The Volkswagen Group has officially revived the Scout nameplate as a sub-brand, confirming plans to build an electric bakkie and a battery-powered SUV wearing this badge…

Remember recent comments from a Volkswagen executive suggesting the German firm was “actively” looking at building an electric bakkie? Well, turns out that vehicle – along with a battery-powered SUV – will fall under the revived Scout name rather than wear a VW badge.

Yes, the VW Group has announced plans to launch vehicles it describes as an “all-electric pick-up and rugged SUV”. However, the newcomers will be limited to the North American market (at first, at least), with the automaker saying they will be “designed, engineered and manufactured” in the United States for American customers.

Interestingly, a “separate, independent company” will be established in the US, which is where the Scout name comes in. As a reminder, the Scout was a Jeep rival produced in the US by International Harvester from the early 1960s to around 1980. The VW Group acquired the Scout trademark in 2021 and will now use the moniker to enter the electric off-roader scene.

The first Scout prototypes are due to be revealed in 2023, with production scheduled to start in North America by 2026. Fascinatingly, VW says it won’t use existing underpinnings from within theGroup (nor Ford’s Ranger platform as part of the Amarok tie-up), revealing instead the electrified Scout brand will be “built upon a new technical platform concept”.

Arno Antlitz, CFO of Volkswagen AG, confirmed the new company would become “a separate unit and brand within the Volkswagen Group to be managed independently”.