In a Tweet earlier this morning, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has confirmed that Volkswagen Group has chosen the Eastern state as home to its new production facility to build Scout brand EVs. The news comes after recent speculation about where Volkswagen would set up the new facility for Scout Motors after sharing intentions to implement its EV production to the US.
It was less than a year ago that Volkswagen Group announced plans to revive the Scout brand of trucks and SUVs for an all-electric future. The original nameplate comes from the International Harvester Scout – a rugged, off-road vehicle built in the 1960s and ’70s.
Last summer, Volkswagen Group of America CEO Scott Keogh announced he would be stepping down to head up the revived Scout brand and since then, we’ve only seen sketch images of what its all-electric pickups and SUVs may look like in addition to the latest silhouette image seen below.
Right out of the gate, Volkswagen Group began discussing potential partnerships with contract manufacturers like Magna Steyr and Foxconn to help get the Scout EVs built, but those talks eventually fizzled out as the Group relayed plans to not only erect its own EV production facilities, but shared it intends to do so on US soil.
But where? Up until today, your guess was as good as ours. However, a tweet from South Carolina’s Governor hours ago has given us the location of the new Scout production plant.
Scout EVs will be built in South Carolina starting in 2026
The latest Scout production news came in the form of a Tweet from South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster stating the following:
No official word from Volkswagen Group yet, but according to Automotive News Europe, the company’s board is meeting in Germany today to discuss new EV production plants in North America. Scout Motors has come out with its own press release however, also confirming the new factory in South Carolina.
When complete, the new Scout facility will join Chattanooga, Tennessee as Volkswagen Group’s second production plant on US soil. What remains unclear at this point is if the new Scout plant in South Carolina will also cater to Audi EV production so its vehicles can once again qualify for federal tax credits under revised terms enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act.
In a recent interview, Audi CEO Markus Duessman called the prospect of US EV production “very attractive” hinting that setting up shop at a prospective Scout facility was a possibility, but a decision had not been made yet. Either way, Duessman said keeping Audi EV production within existing Volkswagen Group facilities was very likely.
This story is ongoing as we await official word from Volkswagen and ideally, more details of the incoming Scout plant in South Carolina. Better still, it will be interesting to learn if and how Audi fits into the equation.
