Volkswagen Group subsidiary Scout Motors has revealed a front-end tease of the electric SUV it’s set to release to North American customers exclusively in 2026.
Scout Motors teaser
Launched in May as an independent company, though still under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, Scout Motors will spearhead the design, development and manufacture in the US of an electric pickup truck and rugged e-SUV on behalf of the German conglomerate. Said models, the first prototypes for which are scheduled to arrive next year ahead of the start of full production in 2026, will also be built atop a “new technical platform concept,” the intricacies of which are likely to filter back through the Volkswagen Group.
Having accompanied its announcement with two profile concept sketches of the e-SUV and e-truck, Scout Motors has now released another teaser image showing an outline design of the SUV’s front-end (peer past the illuminated front headrests and you can see prominent B and C pillars either side of the rear bench, suggesting this isn’t the pickup truck).
Volkswagen Scout teaser
The “upright posture” and Scout’s assertion that its design language boasts both a “nod to the past and gaze toward the future” has drawn parallels with the International Harvester Scout produced between 1961 and 1980. The most notable comparisons include the boxy roofline, the high ground clearance – possibly exaggerated by off-road tires – and, what appears to be at least, a very short front overhang. This is doubly fitting, given that the original Ford Bronco – first built in 1965 and revived by the Blue Oval for 2021 after the initial end of production in 1996 – was among the Harvester’s main rivals during their respective runs.
Read more: VW revives the Scout name for a line of rugged 4×4 BEVs
That the teaser image reveals very little isn’t all that surprising. Interestingly though, having simultaneously announced the launch of its official website, social media channels and even a ‘Scout Community’ forum, Scout appears to be using the teaser as proverbial bate with which to draw in consumer feedback from “Scout enthusiasts and owners” from a very early stage.
“The Scout enthusiast community has preserved Scout heritage,” CEO Scott Keogh (formerly president and CEO of VW Group America) explains. “Since 1980, these owners and fans have kept Scout alive. We’re excited to be a part of the community and want to foster interaction and exchange as we reimagine this American icon.
International Harvester Scout
“We started this forum to nurture an open dialogue with our community members, to hear what they expect in all-new Scout vehicles, and to build a central location where past, present, and future Scout enthusiasts can come together as one.”
No details have been provided regarding either vehicle’s platform or electric drivetrain, though speculation again suggests elements of the all-wheel drive, dual-motor setup in the VW ID. 4, production of which recently started at Chattanooga, Tennessee, could be carried over.
