American market this is important for Volkswagen Group. For this reason, in 2020 the German group decided to relaunch the Scout brand, obtained through the acquisition of Navistar, by launching SUVs and electric pickups. The German company announced in March that it would build a new plant in South Carolina, near Columbia, to produce the models. This is an investment of approximately $2 billion.
And now an interesting report from the German newspaper Kleine Zeitung. Apparently, the development of these models Magna-Steyr will work. According to what was said (later confirmed by Magna-Steyr itself), in exchange for developing the first two electric models under the Scout brand, Volkswagen would pay Magna-Steyr approximately 450 million euros.
Cars that will then be produced at Volkswagen’s new plant in South Carolina. Production is expected to begin in 2026, with development already underway. In its first full year of production, 2027, 150,000 Scout models are expected to be built at the U.S. plant.
The deal wouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given that there have been rumors in the past that Magna-Steyr might produce these models. Ultimately, it looks like Volkswagen will produce the cars, with Magna-Steyr taking care of the development. It’s too early to talk about technical specifications, but the report talks about cars with a length of about 5 meters and a power reserve of about 650 km.
SUVs and electric pickups will rely on one new platform Specially designed for battery powered vehicles. A platform that, according to past rumors, could may also be of interest to Audi develop an electric SUV to compete with the Mercedes G-Class.
Magna-Steyr is one of the largest contract manufacturers in the automotive industry and works with many major automakers. The future electric Mercedes G-Class (EQG) will also be produced at the plant in Graz, Austria. Therefore, all that remains is to wait for additional information about Volkswagen’s project for the Scout brand.
Source: HD Motori
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.