Does Scout own Scouts??

[lefty]

I have really enjoyed being part of this forum and love sharing my joy and passion for this project with so many Scout enthusiasts. As we all continue to contribute our thoughts and ideas, there are a few questions that have been nagging me. I am asking the questions below purely out of curiosity, not to spark a controversy... I think the answers to these questions may/may not help guide us a bit in our feedback.

Does anyone that works for Scout Motors own a Scout or have they in the past? This is NOT a requirement to build or be part of this project but I'm curious to understand whether anyone working for Scout Motors understands/appreciates our perspective and points of view as owners (I assume most of us may be owners).

What Scout(s) does Scout Motors own and what are the specs (models, years, options, etc.)?

Why were the models they may own chosen?

 

[Jamie@ScoutMotors]

The company owns a 1980 Scout II that has been in Germany for a number of months now. There are also a couple floating around among staff.

Scout Motors is also looking for a couple more clean examples.

 

[LastDayScout]

The company owns a 1980 Scout II that has been in Germany for a number of months now. There are also a couple floating around among staff.

Scout Motors is also looking for a couple more clean examples.

Can you give us any insights as to what our German friends are doing with said Scout II?

 

[Jamie@ScoutMotors]

Can you give us any insights as to what our German friends are doing with said Scout II?

Driving it on and off road, going through it with a fine tooth comb, taking measurements, and they are probably generally amused with a 40-year-old, simple truck that goes anywhere. Last I saw, it was on display in AutoStadt which is the big customer delivery center and museum/brand campus:

 

[LastDayScout]

Driving it on and off road, going through it with a fine tooth comb, taking measurements, and they are probably generally amused with a 40-year-old, simple truck that goes anywhere. Last I saw, it was on display in AutoStadt which is the big customer delivery center and museum/brand campus:

I’d love to be a fly on the wall and hear the comments!

 

[Rustic_father]

I’d love to be a fly on the wall and hear the comments!

*in german accent* "can you imagine driving that on the autobahn"


I lived in Germany for 5 years and I can tell you that the demographics and the vehicle types are vastly different over there. while VW offers a pick up truck they are about as common on German streets as a smart car is on American streets. There really is not an off road culture over there aside from very small enthusiast clubs. Keep in mind gasoline is roughly 1-2 euros per liter which equates to anywhere from 3.5-6 euro per gallon...which could be around 4-7 USD per gallon.....So the vast majority of vehicles are smaller. My wife's BMW X3 was on the larger side over there, on rare occasions we would see an X5 which would seem big...Now that we are back in the US the X3 feels small and an X5 is by no means big especially compared to many vehicles.

I just thought i'd point out that perspective.....also this illustrates my theory/hot take that i mentioned on a different thread about how VW needs an American perspective to compete in the American market.

 

[lefty]

From everything I have read, Scout Motors is a completely independent company. This begs the question, why would the Scout be in Germany at all?

 

[Jamie@ScoutMotors]

From everything I have read, Scout Motors is a completely independent company. This begs the question, why would the Scout be in Germany at all?

Since Volkswagen bought Navistar and inherited the Scout name via the acquisition, the initial business study was done by a U.S. and Germany-based crew. Once the decision was made Scout Motors, Inc. was registered as a Delaware, Corporation, and the initial announcement that Scout was coming back happened in May of 2022. After that, we started building a larger U.S. team with Scott Keogh as CEO of Scout Motors. During this time, our team was spread across the U.S. and the world as numerous people started to migrate to the Scout project. We will have the majority of our staff based here in the United States as we continue to ramp up.

Meanwhile, we take advantage of the resources available to us via outside suppliers and Volkswagen Group companies. While Scout is a clean sheet of paper with an all-new rugged EV platform, there are extensive resources and expertise available to us in addition to the core team we already have in place (and continue to grow weekly). It also gives us the flexibility to get the project going rather than wait till we hire thousands of people.

 

[Scotty]

From everything I have read, Scout Motors is a completely independent company. This begs the question, why would the Scout be in Germany at all?

Yea, that's a really good question, especially when that feel-good marketing video made such a big deal of how this was "America's next shot", and how the Scout will be "chock full of American ingenuity."

At the same time, I don't wish to be a troll here either. I'm sure the engineering and design teams do honestly want to honour the history, passion, sentiment, and rugged simplicity of the original Scouts. Regardless of the motivation, the desire to evoke the spirit of the IH Scout will be strong. VAG doesn't want to damage the reputation of Lamborghini, Audi, or Bently, but one of the big differences is those companies were actively manufacturing vehicles when they were acquired.

Right now when I tell people I drive a Scout, most of them have some vague idea of what that is, but almost everyone has a positive opinion. I hope Scout Motors doesn't deteriorate that opinion.

 

[Jamie@ScoutMotors]

Our ever-expanding core team here really is phenomenal. When I first came on board, I was enthusiastic but slightly guarded as I wanted to see if the people involved understood the history, heritage, and legacy. More importantly, the enthusiasm and emotion attached to that. Over the last six months, everything I have seen and everyone I have talked to is genuinely exciting. The mindsets of people being hired are also very tied together - everyone gets what we are trying to build and the significance of it. We also understand the emotion behind it. Let's face it, a lot of vehicle marketing is screaming about lease deals or talking about features. It lacks interest or emotion that draws you in. We want to cultivate that in both the product and our marketing.

Thus far, we have built our own community where we are directly seeking feedback from our potential customers - something other car companies have never done. And this is a community that is just getting started and will be part of a much larger ecosystem around what it means to own a Scout. We have a lot more planned, from enthusiast and offroad events to our Skunkworks team, merch drops, and so much more. We want to view our customers as a community and want them to feel like they are part of something special.

We've announced our factory in South Carolina, where we will build our products here in America. This is a substantial long-term investment and will employ thousands of people in the future. We also hope to have a heritage center, archives, customer delivery, and offroad areas as well.

We announced that this would be an all-new EV platform and have demonstrated that by announcing that we are building the new Scout on a dedicated all-new body on ladder-frame chassis. This isn't a repurposed "skateboard" platform designed for cars. Our new platform will give us flexibility in both length and width in the future as well. Our first two vehicles are just the beginning.

Later this year, we will announce our full technical chassis, and you will see our commitment to building a genuinely rugged offroad vehicle. And finally, you will see our first two models in 2024.

I tell everyone that you rarely get the opportunity to be involved on the ground floor of a new car company, let alone one with the history and heritage that Scout has. Add in the fact that we are building something that isn't cookie-cutter or generic and we couldn't be more excited.

 

[J Alynn]

Driving it on and off road, going through it with a fine tooth comb, taking measurements, and they are probably generally amused with a 40-year-old, simple truck that goes anywhere. Last I saw, it was on display in AutoStadt which is the big customer delivery center and museum/brand campus:

I just realized this video had been posted. If you haven’t taken time to watch it take a few minutes. What a cool place to work or visit and delivery towers are awesome

 

[GotScout]

Have any of the Scouts had the roofs OFF yet?

 

[R1TVT]

Here's my take on this subject:

1. First off, having the Scout brand revived and brought back to life is amazing
2. Scout went out of business essentially, so this new version HAS TO DO BETTER - a good thing!
3. That means longevity, quality, craftsmanship and value - no easy task for a new company
4. We live in a global economy - Look at other truck brands "assembled in the USA" is a popular tag-line, hmmmm
5. Having the backing of a global OEM leader will add resiliency and hopefully things like a better service network & warranty to the new Scout
6. Scout will absolutely need to make money - I can see VW taking some learnings (and platform) and leveraging that for EV development
7. Jaimie and the Scout team have a vested interest in the brand and success at launch - it shows in everything they have done so far
8. The entire industry is in flux right now, the timing around the launch next year is better than having a launch this year
9. There are going to be critics, skeptics, doubters and short sellers - comes with the territory
10. There are going to be legitimate questions, it seems like the answers to those questions have all been thoughtful and reasonable here

I'm looking forward to seeing this new version, and I could see it being a very capable vehicle for many conditions - but also one that is fun to drive and could be a daily driver. If Scout is to succeed in production, they will need to balance that fine line between creating something that has mass appeal and could also meet the needs of a more niche audience - you can see them targeting that audience in their videos. There is likely a ripe demographic of potential buyers that fit Scout's messaging. Sure, there are going to be some original Scout enthusiasts in that mix, but if we are being honest, Scout needs to be very concerned with addressing the next generation of Scout enthusiasts that will see an EV Scout as their first Scout. Just my 02 cents.

 

[Bodie]

Have any of the Scouts had the roofs OFF yet?

This is a great question. The decision makers and designers NEED to experience Scouts roofless, as they were meant to be, to fully appreciate what a Scout is. Enjoy the view, crack open that vent window and rest your left elbow on the door with the window down.