Volkswagen's off-road brand Scout eyes Australian launch – report

The wave of new auto brands entering the Australian market doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.

Volkswagen is in the process of bringing back the Scout brand, which will offer a range of electrified off-road utes and SUVs inspired by models produced by International Harvester between 1961 and 1980.

Speaking to Australian journalists at the Munich motor show this week, Scout’s global CEO Scott Keogh confirmed the Australian market is part of the Volkswagen Group-owned automaker’s future.

Mr Keogh said he was well aware of the sales potential the Australian market presents for Scout, but local buyers could be waiting for some time given the brand will first be launched in the US and Canada in 2027.

“We want to nail America and Canada. Those will be our first markets and then after that we will look to other markets and certainly Australia’s on the list,” he told Australian media including news.com.au.

“Obviously, we’re not naive. We see the market in Australia, we see you like these sort of pickup trucks – let’s say [the] ‘get outdoors, can-do’ kind of vehicles, body-on-frame, rugged – and we’re certainly aware of the opportunity.”

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So far, Scout has shown off the battery-electric Terra dual-cab pickup and the Traveler SUV – both of which utilise an 800-volt electrical architecture and dual electric motors, offering up to 563km of range and a claimed 0-100km/h time of less than four seconds.

Extended-ranger electric vehicle (EREV) variants with a petrol-powered range-extender engine are also planned, providing an additional 240km of driving range.

Scout models will be based on a ladder frame and fitted with a solid rear axle, mechanical front and rear differential locks, and a front sway bar which can disconnect for greater wheel articulation. They will offer a water-wading depth of more than 900mm.

Despite the Volkswagen Group’s substantial investment in US electric pickup and SUV specialist Rivian, the German giant has confirmed that Scout vehicles will be significantly different – despite close visual similarities.

However, Volkswagen and Rivian are collaborating on software together, which is expected to be shared across both Scout and Rivian vehicles in the future.

Volkswagen came into possession of the Scout name in 2021 when its Traton truck division bought Navistar, the parent company of International Harvester, which is the company that built the original two-door Scout utes and SUVs.

These were sold alongside the dual-cab Travelette pickup and five-door Travelall SUV, serving as International Harvester’s rival to the Ford Bronco. They were also exported to Australia in right-hand drive.

By 1980, however, International Harvester was losing money and, after killing the rest of its pickup and SUV range, it pulled the plug on the Scout.

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