The International Scout could return as an EV Off-Roader

The iconic International Scout was ahead of its time as the first SUV, originally manufactured between 1961 and 1980. And while it’s still a hard-to-find classic collector’s vehicle, Volkswagen wants to revive the off-roader as a new EV for America. state

In a report earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal said German automaker Volkswagen, which bought the rights from International (Navistar) in 2021, will launch a “new Scout-branded electric SUV” alongside an electric pickup truck. Personally, this news sounds fantastic.

Reports immediately began to suggest that it will rival Rivian, which launched the first modern electric truck, the Rivian R1T, as an “adventure vehicle.” Still, this move could help VW take on bigger electric competition overall. We heard similar rumors in 2021 after VW acquired Navistar, but now it looks like this really could happen.

The company plans to vote on the measure and, if it passes, will bring a new “Scout” electric vehicle brand to the United States, focused primarily on electric trucks and SUVs.

According to VW America boss Johan de Nysschen, the Scout could be similar to the Rivian R1T and R1S but priced closer to $40,000 instead of $70,000. The image above is reportedly an early concept render shared with TechCrunchwhich looks like a modern International Harvester Scout combined with the Rivian R1S.

It sounds like VW wants to revive the lineup as an entirely new electric off-road vehicle brand under the Scout name and could invest more than $100 million in the new venture. So VW will likely need some outside financing or take the company public with an IPO to ramp up R&D and production and get the vehicles on the road.