full-size pickup by next year.
Scout Traveler SUV Concept
But after the rush of vehicles in the market, sales slowed down. Like the overall EV industry, larger vehicles were heavily incentivized, ranging from significant price premiums.
overall this electric “truck” market, According to Motor Intelligence estimates, around 58,000 vehicles, including SUVs, were sold during the first half of this year. That’s less than 1% of the roughly 7.9 million light-duty new vehicles sold in the U.S. during that period, but represents a 35% quarterly increase from the first to the second quarter, according to the data.
Keogh believes Scout can differentiate itself in the market with its products, low prices and brand appeal. Keogh said additional Scout products are expected to arrive in the coming years.
“Could we consider some downsizing in the future? Absolutely,” he said. “You want to throw the dart at the best spot first. And I think we’ve done that between these two vehicles.”