Scout Is Back: But Are They Coming Fast Enough, In the Nick of Time, or Fashionably Late? 

Back in the days of the Chevrolet K5 Blazer and F-Series-based Ford Bronco, there was another off-road vehicle that had customers jumping with joy at the thought of trail and overlanding adventures – the International Scout. It was produced from 1961 to 1980 under the guise of the International Harvester Company, an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment – plus automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household equipment, and more.

Just like the Chevy K5 Blazer, which is still waiting for a modern incarnation after Ford Bronco fans got theirs, the International Scout has become sort of a fashion icon for SUV lovers over the years since its production ended. Well, since 2020, the Scout trademark has come into the possession of Volkswagen through its American truck subsidiary Navistar International.

The Germans, shaken by the Dieselgate scandal, took a long time doing something with it, though. Back in 2022, they finally announced the creation of the Scout Motors brand, a separate entity from Volkswagen dedicated to EVs focused on the American market. Over the years, they slowly progressed with the first teaser for the company's new EVs, selected and broke ground on its South Carolina production center, chose the corner office head honchos, and at long last, on October 24, premiered the Traveler SUV and the Terra pickup truck at an event in Franklin, Tennessee.

There's a 44-year hiatus since the last Scout came to life, and to be honest, the gap will be even larger before the first modern Scouts hit the streets because production is scheduled to kick off in 2027. That's the first problem we see with the Terra EV pickup truck and Traveler SUV – the competition has plenty of time to present their rivaling vision and sell tens of thousands of examples of it when the EV revolution finally takes flight.

Obviously, things could and should change from the moment of the presentation to the time for production – the Traveler SUV and the Terra truck, both obviously inspired by the original Scout vehicles built by International Harvester between 1961 and 1980, are currently production-intent concepts, so there is plenty of room for improvements. No worries, the VW Group umbrella is large enough to give them loads of R&D ideas, hopefully.

For now, these all-new battery-electric vehicles, the Traveler SUV and the Terra pickup truck, are also equipped with the option of a range-extender. It's called the "Harvester" system, which is another nod to their rich history. It involves a small generator engine added to the EV powertrains for an extra 150 miles of range. From here, we can derive another trait – while the design obviously makes them direct competitors for the Rivian R1S and R1T pair, the Scout EVs will also duke it out with the range-extended Tesla Cybertruck as well as the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger, eventually.

The interesting thing about Scout Motors is that it mitigates the classic 'range anxiety' concerns that many American consumers still have with EVs right from the start – a lesson learned the hard way by so many startups focused on EVs. As such, the upcoming series-production Scout models are supposed to hit up to 350 miles of range on a single charge, not bad for a couple of tough off-road adventure-focused vehicles. Then, customers can top that with 150 miles of range, pushing them into the golden 500-mile territory. By the time Scout Motors brings them to market, innovations like solid-state batteries and other technologies could also take flight and give us even better numbers.

Remember, that's what happened with GM's Ultium-based Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra EVs – by the time the consumer-focused versions reached the market, they had already come up with improvements in terms of performance and range. Of course, the concept of a range extender isn't new – Chevrolet's Volt had it back in 2010, the BMW i3 also had a motorcycle engine to add some juice to the small battery, and the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger is coming soon with a big truck-style implementation. So, the gas engine won't drive the wheels but act as a generator to charge the onboard 800-volt battery pack on the go.

It's a very good idea, frankly – the two Scout models will be heavy due to the battery pack, the solid rear axles, plus the traditional weight penalty associated with any classic body-on-frame construction. A great range is obviously extremely important because, like the Rivian R1S and R1T, the Scout Motors Traveler and Terra seek to appeal to the overlanding and adventurous part of the market. Naturally, at the moment, we still have loads of questions – where is the Harvester system situated, how much will it add to weight, and what are its associated costs? Surely, we won't get any answers too soon.

Of course, there are more questions. What are the specifications? Luckily, Scout Motors is offering plenty of them: there's almost 1,000 lb-ft (1,355 Nm) of torque, enough for a sprint to 60 mph (96 kph) in just 3.5 seconds, the 800-volt architecture juices up via the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector, there's bi-directional charging, and they carry almost 2k lbs (907 kg) of payload. For off-road adventures, there are 35-inch tires, more than one foot of ground clearance, and nearly three feet of water-fording capability. Also, there are front sway bar disconnects, as well as front and rear mechanical lockers.

Will that be enough to beat the competition? It could be, especially if Volkswagen can live up to the promise of bringing both models to market below the $60k mark (low $50k with incentives) – Rivian's R1S currently starts from $75,900, and the R1T kicks off at a slightly lower $69,900 MSRP. The difference is pretty obvious, but the problem for Scout is that rivals also have plenty of time to bring down their prices by 2027, right?