Scout Motors

Scout Motors Inc. is an American automotive company. It is owned by German manufacturer Volkswagen Group, which obtained the Scout brand after acquiring American truck manufacturer Navistar International in 2021.

Scout Motors was established in May 2022 to produce off-road capable electric vehicles. It is an entirely US-based operation and acts as an independent company, managed separately from Volkswagen with its own executive team. The headquarters is located in Tysons, Virginia.

History
The Scout marque is named after the off-road vehicle International Scout, produced from 1961 to 1980. Volkswagen has owned the Scout trademark since 2020 through its American truck subsidiary Navistar International.

On May 11, 2022, Volkswagen AG announced the creation of a new brand, Scout, dedicated to electric vehicles, designed, developed, manufactured and marketed in the United States. Scott Keogh, CEO of Volkswagen USA, became the first CEO of Scout Motors.

Factory
On March 3, 2023, Scout Motors announced plans to build a $2 billion factory capable of producing 200,000 EVs a year in Blythewood, South Carolina. The factory will employ up to 4,000 people and it will manufacture the Scout Motor's first two vehicles: a small off-road focused SUV and a pickup truck that are scheduled to be launched in late 2026.

R&D
Scout Motors' announced in December 2023 that it would open its first R&D facility sometime in 2024. Scout selected Novi, Michigan as the site of the new facility. Scout Motors indicated that it expects to employ roughly 200 people once the R&D facility becomes operational.