There’s nothing like a local hero.
The reborn Scout Motors is working toward launching its electric Terra pickup and Traveler SUV in the next year or so and it’s doing it the American way.
The VW Group-backed automaker is building a factory in Blythewood, S.C., and set up its headquarters an hour away in Charlotte, N.C. It is expecting to create more than 5,000 jobs when things are up and running at full steam, and the effort appears to be appreciated.
Scout Motors VP of Strategy and Development Ryan Decker joined the latest episode of The GAS podcast to talk about the brand’s progress and had an interesting piece of information to share about what part of the USA is most interested in the vehicles, which will be offered in extended-range (EREV) Harvester models with a four-cylinder gas generator that increases their driving range from 350 miles all-electric to 500 miles total.
“Across the board from our reservations and from that research, two things really stood out. EREVs have sort of 50 state appeal. Unlike a lot of new entrants and like unlike a lot of new EV brands that bias heavily towards the coast, we saw normal 50-state state geographic distribution,” Decker said.
But while interest in the vehicles, which will have a starting price of $60,000, is still strongest in typical EV strongholds like California, Decker said demand from two states stand out.
“These are not necessarily number one, two, three, four, or five, but our performance in the Carolinas is over-indexing versus expectations,” Decker said.
“It’s great to see that in sort of our home states and where our factory is, we’re seeing that fandom being built sort of on the ground floor by our neighbors.”
Decker also recounted the fascinating history of the Scout name and how VW Group came to own it and what the outlook is for the start of production and sales.
You can listen to the full interview on The GAS on Spotify, Apple Music or your favorite podcast platform.
