Entry Model Specs, Premium Model Price?

[MaddMatt]

yeah, thats right wrt Rivian. they set a price point in 2018/2019 and Covid hit and their supply chain went out the door. with that went their costs. they had to jack up the price but customers revolted and they rolled it back for early reservation holders. they sold every vehicle at a loss due to that as well as because they were ramping up production so lots of cap ex. they are still trying to make a profit per vehicle sold. costs are moving down with each quarter but its been a struggle and i feel bad for them with such unlucky timing.

with Scout, not sure if 2027 is going to be a good time to launch or not. depends on how the next 2 years goes with the new administration in DC. costs could shoot up for them, screwing up their stated start price below $60k. costs could remain flat and they hit that price. or something in between and they get creative and still hit that price while having to produce a different version than they wanted. just lots of unknowns.

I feel like the same process happened with Grenadier - I was an early reservation holder (as I am with Scout, I reserved one of each and will decide when the time is right). My early Grenadier was expected to be about $60k, but when you could finally spec them out, one the way I wanted was $106k.

If they had a Harvester type option I may have tried to make that work, but I don't intend to go back to relying purely on ICE transportation. So I cancelled my Grenadier reservation and then they announced that they were holding price on early reservation, like Rivian did - but with all my wanted options it was still too much - my Xterra has about 75% of the capabilities of the Grenadier and it's paid for. I made a spreadsheet, cuz I'm a geek, so I'm pretty confident in that 75% number, and now way I can take on $100k of debt for something I don't actually "need".

I fully expect either the Terra or Traveler, optioned the way I will want, to be pushing $100k, but I have at least 2 years to plan. If I was smart I would start putting a car payment aside each month to both get used to the budget and build a downpayment nest egg, but I'm guessing I won't.

Its always better for any kind of product company to sell less of something at a higher price than more of something at a lower price, so I don't expect the launch editions to be anywhere close to $60k - $85 to $90k feels more realistic, but if they are anywhere close to $60k I"ll be very happy - like I said we've got two years to plan...

 

[Callsign_DISCO]

The stated 12-18 months until we get some real sense of trim levels and pricing is going to feel looooooong, lol.

 

[LastDayScout]

The stated 12-18 months until we get some real sense of trim levels and pricing is going to feel looooooong, lol.

The last two years have flown by. I am not wishing my life away, but I can't wait to start configuring with prices!

 

[R1TVT]

yeah, thats right wrt Rivian. they set a price point in 2018/2019 and Covid hit and their supply chain went out the door. with that went their costs. they had to jack up the price but customers revolted and they rolled it back for early reservation holders. they sold every vehicle at a loss due to that as well as because they were ramping up production so lots of cap ex. they are still trying to make a profit per vehicle sold. costs are moving down with each quarter but its been a struggle and i feel bad for them with such unlucky timing.

with Scout, not sure if 2027 is going to be a good time to launch or not. depends on how the next 2 years goes with the new administration in DC. costs could shoot up for them, screwing up their stated start price below $60k. costs could remain flat and they hit that price. or something in between and they get creative and still hit that price while having to produce a different version than they wanted. just lots of unknowns.

Yes, this is essentially what happened with Rivian, but the initial launch vehicles were very intentionally optioned and trimmed out with a higher than normal spec (there was no real "base model" option). Everyone went into converting their launch edition reservations intentionally and knowing what the configurator was kicking out in terms of price. Rivian did get screwed by the supply chain issues that came with COVID (in terms of launch timing) and did make an attempt to change pricing, but they stood to loose faith and trust more than anything, so they honored initial pricing. It was a smart move, even with more losses per vehicle (at least in my mind) bc they were starting a new company, their own corporate reputation was at risk, and they also had confidence in their long term planning to know that they could eventually dig out of the hole. They might start to see profitability happen the launch of R2 and R3, and even with the new gen2 R1's.

 

[CarTechGeek]

Yes, this is essentially what happened with Rivian, but the initial launch vehicles were very intentionally optioned and trimmed out with a higher than normal spec (there was no real "base model" option). Everyone went into converting their launch edition reservations intentionally and knowing what the configurator was kicking out in terms of price.

That is pretty much the norm now. If you want one early, you have to buy a more expensive high trim/option package.

If you want a base trim, be prepared to wait.

 

[Mousehunter]

Lots of economics involved. Tesla Cybertruck is currently limited to production capacity rather than demand. Last I read that was limited to battery production. They had planned on using a dry process battery, and after years of trying to get it to work, they recently retooled. Rivian is currently producing +/- 50k vehicles a year, with a published capacity of 150-200k (plus I think they are building a new plant to up that capacity - optimistic I guess). Scout is also planning a 200k/year production capacity.

I guess a lot will depend on how they want to play it out. Sure, initial production will probably be higher trim - but the real question is how many initial customers will be willing to upgrade to take delivery quicker. If many will, then perhaps it is more profitable to hold out producing base models for a while to fully exploit the part of the market that will bare it. That said, the next real question is marginal costs increases due to ramping up production vs needing to deal with the fixed costs of the facility. Generally a facility is more profitable at capacity - but not necessarily always. IF they can keep the lights on with limited, but higher margin production - it will give them time to grow out their sales and service network. Fewer, higher profile vehicles will probably result in less disenfranchised customers while their service network deals with growing pains.

 

[THil08]

Serious question, if I order an entry model can I upgrade it in the future to have the off-road package? Even though I’m planning on getting the Off Road package.

 

[J Alynn]

Serious question, if I order an entry model can I upgrade it in the future to have the off-road package? Even though I’m planning on getting the Off Road package.

I’m assuming once you place a legit order you will be locked in. My understanding is app eventually will open to convert res to order after you build/price. But at that point I’m assuming there’s no going back

 

[THil08]

I’m assuming once you place a legit order you will be locked in. My understanding is app eventually will open to convert res to order after you build/price. But at that point I’m assuming there’s no going back

So for people that want to join the platform and have the vehicle in hand, and eventually want to have the upgraded off-road package they won’t be able to upgrade? I thought it was future proof, to me that means upgrades even after in a customers hand. Right?

 

[J Alynn]

So for people that want to join the platform and have the vehicle in hand, and eventually want to have the upgraded off-road package they won’t be able to upgrade? I thought it was future proof, to me that means upgrades even after in a customers hand. Right?

I misread your intent. I would assume you could after the fact with OEM parts. I thought you meant during the factory build period, like oops-got a $5000 bonus today and want to add some things . My bad

 

[Derek]

in terms of "Launch" for the new Scout, and in terms of tooling for the new factory and optimally building the first tranche of new Scouts, I would not envision all kinds of optionality out of the gate, but this is just a guess. Also, and from a slightly different perspective in terms of perceived brand value and bringing the Scout logo back to consumers, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Scout will likely want to make its re-birth or reemergence into the truck market with something that looks a lot like what was revealed (and doesn't look like a "bronco sport" version of the truck). I would envision them rolling out the initial slug of trucks like Rivian did it with the R1T and R1S as "launch edition" or "first edition" type vehicles (then the subsequent launch of other lower priced trim levels). If you don't want that initial version of the Scout, perhaps you just retain your place in the build line for whatever they option-out next at assembly.

This is all speculation, and maybe it sounds controversial, but if this is the case, the initial set of new Scout buyers might benefit from nicely equipped trucks at a justifiable & fair price-point (based on options & what the first models will include). This will of course irk some buyers hoping to see a more bare-boned truck or a model that is equipped differently straight out of the gate at a lower price point. But it is important for Scout to think about perception and initial response from the market, as well as easier servicing for trucks that roll off the line and have similar configurations. You know what they say about 1st impressions.

This is what literally everyone has done, and I find it the most likely scenario. A higher end (but still good relative value for the content) "launch edition" is what ships first and if someone wants a lower trim, they keep their place in line, but wait until they start making that configuration. Scout, as a new company, needs to get a bunch of really sick looking, high optioned Scouts out on the roads of America so people can see them and be wowed by how awesome they are. Then they can come around and offer more economic packages to get more of the mainstream buyers.

Interestingly, since it looks like 80% of the orders are for Harvesters, they might actually ship that first and offer the all electric as a fast follow. Hard to say, due to wanting to have the right PR/etc, but the harvester is one of their differentiators so being in market with that from the get go, could prove to make Scout a big hit. This would also buy them a year or so for battery prices to continue to fall which is a bigger factor in the bigger 350 mile battery packs.

 

[jamski]

I hope by adding the off-road package to the base model, it will include:
35's
Spare tire
Lockers
Disconnects
Plates.

Im not worried about range, Im well within 300 miles from Mountainous adventures. So I hope we dont have to upgrade to a bigger battery to get the off-roading package.

 

[daytrippen]

I think the pricing will be slightly less than Rivian's: bare bones, low sixties, mid-range mid-seventies, full monty 80 plus.