Volkswagen’s Scout brand teases electric SUV and ute

Volkswagen’s returning Scout off-road vehicle brand has used its newly established social media channels to tease its first two models – a battery-electric pick-up and SUV due in 2026 – and announce plans for its first purpose-built production plant in South Carolina.

Posting a collection of shadowy teaser images, a complete poster and two plant renderings to the Scout_Motors Instagram page over the weekend, the aspiring off-road brand is starting to stir up some hype ahead of its official commercial launch in the coming years.

The teaser images and plant renders are all accompanied by a series of sweeping statements and descriptions, the bluntest of which reads: “The world needs Scouts”…

“To our loyal Scout community, past, present, and future… strap up and get ready, because we have one hell of a ride ahead,” the most recent post’s description reads.

Another reads: “In 1960, the original Scout revolutionised what it means to go places… what it means to see the world from the driver’s seat, and what started in 1960 comes full circle today.

“Today, we are closer than ever to putting an important American icon on the road.”

Volkswagen has already made it inherently clear the Scout brand will primarily be aimed at the US as it targets a minimum 10 per cent market share in the second half of the decade, hence the upcoming off-road brand’s now-confirmed $US2 billion factory in South Carolina.

“We are extremely proud to announce that we have formally made the decision and commitment to building a brand-new manufacturing facility in South Carolina that will serve as the new home for Scout’s first production facility,” said Scout via Instagram.

This overt North American intent doesn’t bode especially well for the chances of Aussies seeing any Scout models in local showrooms, but local Volkswagen executives are still hopeful despite admitting a Scout launch here is a very long shot.

The new product teasers don’t reveal too much about the initial models beyond the expansive cabin of the dual-cab pick-up and the extended wheelbase we’ve seen previously.

Very little can be seen of its SUV counterpart beyond a vague rear three-quarter silhouette cast against the golden sunset sky, but previous rumours and chatter have suggested the first working prototypes of both models will debut this sometime this year.

A toughened up version of the Volkswagen Group’s inbound Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) is expected to underpin the Scout models, which will likely compete with existing off-road EVs like the Rivan R1T and R1S, GMC Hummer EV pick-up and SUV, Ford F-150 Lightning, Chevrolet Silverado EV and Tesla Cybertruck.

Other potential rivals include the smaller Rivian R2 due in 2026 and eventual EV versions of the Ford Ranger and Maverick, VW Amarok, GWM Ute, Geely Radar RD6 and upcoming utes from BYD, Kia and Hyundai.

For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales' Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au