Scout Motors debut of first SUV and pickup EVs nearly here

Scout Motors over the last year has named key executives, established an R&D center in the Detroit area and made significant progress constructing a sprawling factory in Blythewood, S.C.

The EV startup's first products — a pair of off-roaders inspired by the International Harvester Scout — will be revealed on Oct. 24 in Nashville.

The Volkswagen Group-backed brand has released few details except that the body-on-frame platform on which the models will be built is unique to Scout. The battery used to power the two light trucks won't be from at least one group product, the VW ID4.

Scout CEO Scott Keogh said the vehicles will have a locking differential, ,also known as lockers, a feature seen as critical to off-roaders.

The brand has shown a handful of sketches and teaser photos since plans were first revealed in May 2022, but it's unclear how accurate the images still are. Scout hired veteran Stellantis designer Chris Benjamin in May 2023 to oversee all styling.

It's also unclear what size or segment the vehicles will compete in or what the models will be called. International Harvester used an assortment of nameplates but whether Scout will utilize any remains to be seen.

Keogh has said there will be packages and derivatives unique to the SUV and pickup but hasn't gone into more detail.

Keogh, speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Scout Motors Production Center in February, indicated that the vehicles won't have an overtly retro design but will still embrace the heritage of International Harvester's Scout vehicles.

"It's gonna be a car with character," Keogh said. "It's gonna be a car with a personality. It's gonna be a car that's not an optimized jelly bean."

Output at the South Carolina factory is slated to begin in late 2026 with sales to begin soon after.

SUV: Keogh told Automotive News in December that the brand will launch the SUV first with the pickup to follow six or seven months later. Entering the market in early 2027 seems likely, given the previous timeline shared by Scout.

Pickup: It's likely the pickup will arrive in the later half of 2027, given the company's previously shared timeline.