Scout presents first concept cars Terra and Traveler

The list prices of both models are expected to start below 60,000 US dollars, with production beginning in 2027, Scout has announced. Production will take place at Scout’s plant in South Carolina, where construction as been underway since mid-February last year. At full capacity, the plant will be able to produce more than 200,000 Scout vehicles per year. Before the decision in favour of the company’s plant was made, contract manufacturing was also under discussion, as was production at a North American VW plant for a short time.

Regarding the vehicles themselves: The Terra and Traveler are still concept cars, but the designers have dispensed with the typical overly-stylized elements – both vehicles basically look ready for series production. With the rather angular basic shape and the angular radiator grille at the front, the new vehicles are based on the International Harvester Scout, from which the brand ultimately emerged. However, with the integrated LED lights – in the Terra pickup, for example, in the tailgate of the loading area – it quickly becomes clear that this is a modern vehicle.

One point that is still clear, however, is that Scout has not presented the series models, but rather studies: There is not much technical data yet, and in some cases, there is only talk of target values. For example, the press release mentions an all-wheel drive system with 1,355 Nm of torque (original: 1,000 ft-lbs) and that the vehicles should be able to accelerate from a standstill to 96 kph (60mph) in 3.5 seconds – but the performance or number of engines is not mentioned.

There is also no further information on the battery. The battery-electric version is expected to have a range of 350 miles or 563 kilometres, with a charging capacity of 350 kW – incidentally, only the NACS will be installed. An 800-volt system has also been announced. However, there is no information on energy content, cell types or chemistry.

Instead, Scout emphasizes features with which the company wants to score points with the targeted clientele – after all, the SUV and the pickup were announced as very robust vehicles from the outset. As a pickup, the Terra is to have a towing capacity of 10,000 pounds (just over 4.5 tonnes), while the Traveler still has a towing capacity of 7,000 pounds (3,175 kilograms). The payload for both models should be 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms). The 35-inch tyres, ground clearance of over 30 centimetres (one foot) and a fording depth of over 90 centimetres (three feet) are also mentioned. The loading area of the Terra is 1.67 metres long (5.5 feet).

It is also emphasised elsewhere that the Scout vehicles are robust and have a very different design to a Tesla Cybertruck, for example – or the adventurer-oriented models from Rivian with a modern touch. “Scout vehicle capability will largely be controlled through a tactile experience. From mechanical door handles, to grab bars, to switches and dials, Scout vehicles will provide a real hands-on user experience,” reads the press release.

It will not necessarily be purely electric, however: contrary to what was initially announced, there will also be the option of a range extender, a petrol engine that acts as a generator. The system, called ‘Harvester’, is intended to increase the range to over 500 miles (804 km). But here, too, there are no technical data yet.

“From the start, Scout Motors was established as a company that listens to and is guided by consumers,” Scout writes. “As the shift to electric vehicles accelerates and the mass market more seriously considers electric vehicle adoption, some U.S. drivers have expressed concerns about the ability to recharge while on the road.”

It is not yet known how much the ‘Harvester’ will cost. The BEV versions are expected to start at a sales price of less than 60,000 dollars, with incentives (such as the 7,500 dollar tax credit) the basic version of the SUV Traveler will be available from around 50,000 dollars. The Terra pickup is priced at 51,500 dollars.

Update 17 January 2025

According to Group CEO Oliver Blume, Volkswagen’s US car brand Scout has so far recorded more than 50,000 reservations (with a deposit) for its first two models, for which it presented the concept vehicles at the end of October. Scout CEO Scott Keogh told Bloomberg that the reservations for the hybrid versions with an additional combustion engine as a range extender exceed the demand for the purely electric versions – but he was not more specific.

scoutmotors.com, cnbc.com, bnnbloomberg.ca (both updates)