The Volkswagen Group has large plans for electrical SUVs for the U.S. market below its revived Scout Motors model, and now, its CEO has revealed that famed contract auto producer Magna Worldwide shall be its “engineering associate.”
Talking with Automotive Information, Scout CEO Scott Keogh stated the collaboration with Magna was a “good, environment friendly solution to get the automotive to market on time.” The Canadian firm was useful initially of the venture to get issues transferring, in accordance with Keogh. “However now Scout engineers are within the lead. We’re driving it,” he stated.
The Canadian auto elements provider and contract producer has huge experience in growing and constructing body-on-frame off-roaders and electrical automobiles. It at present builds the Mercedes-Benz G-Class at its plant in Graz, Austria, and it’ll make the EQG all-electric variant on the identical website. Magna additionally builds the Jaguar I-Tempo and Fisker Ocean electrical SUVs on the plant.
Keogh didn’t touch upon a current report from Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung, which claimed Volkswagen Group paid $492 million to Magna to assist develop the Scout fashions. Keogh stated Magna is not going to be concerned within the manufacturing of Scout EVs. Scout Motors will construct its electrical SUV and pickup truck at a brand new plant in Blythewood, South Carolina, on which it plans to interrupt floor within the first quarter. Keogh stated the corporate at present has round 300 staff and has been hiring round 50 extra every month. The manufacturing facility is predicted to have 4,000 employees when it goes on-line in 2026.
Since Volkswagen Group has no inner experience with body-on-frame automobiles outdoors the first-generation Amarok midsize pickup—which has been changed by the Ford Ranger-based second-gen mannequin—it is smart that Scout Motors turned to an exterior associate for assist in engineering the platform.
Scout electrical SUV official teaser
Keogh advised Automotive Information that Scout’s body-on-frame electrical SUV is on observe for a full unveiling in Q3 2024. The beginning of manufacturing, nevertheless, shall be round late 2026, with gross sales anticipated to start quickly after. He stated the SUV would be the first to launch, adopted by the pickup truck “six, seven months after.”
He famous that the design is “85, 90, 95 p.c of the best way there” and growth is on observe, with the primary take a look at mules prone to hit the highway within the coming months.
The manager burdened that Scout automobiles are designed for the U.S. market at the start, not like many Volkswagen Group merchandise, that are European automobiles adjusted for the U.S. and North America. Regardless of being the unique “import” model, Volkswagen has lengthy struggled to attain the form of mainstream success in America that it enjoys in Europe and different locations.
Maybe the off-road EV’s body-on-frame platform illustrates that America-specific philosophy greatest, as Keogh dismissed rumors that it’s derived from Volkswagen Group’s MEB structure. “Not gonna occur. That is 100% succesful, American, sturdy, full platform,” he stated.
He stated the structure is “utterly distinctive,” engineered and developed from the bottom up. “The very first thing we needed to clear with that is to ensure this platform was credible,” Keogh stated.
The previous Volkswagen Group of America boss added that the electrical off-roader’s platform, which was achieved with computer-aided design, does not exist bodily but. It now wants “to go get achieved in the actual world,” as the most important architectural necessities and underpinnings have been “dialed in.”