Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh surprised me when he announced that over 80% of Scout pre-orders are for the "Harvester" models, which have gasoline-powered range extenders. It was our first sign that demand for extended-range electric vehicles, or EREVs, is real. To meet it, the company will likely launch the EREV version of the Terra and Traveler first, Keogh said Tuesday. But the purely electric version isn't going anywhere.
The Volkswagen Group's revived Scout Motors brand is really gaining the attention of folks who have been on the fence about buying an electric vehicle. Specifically, the automaker's soon-to-come truck lineup with a gas range extender is appealing to a whole new group of buyers. Scout expects to begin production of its first South Carolina-made vehicles in late 2027. Now we've learned that Scout has released its first test mules onto the worldand they're getting a lot of positive reviews from executives and engineers who are getting some real seat time in the near-production models.
For decades now, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have made strong use of American labor, turning out SUVs from their factories in South Carolina and Alabama, respectively. In fact, BMW is actually the largest automotive exporter by value in the United States. Those investments have proven to be useful tariff armor in President Donald Trump's second term. The other German luxury brand, Audi, hasn't been so lucky, as it has no factories in the U.S., and being so import-heavy is hammering its bottom line.
Most of Scout Motors' reservation holders opted for the range extender option. That's over 100,000 people who would still prefer a gasoline engine. In Scout's upcoming vehicles, the combustion engine only acts as a generator for the battery and electric motors. When Stellantis killed the all-electric Ram 1500 truck to focus on the extended-range version, we weren't exactly surprised. All-electric pickup sales have so far been anything but stellar,