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 from 1961 to 1980. And while it’s still a hard-to-find classic collector vehicle, Volkswagen wants to revive the off-roader as a new EV for the United States.

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

Reports instantly started suggesting it’ll rival Rivian, which released the first modern electric truck, the Rivian R1T, as an “adventure vehicle.” Still, this move could help VW take on the bigger electric competition in general. We heard similar rumors in 2021 after VW acquired Navistar, but now it sounds like this could really happen.

The company plans to vote on the move, and if approved, it will bring a new “Scout” brand of electric vehicles to the United States, focused mainly on electric trucks and SUVs.

According to VW America’s boss Johan de Nysschen, the Scout could be similar to the Rivian R1T and R1S but with a price tag closer to $40,000 instead of $70,000. The image above is reportedly an early concept render shared with TechCrunch, which 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 off-road EV brand under the Scout name and could invest upwards of $100 million into the new venture. Then, VW would likely need some outside funding or take the company public with an IPO to increase R&D and production, and get the vehicles on the road.