Volkswagen Group plans to electrify the Scout brand with the aim to form an independent company to design, engineer and manufacture pickups and rugged SUVs for the American market, the company said Wednesday.
The start of production is planned for 2026 in the United States at a location that wasn’t stated in a news release.
Herbert Diess, Volkswagen Group’s chief executive, said in a statement that electrification provides “a historic opportunity to now enter the highly attractive pickup and R-SUV segment as a group, underscoring our ambition to become a relevant player in the U.S. market.”
The decision by the company’s board of management was confirmed by the supervisory board of the Volkswagen Group.
Last month, a report from a German magazine said Volkswagen is looking at building a second plant in the United States, and it could sit next to its existing Chattanooga factory.