The return of the Scout brand to the automotive organization chart has not stopped the industry from talking. In case you didn’t know, Volkswagen has purchased the rights to the now-defunct American brand in order to produce a purely electric division with a “truck-like” focus.
But, in order to get into the lucrative electric pickup truck and SUV niche, Volkswagen has to make sure that it develops the right platform to meet the needs of SUV pickup drivers. Understandably, this Scout shift by Volkswagen is aimed at an audience that doesn’t mind occasionally going off the beaten path and venturing down a steep road.
The problem is that such a process can be very expensive and sometimes even very long. That’s why this rumour from the German newspaper Automobilwoche that the Wolfsburg-based giant is in talks with Canadian-based supplier Magna International isn’t so far-fetched. According to the publication, Volkswagen would consider Magna as a solution to accelerate development.
In fact, by teaming up with a partner that would take care of the development of the platform, Volkswagen could focus on other aspects of marketing, such as building a plant in North America, for example. The automaker has already indicated that it plans to set up shop in the United States in order to take advantage of the tax benefits of such a decision.
We know that these first two Scout models will be designed for North American consumers, which suggests that the truck will be similar in size to a Ford F-150, the continent’s best-selling model for quite some time.
Volkswagen would like to unveil the first Scout vehicle in 2023, which doesn’t leave much time to produce a functional vehicle, even in prototype form. Commercialization, on the other hand, is planned for 2026, a timeframe that would allow for the construction of another complex dedicated to the assembly of electric vehicles.
