LAS VEGAS – Scout Motors has received greater than 50,000 refundable reservation payments for its first electric pickups and SUVs, in accordance with Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume.
Volkswagen has revived Scout, an American brand from 1961 to 1980, and introduced production-ready vehicles of its Terra pickup and Traveler SUV in October. The vehicles are offered as fully electric models or EREVs (Extended Range Electric Vehicles).
Scout received fewer reservations for all-electric vehicles than other automakers within the early 2020s, when a lot of them first got here to market. Reservations should not a guarantee of sales, but will be an indicator of interest.
“The market reaction has been very, very positive,” Blume said Tuesday evening during a personal media event on the CES technology conference in Las Vegas. “The answer was, 'That's inheritance.' … It’s kind of a love story.”
In Scout's case, customers must submit one Refundable deposit of $100 to be among the first to order a vehicle when it opens. The vehicles are scheduled to arrive in 2027.
The Scout brand is part of VW's plan to expand its market share in the US across all brands, which include Audi, Porsche and the brand of the same name. The German automaker's U.S. share is currently about 4%, Blume said.
“Our goal is much bigger to improve our market share and we believe we have some potential with all the new cars that come to market,” Blume said, without giving a potential market share target.
Scout CEO Scott Keogh said in a separate interview at CES that reservations exceeded the company's expectations. He said about 70% of reservations were for the Traveler SUV, which was in line with the company's expectations.
Keogh declined to disclose the split between reservations for the all-electric and EREV models.
“We’re super happy with the numbers,” Keogh told CNBC. “There was a good reaction to the EREV.”
EREVs are essentially a type of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. These include electric vehicle motors and battery cells, as well as a traditional internal combustion engine that powers the vehicle's electrical components when the battery loses energy. The engine essentially acts as a generator to provide power to the EV components when needed.
Keogh previously said Scout added EREVs to better protect the brand from market volatility as consumer demand for electric vehicles falls short of expectations.
He said the company is currently focused on three main tasks: increasing brand awareness, advancing vehicle development and completing a $2 billion factory in South Carolina.
According to the Scout website, both the Traveler and Terra will start under $60,000. According to the company, the EREV vehicles will have a range of more than 500 miles, with the all-electric models having a range of up to 350 miles.
At CES, Scout highlighted the connectivity and in-vehicle user experience of its upcoming trucks and SUVs, which are designed as outdoor recreational models, similar to Jeep and EV startups Rivian. This includes available satellite connectivity for Scout vehicles in distant areas.
Scout is currently constructing a plant in South Carolina with an annual production capability of 200,000 vehicles. Scout expects to make use of batteries – the costliest a part of an electrical vehicle – from a VW three way partnership battery cell maker in Canada.
Scout also plans to make use of software and electrical architecture from a $5.8 billion three way partnership deal between Rivian and VW in its vehicles.
VW acquired the Scout brand and name after the worldwide corporation acquired Navistar, a successor to Scout's original owner, International Harvester, for $3.7 billion in 2021.
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