Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Podcasts
  • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
    • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Blogs
May 17, 2022 12:04 PM

VW's new Scout must be true off-roader, not an urban SUV

Biggest challenge for VW will be design, layout of next Scout.

Richard Truett
Richard Truett is Technology and Engineering reporter for Automotive News.
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    The-History-Of-The-International-Harvester-Scout-Scout-II.jpg

    The original Scout SUV was sold from 1961 to 1980 when it was built by International Harvester.

    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.

    VW is targeting 250,000 sales annually from the electric Scout lineup — a rugged SUV and a pickup, shown in sketches. Production is set to start in 2026.

    Top hurdle

    Perhaps the biggest challenge for VW will be the design and layout of the new Scout, with plans for an SUV and pickup that will electric-only. Ford and Land Rover have shown that there is more than one way to successfully resurrect a classic, much-loved off-road vehicle.

    Ford's retro-styled Bronco looks like a modern version of the original 1966-77 SUV, and it remains one of the industry's hottest-selling vehicles. Land Rover's new Defender looks nothing like the classic model that went out of production in 2016, but it is also red-hot on the showroom floor.

    The latest Defender has shown it's OK to make radical changes in style. Although many fans of the classic Defender said they did not care for the looks of the new model, much of that online noise died down when Land Rover demonstrated the capability of the revamped off-roader. The design team left a few classic styling cues, such as the alpine roof windows and swing-open tailgate, in the new model to appeal to traditionalists.

    If VW gets the size of the new Scout right — that is, keeps it close to the original in wheelbase, width, height and length — and comes up with a design that makes the vehicle both familiar and fresh, it will probably sell well. That is provided the market for electric off-road vehicles continues to mature.

    Pure mountain goat

    Here's how VW could get it wrong: If the new Scout emerges as a "soft-roader" — the buzzword for an urban SUV that cannot handle much more than a muddy road — it will sink among Scout fans who have clamored for a modern model.

    The revived Scout has to be completely different from any of the electric vehicles VW has coming. To be true to the original, the Scout has to be a complete mountain goat of a vehicle. It does not have to be body-on-frame — the new Defender is not — but if it wears the Scout name, it has to be a true all-terrain vehicle. Ideally, the new Scout will use heavy-duty electric axles or maybe even wheelhub motors.

    If it comes loaded with price-bloating luxury features and electric nannies that rob off-roaders of the joy of driving, that could also doom it.

    But my money is on VW successfully pulling off the Scout's return.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Renault Megane E-Tech test hit by power-sapping surprises
    Recommended for You
    Renault Megane E-Tech
    Renault Megane E-Tech test hit by power-sapping surprises
    Piotr Pawlak and Susanne Hägglund
    Rising Stars lead the way in key markets
    Yanfeng XiM23 display
    Yanfeng looks to leverage key edge over Apple, Android
    Capgemini Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
    Sponsored Content: Capgemini Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Podcasts
    • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
      • ANE Eurostars
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
        • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us