Gladiator vs. Scout?

[SpeedNeed]

The Wall Street Journal
By William Boston
May 10, 2022

“Volkswagen Is Bringing Back the Scout, the SUV Pioneer, as an EV.”


“The plan would see Scout operate as a subsidiary of VW in the U.S. alongside other VW brands—Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini and Bentley.”

”From the 1960s until it stopped production in 1980, Scout was a fierce rival to Land Rover, Jeep, and the Ford Bronco. Under VW’s plan, the Scout subsidiary would have its own management, just like VW’s other brands.”

”VW acquired the rights to the Scout brand name with its acquisition of Navistar International Corp. in 2020.”

“The pickup truck is expected to be about the size of VW’s Amarok. The difference, the people said, is that both Scout vehicles will be fully electric and conceived as off-road. VW officials said vehicles built under the Scout badge would aim to rival electric off-road offerings in the midrange segment, rather than big trucks such as Ford’s electric F150 Lightning, which launched in April.”

Full article:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/volksw...t-the-suv-pioneer-as-an-ev-11652220001?page=1

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[Zissou]

I'll believe it when I see it.

Like when Chevy "brought back" the Blazer a couple years ago. Just ended up being a crossover.

I would love for this Scout to be super cool; competition benefits us consumers.

 

[mgw750]

Well. Being EV only will more than likely put it out of the price range of most.

 

[Trailman]

I hope this is very cool. But for primarily off-road use I'm also skeptical. Off-road battery usage tends to give what, 1/4 or 1/3 normal estimated on-road range? That's extremely limiting in the backcountry, where you are unlikely to find a charge.

 

[SpeedNeed]

We’ll see .. it will get enormous press if and when officially announced. VW is the size of say GM + Ford combined. Launching a new brand (not just a new model) would involve building at Least one new plant in the US, new showrooms etc. - a huge multi-year process.

I totally agree that cost and range are lousy for this purpose right now (that 2-year waiting list of Ford Lightning buyers may disagree). But it’s technology, it improves very quickly. if EV‘s were cell phones, we are here right now:

 

[Roctoy]

Will be scout in name only! They have no original ideas.

 

[Rahkmalla]

Launching a new brand (not just a new model) would involve building at Least one new plant in the US, new showrooms etc. - a huge multi-year process.

See Genesis. Zero new plants, zero new showrooms. Though it is fair to say they are suffering from the showroom bit. I can't imagine people used to buying BMWs liking being treated the way people are typically treated in a Hyundai dealership.

 

[Lunentucker]

Just saw that on motor trend.
I'm interested.
https://www.motortrend.com/news/volkswagen-international-scout-ev-pickup-truck-suv/

 

[Barnaby’sdad]

As a former (four time) VW owner…hard pass. If they do introduce that here, it’s most likely not going to be what people In this forum are wanting.

Years ago…all they had to do is bring the Amarok over and people (myself included at that point) would have been like “shut up and take my money.” They didn’t bring it over because they didn’t want to, as they didn’t care to align their vehicle line-up (at that point) to reflect the SUV and truck craze in the US.

Cliff notes…they bring to the US market what they want to bring. They give zero f***s about customer input. For some light reading, look up their organizational philosophy in the years leading up to the TDI scandal (there‘s a couple interesting documentaries floating around, too).

 

[SpeedNeed]

i don’t think the cars called “VW’s” have anything to do with the new Scout. I think it’s Porsche and Audi, two top quality brands in the VW Group, contributing to the new Scout.

 

[Pedal Metal]

We’ll see .. it will get enormous press if and when officially announced. VW is the size of say GM + Ford combined. Launching a new brand (not just a new model) would involve building at Least one new plant in the US, new showrooms etc. - a huge multi-year process.

I totally agree that cost and range are lousy for this purpose right now (that 2-year waiting list of Ford Lightning buyers may disagree). But it’s technology, it improves very quickly. if EV‘s were cell phones, we are here right now:

We‘ll have to agree to disagree with the above romanticized notion of where the electric vehicles are compared to the brick phone example, because this example likens the EV industry’s progression to that of the breakneck progression of cell phones. However, consider that we are 20+ years away from GM’s failed EV1 experiment which would have been the stage of the brick phone. And yet the example is still being made that we are at the beginning brick phone stage? Just saying! Worse, we haven’t even a proven path forward and working to possibly degrade our proven path without a solution that can be proven to be more than half and non-truths. The only thing I’m sure of is that influence peddling and crony capitalism is big business and business must be good.

 

[yoda13]

I love my GTI, buts it’s finicky, and this is a VW EV, hard pass…

 

[Barnaby’sdad]

i don’t think the cars called “VW’s” have anything to do with the new Scout. I think it’s Porsche and Audi, two top quality brands in the VW Group, contributing to the new Scout.

The issue in question was a VAG issue (impacted Porsche and Audi vehicles, as well) and was not unique to VW branded vehicles, but hey…I’m sure they learned their lesson from that whole mishap.

They LITERALLY discussed the possibility of having a gas chamber in which they would place test subjects (monkeys) and pump vehicle exhaust in to try and convince people that the vehicles exhaust was safe.

Edit: Sorry, I misspoke. They actually did that. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-42876336

 

[Willpower1]

We‘ll have to agree to disagree with the above romanticized notion of where the electric vehicles are compared to the brick phone example, because this example likens the EV industry’s progression to that of the breakneck progression of cell phones. However, consider that we are 20+ years away from GM’s failed EV1 experiment which would have been the stage of the brick phone. And yet the example is still being made that we are at the beginning brick phone stage? Just saying! Worse, we haven’t even a proven path forward and working to possibly degrade our proven path without a solution that can be proven to be more than half and non-truths. The only thing I’m sure of is that influence peddling and crony capitalism is big business and business must be good.

Yeah but the EV1 was killed, for whatever reason, and resources were NOT put into EVs in the time since the EV1 until fairly recently. R&D into phones on the other hand has been wide open since the early flip phones. You see that sort of no-holds barred R&D on EVs, hydrogen, or any other alternative fuel source, and you’ll see an arc like that of phones I guarantee you. SpeedNeed‘s point is a valid one.

 

[NachoRuby]

i don’t think the cars called “VW’s” have anything to do with the new Scout. I think it’s Porsche and Audi, two top quality brands in the VW Group, contributing to the new Scout.

They aren't that different. My parents' Cayenne is a whole lot similar to a Touareg and a Q7. My GLI was very similar to an A3. Except for the boxer-engined Porsche sports cars, and the Audi R8 (which shares a lot with Lamborghini), they are cut from the same cloth.

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