The development of two electric models, which will appear on the market under the Scout brand, was entrusted to the Austrian company Magna Steyr – for this Volkswagen paid 450 million euros, the Kleine Zeitung newspaper reports. Motor1, in turn, clarifies that this is the largest contract for Magna Steyr in history. According to Volkswagen’s plans, two Scout models, an electric SUV and a pickup truck, will go into production at the end of 2026.
International Harvester Scout produced SUVs and pickup trucks in the 60-80s of the last century. In 2021, Volkswagen acquired Navistar, and with it acquired the rights to the Scout trademark. In 2022, the German concern announced its intention to revive Scout, but in the modern interpretation, Scouts will become electric, and the main market for them will be the United States. Electric cars were shown in several darkened teasers, they said that they would be built on some new architecture, and also promised to assemble the first prototypes in 2024. After that, the project was not remembered until today.
According to as yet unconfirmed rumors, Volkswagen is outsourcing the development of Scout models to Austrian manufacturer and engineering company Magna Steyr for 450 million euros, the Kleine Zeitung newspaper first reported this, after which the news was picked up by Automotive News. Neither Volkswagen nor Magna Steyr comment on this information.
What is known for sure is that it is planned to produce electric pickup trucks and SUVs at a new plant located in South Carolina – its construction began in March 2023. The start of serial assembly is scheduled for the end of 2026. Earlier it was reported that the company would employ four thousand people, and the production capacity of the plant would be 200 thousand cars per year. The estimated investment volume is about two billion dollars.
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