BillyB

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This article from last month gives me hope!

Scout's EV truck could win over vintage owners and won't need the Volkswagen MEB platform to do it.
https://carbuzz.com/news/scouts-off-road-electric-pickup-impresses-critics-says-vw

October 9, 2022

As a result of a series of fortunate events, the Volkswagen Group ended up owning Scout Motors. The brand has been dormant since the '80s but has built up a cult following globally.

As you might have heard, VW is bringing Scout back as an EV brand, which upset several people. But Scout recently hosted a get-together for prominent members of the classic Scout community. This group will inevitably be the toughest crowd to convince that an EV Scout is a good thing, and we respect VW for including them in the design process.

Thanks to a prominent member of the vintage Scout owners group, Jeff Blade, we now have more insight into what VW is planning, and it looks good.

In a Facebook post, Blade wrote about the afternoon he spent with the Scout Motors team.

"A small group of us got to really understand what their goals are, who they are as a company, and more exciting[ly], some early prototypes," wrote Blade. "We got to talk with the team and ask a whole lot of questions. In return, we were honest with our opinions and talked about what we would like to see."

Scout Motors is currently headed by Scott Keogh, who served as the head of the VW brand in North America before that. According to Keogh, the brand will unveil its first prototypes in 2023 and will begin production in 2026.

"Rumors of this being based on the VW skateboard platform are untrue," explained Blade. "This will be a competent off-road vehicle with the right amount of old and new. It can't be everything to everyone, and they still need to make a profit and sell to the masses. This will not be a 40-plus-year-old truck. We already have that. But it will be true to its name and its roots from everything I've seen."


Photo: Scott Keogh, CEO of Scout Motors

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The team in charge must be on to something if Scout can convince a die-hard classic Scout fan.

Blade mentions that some things are still up in the air due to the market Scout wants to enter. According to his post, Scout wants to hit an affordable price point, and it's a bit of a juggling act to make that happen.

As a result, there aren't any details about battery size, power, or range, mainly because those decisions have not been made. Scout does have an extensive parts bin it can dip into. It may not be using the MEB platform, but it can borrow EV motors and battery packs from existing models like the ID.4 and upcoming models like the ID.Buzz.

Another interesting statement is that the aftermarket scene is essential to Scout. Owners will be able to modify their rides and work on them, though it's unclear how Scout will keep owners from toying with a power unit that can quite literally shock a person to death.

Whatever the case, Scout appears to be in good hands, and it's taking the right approach by inviting loyal customers to help with the design process.
 
 
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