Volkswagen’s new Scout off-road electric SUV and ute to be developed by Magna Steyr

Magna Steyr will join forces with the Volkswagen Group to help develop a new range of rugged all-electric off-roaders – including a battery-powered SUV and ute – for the German car-making giant/s new Scout brand.

Magna Steyr is an Austrian off-road engineering specialist that most recently helped develop the INEOS Grenadier and has produced the Mercedes-Benz G-Class at its plant in Graz, Austria since its birth back in 1979.

The deal – reportedly worth €450 million ($A750m), according to Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung via Automotive News – will see Magna engineers working in Europe and the US to develop the Scout brand’s first two vehicles, which are due to be launched in late 2026.

It’s thought that before they are signed off, both Scout models will have to tackle the same tortuous Schockl mountain trail that both the G-Wagon and Grenadier were tested on.

Unlike Volkswagen’s deal with Mercedes-Benz (the Grenadier is produced by INEOS Automotive in Hambach, France), Magna will not produce the new Scout models. Instead, they will be built at the German car-maker’s all-new factory located near Columbia in South Carolina in the USA.

Volkswagen hopes it will eventually make more than 200,000 Scout vehicles annually at the new factory.

Apart from leaked and official teaser images earlier this year, there’s still no word on how the Scout EVs will take shape, but it’s thought that both the electric SUV and pick-up will ride on a toughened-up version of the Volkswagen Group’s Scalable Systems Platform (SSP).

SSP is due to enter production in 2026 as the replacement for the German giant’s existing MEB and PPE electric vehicle platforms, and perhaps even its MQB combustion vehicle platform.

Alternatively, a bespoke ladder-frame chassis may be developed to accommodate and provide sufficient protection for a large battery pack, providing the range, off-road capability and towing/payload capacities demanded by owners.

Once launched initially in the US, the Scout pick-up will line up against other full-size electric utes and SUVs made in the US, such as the Rivian R1T and R1S, GMC Hummer EV, Ford F-150 Lightning, Chevrolet Silverado EV and Tesla Cybertruck.