Scout Motors - The Canadian Market

Scout Motors has been making headlines as of late, and for good reason. Originally born in 1960 when the Scout 80 was introduced to the world as "a workhorse, a truck that could go anywhere and do anything." Production ended in the late 70s, but the iconic brand, now owned by the Volkswagen Group, is making headlines again as two new models have been introduced; the Traveler SUV and Terra pickup.

But what is the hype all about?

As consumers, this is exciting news as there is a new player in town offering two new options that are both rugged and off-roady. Interestingly, the Scouts are not offered with big V8s as many would anticipate, but opted instead to build them on a completely electrified platform (with the option of an onboard gasoline-powered generator that will recharge the vehicles’ batteries for added range).

On paper, what is to be offered seems quite impressive:

• Body-on-frame chassis, solid rear axle, and front and rear mechanical lockers.

• Projected towing of over 7,000lbs for the Scout Traveler and over 10,000lbs for the Scout Terra.

• Anticipated 0-100 km/h in a speedy 3.5 seconds is made possible by an estimated nearly 1,000 lb.-ft. of torque through the four-wheel-drive system.

• Anticipated 560 kilometres of range, and up to 800 kilometres of range through the optional built-in, gas-powered generator.

• Assembly plant will be in South Carolina, with initial production targeted for 2027 (but may be delayed for Canada).

You always need to take all marketing material from any manufacturer with a 'pinch of salt', especially when we haven't been able to test them yet, but I personally think that what Scout Motors is soon to introduce, is great. Could the Scout Traveler SUV be better than both the Wrangler and Bronco? It seems to echo the look of the Land Rover Defender, does it not?

Now for some Canadian news.

Scout Motors will sell its Traveler SUV and Terra pickup in Canada, supported by a sales and service network with locations in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa.

Another interesting strategy opted by VW is a “one-to-one relationship” with customers. This is a shift away from distribution channels through privately owned dealerships in favour of selling directly to consumers as all dealerships offering the Scout models will be corporately owned and will include retail and service space, as well as offer test drives.

Scout plans to have mobile service units that will handle repairs for customers within about 300 kilometres of workshops. What does that mean for those of us living in Nova Scotia? Initially it would not be ideal for servicing needs as you would likely have to have your Scout sent to Montreal. EVs do have the added benefit that over-the-air software updates are more effective and in-depth than traditional combustion engines, but this aspect of ownership should be a consideration.

For those of you who cannot wait to get your hands on one of these variants, you can put down a refundable CDN$150 deposit to reserve either model. Retail prices have been suggested to be under US$60,000 for each, but no word on pricing for Canada, yet.

For more information on Scout Motors, please click here.

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