VW is reviving a storied American brand to sell electric SUVs

When Volkswagen decided to relaunch the Scout SUV brand it took a very unusual step. It created a new subsidiary company to design, build and sell vehicles targeted, almost entirely, at a single market: the United States.

When Volkswagen decided to relaunch the Scout SUV brand it took a very unusual step. It created a new subsidiary company to design, build and sell vehicles targeted, almost entirely, at a single market: the United States. Its status as a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, similar to Audi and Porsche, gives some indication of just how important this project is to VW. The revived and revamped Scout Motors will introduce its new brand of all-electric off-road-capable SUVs, kind of like Rivian. But VW is banking on something Rivian doesn’t have, a backstory. An avid fanbase in America fondly remembers Scout. Here, it was one of the pioneering SUV brands, and its original models are collectibles today. So, just as it’s doing with the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, an electric update of the classic hippie bus, VW is touching on nostalgia to reach a new generation of car buyers. This time, though, it’s an American thing. Germans wouldn’t understand. Or so you might think. “We really do understand the American spirit but not only that we also actively contribute to it,” Volkswagen Group chief executive Oliver Blume said while discussing the company’s global earnings Wednesday. “What’s rather promising is the revival of the Scout cult brand. This is how we are laying the foundation for an electric SUV and pickup brand in the largest and most profitable US segment.” Still, Scout could have been introduced as simply a sub-brand, just one or two models, under the popular VW brand. Instead, it’s breaking out entirely on its own.