[Harvester]

According to recent reports, VW will be building a factory in the US specifically for the Scout brand. The question now becomes where this plant would be built.

VW To Build Its Own Factory For Scout Electric Brand: Report

Volkswagen Group will build a factory in the United States specifically for its new Scout brand of electric vehicles, according to a company insider.

www.motor1.com

Volkswagen Group will build a factory in the United States specifically for its new Scout brand of electric vehicles, according to a company insider speaking to Germany's Automobilwoche. "The decision to build the plant ourselves has been taken," the source told the publication.

Motor1.com reached out to Scout for confirmation of this info.

Previously, there was a rumor that Scout would partner with Foxconn or Magna Steyr to handle the production of vehicles for the brand. Although even at that time, VW Group wasn't ruling out building its own factory.

Scout's first model will be an electric pickup that will launch in 2026. An SUV EV will join the range at some point.

 

[Harvester]

Members of VW's supervisory board are reportedly meeting today to discuss two new North American plants. One for Scout Motors and one for batteries.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1631593909104046080

 

[VeeDub]

This is what Reuters had to report, great to see so many jobs are being created.

Volkswagen's Scout to build $2 bln plant in South Carolina

Volkswagen's off-road brand Scout Motors said on Friday it would build a $2 billion manufacturing plant near Columbia, South Carolina, for trucks and SUVs.

www.reuters.com

WASHINGTON/FRANKFURT, March 3 (Reuters) - Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) off-road brand Scout Motors said on Friday it would build a $2 billion manufacturing plant near Columbia, South Carolina, for trucks and SUVs.

The investment could potentially create 4,000 or more permanent jobs and more than 200,000 Scout vehicles could be produced annually at the facility.

In May, VW said it would reintroduce the Scout off-road brand in the United States, offering new electric pickup and sport-utility vehicles (SUVs).

Groundbreaking is planned for mid-2023 and production is projected to begin by the end of 2026. Scout, an independent U.S. company owned by Volkswagen Group, is currently evaluating the potential for outside investment.

"We’re reimagining Scout’s original ingenuity and electrifying its future," said Scout Chief Executive Scott Keogh.

Volkswagen has moved away from cars in the United States as it adds more electric models. SUVs now account for about 80% of the U.S. sales of the group’s VW and Audi brands. VW last sold a pickup in the United States in the early 1980s.

Scout and Travelall vehicles made by International Harvester were forerunners in both function and style of the popular SUVs from Detroit's Big Three automakers such as the Ford (F.N) Bronco and General Motors (GM.N) Chevrolet Suburban.

Harvester stopped building the Scout and Travelall in 1980 after the oil price shocks of the mid-1970s as it went through a restructuring.

But the Scout "look" lives on in vehicles such as Ford’s current Bronco and electric vehicle startup Rivian‘s (RIVN.O) R1 pickup and SUV line.

Volkswagen first disclosed it was considering using the Scout name late in 2021. The automaker’s Traton SE (8TRA.DE) business acquired U.S. truck maker Navistar in 2020, which owns the name.

The news is the latest major auto announcement for South Carolina, which is home to BMW's (BMWG.DE) U.S. operations and its largest plant by volume. The state also has over 500 automotive-related companies and 75,000 automotive industry employees.

BMW said in October it would invest $1.7 billion to build electric vehicles in South Carolina. The German automaker made a new $1 billion investment in its Spartanburg plant to prepare for EV production and is spending $700 million on a new high-voltage battery assembly facility in nearby Woodruff, South Carolina.