Photo: Scout Motors/Volkswagen
The world needs Scouts. This is the slogan Volkswagen chose to promote its new brand. The German brand has tried to increase its presence in the American market for several years and never got truly competitive until it decided to sell the vehicles U.S. customers really want to buy: SUVs and pickup trucks. Volkswagen is now making sure that happens by reviving an American nameplate and getting an online presence with four years of anticipation.
That’s because the first new Scout will only show up by 2026. It may either be the electric pickup truck or the electric SUV the company plans to sell. Considering the latter was teased with a front-end picture published on its official website, we’d bet on it. We have no idea if it is a mockup or a working prototype, but we can see that Scout Motors already has more to present than just sketches and renderings. Volkswagen only disclosed that it is a “concept sporting a strong stance and upright posture reminiscent of classic Scout models.” With four years to go until production starts, don’t expect to learn much more than that.
For now, Scout Motors just wants to thank the fans that have kept its brand alive. To be honest, Scout was just a vehicle produced by International Harvester from 1961 until 1980. The demise of this company led International Harvester trademarks to be bought by Tenneco, while the company changed its name to Navistar.
When Volkswagen bought Navistar in 2021, the name Scout was in the package, and the German carmaker decided to make the most of it. Would it use International Harvester as the name of a new car brand if it had the right to do so? Scout may be a better choice anyway, turning a popular and loved vehicle into a brand of its own.
Volkswagen seems determined to make fans feel at home. Apart from the Scout Motors website, it also created Scout Communities, a space where fans and Scout owners can gather to receive news of the new brand and talk about it. There is even a Scout Registry to document all Scouts that are still on the road. New vehicles will also be eligible to join the registry, a good strategy to make Scout fans feel the vehicle’s heritage has been respected and transmitted to the new ones. The world needs Scouts, but Volkswagen needs them more than anyone else.
For now, Scout Motors just wants to thank the fans that have kept its brand alive. To be honest, Scout was just a vehicle produced by International Harvester from 1961 until 1980. The demise of this company led International Harvester trademarks to be bought by Tenneco, while the company changed its name to Navistar.
When Volkswagen bought Navistar in 2021, the name Scout was in the package, and the German carmaker decided to make the most of it. Would it use International Harvester as the name of a new car brand if it had the right to do so? Scout may be a better choice anyway, turning a popular and loved vehicle into a brand of its own.
Volkswagen seems determined to make fans feel at home. Apart from the Scout Motors website, it also created Scout Communities, a space where fans and Scout owners can gather to receive news of the new brand and talk about it. There is even a Scout Registry to document all Scouts that are still on the road. New vehicles will also be eligible to join the registry, a good strategy to make Scout fans feel the vehicle’s heritage has been respected and transmitted to the new ones. The world needs Scouts, but Volkswagen needs them more than anyone else.
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