There's been plenty of grumbling online about Volkswagen's plan to resurrect the Scout SUV, which had a very successful run from 1961 to 1980 when it was built by International Harvester.
Most of the complaining has to do with VW owning the brand. What does a German company know about designing a super-rugged, go-anywhere, four-wheel-drive SUV specifically aimed at American consumers?
That is not an unfair question. Because a vehicle like the Scout is not one VW has ever tried to build for North American customers or dealers.
But then, VW Group never built an upper-crust British luxury car before it bought Bentley in 1998 and five years later brought forth the Continental GT, a huge hit for the brand.
And another German company, BMW, has had a very successful run with the famed Mini and Rolls-Royce brands. So the concern about German ownership of an iconic American SUV might be a bit premature.