Scout Motors drew headlines last year for far more than just reviving a classic brand. It read the tea leaves and decided to launch with both an EV and an extended-range powertrain. Now, as production approaches, we’re getting a clearer view of the final design that customers will soon see in their driveways.

Spoiler alert: it’s almost a mirror image of the early promotional vehicles, apart from a few subtle design tweaks. Extensive testing, though, has been underway for months.

Read: Scout Motors Says Over 80% Of Buyers Picked A Surprising Powertrain

Cody Thacker, VP of commercial operations at Scout, told Autonews that the brand is “very quickly getting to something that looks and feels like real production vehicles,” as multiple generations of testers rack up miles across continents.

The brand already finished its first round of cold-weather testing in Sweden and is preparing for another bout of deep-freeze evaluation.

What Changed Over the Concepts?

From a design standpoint, only a handful of alterations separate the early prototypes from the final shape. Chief design officer Chris Benjamin told the news outlet that while the prototypes’ elegant daytime running lights gracefully bleed into the metal of the front and rear quarter panels, that execution proved too intricate, too expensive, and too complex to stamp at scale.

So instead, the production version will use a “cool insert” that preserves the visual intent without breaking manufacturing budgets.

Under the skin, Scout still plans on both powertrain options, but it’s already benefiting from its initial plan. Since it didn’t commit solely to one or the other, it’s got the flexibility to delay EV production while market demand catches up.

In the meantime, it can build the EREV and sell it. Pre-production is set for late 2026 with customer deliveries in 2027. By that time, the EV market might have another uptick. Either way, Scout will have something to offer.

Built From Strong Partnerships

The platform itself benefits deeply from the VW/Rivian joint venture, leveraging Rivian’s electrical architecture as a base layer for Scout’s durability-focused hardware. Batteries, meanwhile, will come from VW Group’s in-house PowerCo network.

Scout is still publicly targeting a sub-$60,000 entry point, but final numbers will depend on material costs and powertrain mix. Also still undecided is whether the Traveler and Terra will launch simultaneously. As for when series production begins? Scout just says to “stay tuned.”

Source: AutoNews

Audi is stepping up its assault on the North American market by finally doing something its BMW and Mercedes rivals have been doing for years: building vehicles inside the US.

Related: Audi’s New 4×4 Could Blend Scout DNA With G-Class Swagger

The VW-owned luxury brand already lagged behind its opposition in terms of stateside sales, but its lack of a US plant means it’s been particularly hard-hit by the tariffs, since it relies on imports from Europe and Mexico. Now it plans to tackle that problem with a new luxury SUV aimed at the Land Rover Defender and produced in the US.

Built by Scout

The secret SUV will be a range extender hybrid designed specifically for the US market and will be built locally. But that doesn’t mean Audi is about to commission a new factory of its own on American soil, German website Automobilewoche reports.

Instead, it will build the SUV at the Blythewood, South Carolina, plant currently being constructed by VW-owned Scout Motors, which hopes to begin rolling out Scout trucks and SUVs by late 2027.

Scout, a utility brand launched by International Harvester in the late 1950s but dormant since 1980, was resurrected by VW in 2022 and plans to launch with two vehicles, the Scout Traveler SUV and Scout Terra truck.

Scout’s new models have ladder-frame chassis, which would be a first for Audi, and four-wheel drive systems with proper locking differentials. Although Scout offers both fully electric and range-extender powertrains, over 80 percent of reservations are for the range-extender, CEO Scott Keogh told Bloomberg recently.

While the full EVs can travel for 350 miles (563 km) on their 120 kWh batteries, the range-extenders offer around 500 miles (800 km) of range, only 150 miles (240 km) of which comes from their smaller battery.

What Could it Look Like?

Although Audi hasn’t revealed any images of its tough new SUV, and we’ve yet to see it in spy shots, we have had strong hints from the automaker that one is on the way.

Earlier in 2025, Audi debuted the Q6 e-tron Offroad Concept, which featured portal axles and a massively increased ride height to underline how serious Audi is about building a more off-road-focused machine.

Though Audi used the Q6 as a base for that concept, the real SUV, probably due in 2028, will be much bigger and almost certainly boxier, as imagined in these images below from @theottle.

@theottle

Scout Motors’ upcoming Terra pickup and Traveler SUV aren’t in production yet, but the company already has a strong sense of who its buyers are. Interest is running high, and the early numbers hint at what might define the brand’s first chapter.

Read: Scout Is Scouting Laid Off Rivian Employees

According to CEO Scott Keogh, the vast majority of reservations are for the range-extended electric powertrain. As EV infrastructure aims to improve, these type of powertrains could prove supreme for the time being.

What Are Buyers Choosing?

“Look, the market has spoken,” Keogh told Bloomberg. “Over 80% of the reservations are for the range extender.”

That figure translates to at least 104,000 of the 130,000 customers who placed a reservation choosing the version that combines electric drive with a small gasoline engine functioning as a generator, suggesting that many Americans continue to favor long-distance flexibility over all-electric purity.

Both vehicles share a modular architecture capable of supporting either an all-electric powertrain or an EREV setup. The pure electric version will utilize a nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery with a capacity of approximately 120 kWh, offering an estimated range of 350 miles (563 km).

How the Systems Differ

The range-extended models, on the other hand, use a smaller lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) pack with about half that capacity for roughly 150 miles (241 km) of battery-only driving.

When the charge runs low on the EREV, a small gas-powered on-board generator will kick in and provide power to the battery. As such, the EREV will offer around 500 miles of range.

Keogh hinted that Scout could prioritize the EREV at launch due to its high demand: “In general, in life, you like to meet the market… we would probably lean with the EREV, but nothing we’ve announced yet.”

Both versions will roll off the line at Scout’s new $2.3 billion factory in Blythewood, South Carolina, that’s set to begin production in late 2027. Interestingly, Keogh thinks EVs will still end up being the future.

“The world is still heading electric,” he said. “The technology is there, the innovation is there. We want to make sure Scout is prepared for the next 100 years. We’re not building a two-year brand.”

It will be worth watching how advances between now and 2027 shape Scout’s approach, and whether early demand for flexibility gives way to full electrification once the infrastructure finally keeps pace.

The Mercedes G-Class has been around since the 1970s, yet it’s never faced a true rival from fellow German heavyweights BMW or Audi, which is surprising considering how often all three companies shadow each other’s every move.

That, however, may be about to change. Both brands are reportedly developing their own rugged SUVs, hinting that the G-Wagen’s long-standing reign could finally meet some proper competition.

A Rugged Dream Revived

Audi has been flirting with the idea of a Quattro-badged SUV positioned above the Q7 and Q8 for years. Back in 2023, former design chief Marc Lichte first hinted at the project, believing there was enough room in the market alongside the Land Rover Defender and the Mercedes G-Class.

Although Lichte has since been succeeded by Massimo Frascella, the concept appears very much alive.

More: BMW Is Planning A Rugged G-Class Rival That May Kill The XM

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner recently spoke to Autocar, adding fuel to the speculation. He confirmed that the brand hasn’t abandoned its ambition for a true off-road 4×4, encouraging enthusiasts to “stay tuned.”

Illustrations: Theottle

While Audi continues to streamline its lineup as part of the Volkswagen Group’s cost-cutting drive, Döllner still believes there’s space for a halo model.

“There is no niche banner,” he said. “It’s just the opposite. It works perfectly to have a more focused line-up in the core, and in addition to that have some niche models to build the brand and to also transfer new ideas from a niche segment into the core products. That works perfectly and this is part of our strategy.”

Concept Hints and Shared DNA

Earlier this year, Audi presented the Q6 e-tron Offroad Concept featuring a raised stance, portal axles, a reworked body kit, and grippy all-terrain tires. While this study could evolve into a production vehicle, any true G-Wagen rival would likely be a standalone model rather than an off-road variant of an existing SUV like the Q6 e-tron Sportback.

More: Audi Says Q6 e-tron Offroad Concept “Gives A Taste Of A Potential Vehicle”

A logical foundation for the project could come from the Scout Traveler SUV and Tera pickup, potentially sharing their ladder-frame chassis, 4WD setup with locking front and rear differentials, and both fully electric and range-extender powertrain options. More importantly, it could help Audi avoid costly R&D investments.

Based on current VW Group resources, an internal combustion version seems improbable, as the only available ladder-frame platform is that of the aging VW Amarok from South America.

Built In America?

The toughest Audi yet could be manufactured in the Scout facility in South Carolina, sparing it from import tariffs. Döllner confirmed that the company is considering U.S. manufacturing for upcoming models, though the final decision will depend on a “stable tariff situation” and other “regulatory boundary conditions.”

He added that while it would be logical for the brand to employ an existing VW Group facility on this side of the Atlantic, a “specific Audi factory” could also happen, depending on how they are “aligned” with the US government.

What It Might Look Like

Shortly after the report came out, independent digital artist Theophilus Chin released renderings of a speculative Audi Q-Wagon, built on the Scout Traveler’s proportions. The design integrates Audi’s cues into a full-size SUV body, balancing squared-off lines with smoother surfacing.

More: Audi A4 Returns As EV With Concept TT Styling To Give BMW Something To Worry About

If Audi does bring such a model to life, it could adopt styling elements from the more recent Concept C, whose slim vertical grille and horizontal headlight arrangement are expected to influence several upcoming models, including the next A4 e-tron.

Sources: Autocar