Where Will Scout Motors Build Its Electric SUVs And When Can We Get Them?

Scout Motors is back.The brand is returning to the market with an updated electric vehicle (EV) version of the International Harvester Scout, which was in production as an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle from 1961 to 1980. The new Scout will be produced by a freestanding Scout Motors division of Germany’s Volkswagen Group, which oversaw the rise and fall of the iconic Beetle. Scout Motors will be building its EVs in a new state-of-the-art 1,100-acre factory in Blythewood, South Carolina, 18 miles northeast of the state capital of Columbia. When it’s completed and running at max capacity, the Scout Motors plant is projected to employ more than 4,000 people and produce 200,000 Scout EVs each year (that’s about 23 vehicles every hour). The Scout Motors factory is currently under construction. 

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According to the manufacturer’s latest update in March of 2025, the 1.3 million square foot assembly building’s heavy steel installation has been completed, and work is in progress on finishing the roof. The facility includes assembly, paint, and finishing areas, as well as a training center for employees and a tech center for development of future vehicles. The paint shop’s exterior has been completed to the point where work can progress inside, with equipment now being installed. The body shop — which will also cover 1.3 million square feet — is through the heavy steel phase of construction, and is currently seeing progress on the roofing and exterior walls. The rail connection that will take customer-ready vehicles from the Scout Motors factory to drivers across the U.S. is also nearing its finish. Completion of the factory complex is scheduled for 2027, and the Scout Motors EV lineup is expected to make its debut for the 2028 model year.

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 At this point, two vehicles are planned: the Traveler SUV and the Terra pickup truck. Scout’s original plan was to sell its vehicles directly to consumers, just as Tesla has done with its EVs. Unfortunately, there are some new hurdles that Scout Motors will need to overcome before it is able to implement that model. These obstacles consist of lawsuits brought by U.S. dealers and their trade organizations, who believe that dealers alone have the right to sell the Scout Traveler and Terra to their customers. On February 3, 2025, Florida’s VW and Audi dealers filed a lawsuit against Scout claiming that the newly formed division is not truly independent of parent Volkswagen and should be subject to franchise laws. A legal decision agreeing with this interpretation would require Scout vehicles to be sold through existing Volkswagen Auto Group dealerships. 

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This was followed on April 22, 2025 by a similar lawsuit brought by the California New Car Dealers Association against Scout and VW, asserting that Scout is illegally competing with Volkswagen’s franchised dealers. Until these legal issues are resolved, it is fair to say that there could be no sales of Scout Motors’ EVs taking place, whether or not the factory that has been built to produce them is ready to go. Scout Motors has about two years to work out these thorny issues and keep with its planned 2028 model year release. Depending on the outcome of the lawsuits, Scout Motors might be forced to abandon the direct-to-consumer distribution model and sell its EVs through VW group dealerships, so stay tuned!

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