Audi to build a luxury Off-Roader SUV (Hybrid EREV range-extender) on Scout platform

[BahamaTodd]

Audi Will Build a Luxury Off-Roader on Scout's New Platform
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a69457849/audi-luxury-off-roader-scout-platform/

• Audi is planning to launch a large, off-road-oriented SUV to appeal to American buyers, according to an Automotive News report.
• The new model will reportedly be positioned as a rival to competitors such as the Land Rover Defender and will be built on Scout's platform in South Carolina.
• According to the Automotive News report, the new Audi will have an electric powertrain with a range extender, similar to Scout's plug-in hybrid models.

 

[SchnauzerDad]

That is interesting. Audi could build anything, even some sort of design based on their Activesphere SUV/Truck concept. Could be cool looking.

For my wife and I though, we got a taste of Audi with the 2023 Q8 we bought. And we learned that it didn’t matter if you paid a bunch of money, looked nice and the interior seemed nice. It was a dog of a car, and had lots of issues and little things that added up to us getting rid of it before even 2 years was up. No more Audi‘s for us.

 

[BahamaTodd]

That is interesting. Audi could build anything, even some sort of design based on their Activesphere SUV/Truck concept. Could be cool looking.

For my wife and I though, we got a taste of Audi with the 2023 Q8 we bought. And we learned that it didn’t matter if you paid a bunch of money, looked nice and the interior seemed nice. It was a dog of a car, and had lots of issues and little things that added up to us getting rid of it before even 2 years was up. No more Audi‘s for us.

But would you buy an Audi built by Scout? Which in reality is a company heavily influenced by Audi's parent company VW.

 

[Mousehunter]

When I bought my TDI - I would have considered an Audi. But they had not made the comparable vehicle for about 3 years at that time, and I really did not think it was worth the effort to hunt one down on the used market.

I will not curse this direction, yet. It might be in Scouts best interest to stay in the Sport Utility market and give Audi the Sport Luxury market. If Audi does not screw up the design, it might be an interesting way to segment the market - offering high end options on the Audi, for a price... Not sure what those options should be though.

 

[SchnauzerDad]

But would you buy an Audi built by Scout? Which in reality is a company heavily influenced by Audi's parent company VW.

Probably not. We had such a bad experience with the Q8 and the dealership that it has forever tarnished any future thinking on purchasing another Audi.

The dealership were a bunch of ego driven douchebags that all, especially the service manager, thought “our cars are the greatest things ever, our cars are perfect “. If you stopped in with an issue, it was not the car, it must be the way we’re driving it.

I could go on for an hour of all the bad we experienced with Audi. They’ll find a way to make the UI seriously unintuitive and the car feel like a big floaty pig. Hopefully I’m wrong and it will help Scout in other ways.

With my Defender and a future Scout Traveler full EV, I won’t need no stinkin‘ Audi .

 

[PMurphy]

The dealership were a bunch of ego driven douchebags that all, especially the service manager, thought “our cars are the greatest things ever, our cars are perfect “. If you stopped in with an issue, it was not the car, it must be the way we’re driving it

Sounds like another vote for direct to consumer sales. My take on the high end dealership is they feel empowered to overcharge you for everything because you have $$ and they can. I use well qualified private shops where available as soon as the warranty is expired (I avoid the extended warranty trap to minimize my suffering at the hands of the dealership).

In the past I avoided VW as a whole. Generally good vehicles that were always somewhat over priced (socialist labor cost for German built units and a little arrogance). We’ll see if Scout can bring me to the VW fold (keep forgetting that the man behind the Scout curtain is VW).

Hoping Scout is truly a semi independent venture. Building other products will distribute fixed costs for the factory and increase volume discount on shared components. We’ll see if my German relatives can resist the urge to take control and VWize Scout once production is up and running.

 

[vbrad26]

Well this is an interesting development. But I guess not all that surprising.
You could color me intrigued.....

 

[Overproof]

I wonder if Audi dealerships will be available to service Scouts. If they sell Audis based on the Scout platform they should have techs trained on the platform.

 

[bakdraft21]

Wow let’s concentrate on getting one Scout out before bringing in another manufacturer and another model or maybe give reservation holders more information about their product

 

[VolInGa]

But would you buy an Audi built by Scout? Which in reality is a company heavily influenced by Audi's parent company VW.

If it was the class of vehicle you wanted, why wouldn’t you?

 

[CornBinder]

Probably not. We had such a bad experience with the Q8 and the dealership that it has forever tarnished any future thinking on purchasing another Audi.

The dealership were a bunch of ego driven douchebags that all, especially the service manager, thought “our cars are the greatest things ever, our cars are perfect “. If you stopped in with an issue, it was not the car, it must be the way we’re driving it.

I could go on for an hour of all the bad we experienced with Audi. They’ll find a way to make the UI seriously unintuitive and the car feel like a big floaty pig. Hopefully I’m wrong and it will help Scout in other ways.

With my Defender and a future Scout Traveler full EV, I won’t need no stinkin‘ Audi .

Couldn't agree more. Bought a new VW Beetle Turbo with the Audi 10 year/100,000 mile warranty engine. Great car and engine, but the VW dealer network was a living nightmare. They'd break things unrelated to recall service bulletins, then bill you for what they broke. Won't give you your car back unless you pay them. If you don't pay them and take your car, they start a running daily storage fee tab. VW Corporate is no help; all dealers are independent. Your only choice is to pay up and sue! That same dealer created an ongoing 2 year engine check light issue that 3 dealers couldn't figure out; one of which claimed it needed an entire new transmission (which it clearly did not). Had to yank the car out of that one too...

I finally had all I could take and took it back to the original dealer I purchased it from many miles away. It only took them a half hour to determine the recall dealer 2 years prior damaged a wiring harness (most likely by pulling at the connectors without releasing the clips). A simple $75 repair.

Even with that repair documentation in hand, VW Corporate wouldn't help in any way at all. Very frustrating VW dealer experiences and why I told myself I will never buy another "modern" VW. VW/Audi created a great product, but the VW dealer network was awful. After that I unloaded it out of pure frustration. I loved the car itself.

Let's hope SCOUT does direct sales and designs in simple easy self-maintenance that the owner or any qualified mechanic can perform.

 

[vbrad26]

Everyone has their own opinions/experiences/perceptions.
But as a LONG time VAG fan-boi - I have zero concerns.

 

[VolInGa]

Everyone has their own opinions/experiences/perceptions.
But as a LONG time VAG fan-boi - I have zero concerns.

100%. I’m on my 10th VAG vehicle and have never had a major issue on any of them. Much better experience than the 3 Hondas I owned.

 

[CornBinder]

Everyone has their own opinions/experiences/perceptions.
But as a LONG time VAG fan-boi - I have zero concerns.

100%. I’m on my 10th VAG vehicle and have never had a major issue on any of them. Much better experience than the 3 Hondas I owned.

Agree on them being great vehicles. It's the "independent" dealer network structure that soils the diapers of great vehicles. Many play the stick it to the manufacturer warranty game by billing the manufacturer for things that aren't needed or they caused. You'd think the manufacturers would want to get a handle on that by increasing their oversight. And don't even get me started on the purchase experience you have to go through at independent dealers.

Direct sales to customer please!

 

[vbrad26]

Can't argue with you there! And not that I'm trying to lol.
Its true, a bad dealer can really sour a whole brand experience, which is unfortunate - but a reality.
I try to avoid dealers in general. For warranty work - sure. And in most cases my experiences have been just fine.
Beyond that though? I have a handful of indy shops that will get my business all day long.