South Carolina gets new plant for Scout Motors

Volkswagen has confirmed today it will be building a new factory in South Caroline for its Scout Motors brand, though the company was beat to the punch by the state’s governor.

Governor Henry McMaster tweeted: “This morning we got the call that Scout Motors is coming to South Carolina – bringing with them 4,000 new jobs and a $2 billion investment! This decision will provide thousands of South Carolinians jobs, opportunities and prosperity for generations to come.”

Proposal for the upcoming Scout Motors factory in South Carolina

Scout will be VW’s brand of all-electric, rugged pickups and SUVs, set to compete with the likes of the Jeep Wrangler, Ford Bronco and Rivian. It will be Volkswagen’s second US factory, along with its Chattanooga plant, making its upcoming Scout lineup eligible for incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act. Production is set to start in 2026, with a plan of up to 200,000 vehicles being produced annually at the 1,600-acre site, 1,100 acres of which will occupy the plant itself.

Volkswagen Scout teaser

“We’re honored to partner with South Carolina to usher in this new era for Scout,” said Scott Keogh, President and CEO of Scout Motors. “Scout has been an American icon since introducing an SUV in 1960. It’s the vehicle that took your family on a camping trip, that gave access to the great outdoors, and that showed up on the job site every morning. Today, we’re reimagining Scout’s original ingenuity and electrifying its future. We’re bringing the Scout spirit to South Carolina and it’s going to be a hell of a ride.”

The Scout name hearkens back to the International Harvester Scout from 1960 up to 1980, when they were more ‘agricultural’ 4×4 pickups and SUVs – gasoline-powered, of course. Volkswagen acquired the nameplate last year, and Scout Motors will be its own semi-independent brand under the Volkswagen Group umbrella.