Wards Auto Podcast Episode 4: Reviving Scout Brand As a BEV

Scout Motors is due to hit the market with a new SUV and pickup truck in 2026. Part of the Volkswagen Group, the new company will attempt to make a splash in the BEV market while rebooting the Scout brand, which helped kick off the modern SUV era some 60 years ago.

Scott Keogh (pictured, below left), former CEO of Volkswagen of America, is CEO of the new company, and he joins the Wards Auto Podcast to discuss his plans and perspectives about the evolving BEV market, charging infrastructure, distribution of Scout vehicles, design and the challenges and advantages of rebooting a classic brand that hasn’t sold a new vehicle in some 40 years.

The Scout brand fell to the VW Group when the German auto giant bought Navistar. Navistar, formerly International Harvester, developed the Scout SUV in the late 1950s. It went on to sell enough vehicles to World War II veterans, who were also buying Jeeps at army surplus auctions, that Ford would respond to the trend with the original Bronco. General Motors developed the Blazer as a result.

Keogh believes the Scout opportunity is greater than, for example, BMW’s reboot of the Mini brand. The whole industry has been gravitating to utility vehicles, says Keogh, and so the opportunity is great to succeed with a compelling product and brand story like Scout’s.

Scout’s distribution strategy as it relates to dealerships versus direct selling is up for grabs. A new assembly plant is going up near Columbia, SC. All systems are at full throttle to bring new, electrified Scout SUVs to market in 2026

Listen to the interview with Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh or on the major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora and Stitcher.