Volkswagen announced a while back that it intends to revive Scout as a standalone brand inside the Volkswagen Group. There are few things clear so far, but one Scout fan claims the future EVs won’t be like anything Volkswagen has in its stable.
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America has high hopes for the future electric vehicles built under the Scout name. In May, when it announced the revival of the vintage brand, Volkswagen made it clear that the future Scout EVs would be capable off-roaders true to the brand’s heritage. For that, Volkswagen announced that the new brand would operate independently inside the Volkswagen Group, with very little interference from the Volkswagen brand.

One way or another, Volkswagen acknowledged its failure with other off-road vehicles, including Amarok. The first Volkswagen pickup was such a flop that the German company had to outsource the development of its second generation to Ford. Moreover, Volkswagen was never successful in the U.S. That’s why the company named an American as Scout’s CEO and is willing to give him a blank check.

And it turns out the newly appointed management will put Scout on a different course than Volkswagen. According to Scout enthusiast Jeff Bade, who attended a meeting with the Scout Motors team, the future electric off-roaders will not have many things in common with Volkswagen EVs. This means no MEB skateboard platform but a dedicated off-road platform that would make its International Harvester Scout ancestors proud.

According to Bade, the Scout team takes the Scout community very seriously and intends to offer vehicles that are both capable and very customizable. This means Scout will work with aftermarket companies and enthusiasts to make that happen. The SUV and pickup truck wearing the Scout badge would also be affordable. However, this is debatable, especially considering we’re talking about electric vehicles.

To make them affordable, Volkswagen would need to share the development costs, and Ford is in pole position. The Blue Oval has the know-how to develop capable off-roaders, and it knows how to make a compelling electric vehicle. More than that, it has just announced that it’s working on a new electric pickup on a dedicated platform. This sure sounds like something the future Scout vehicles could use, allowing both Ford and Volkswagen to slash development costs.

In a somewhat surprising decision that is unforeseen, but has made many people happy, Volkswagen is bringing back buttons to its steering wheels. It is not yet clear what model will get them back first, but the way that this was all announced sounds like it is already decided. Many customers want VWs to have buttons on the steering wheel, not touch controls.
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The exciting news (for some future VW owners, at least) comes from Thomas Schafer, who is a Volkswagen AG board member, and he recently posted the big return of buttons on steering wheels on his LinkedIn page.

According to Schafer, the push-buttons on steering wheels are not the only thing to return to Volkswagen, but it was the only example that mentioned a particular element.

The Volkswagen AG board member explained that the company is sharpening its portfolio, and its design, and “creating new simplicity in operating our vehicles.” Well, that last part is a bit of an overstatement, as the German marque was known for how easy it was to find everything once you got behind the wheel.

With the risk of being a tad bland, the German company made it easy for someone who only drove a Golf Mk3 or Golf IV back in the day to get in a recently made model and easily understand where all the essential controls would be. The latter part changed with the eight-generation Golf, which switched its control interface from buttons to touch surfaces.

The change was a bit too much even for some diehard VW enthusiasts, as something that they had grown accustomed to was dramatically changed. Each button had a touch surface instead of it, and you now had to look at the things that you wanted to press just to be sure you are pressing the right keys. Many years ago, VW had a different plan.

Similarly, the ID range from Volkswagen received the same controls, which made the vehicles feel futuristic in a way but also frustrating to operate at times due to software issues with the multimedia interface.

Now, it is important to note that several analysts in the field have underlined that replacing several buttons with a screen may seem like the high-tech way to go, but it is cheaper for automakers to do this because they just need to design a simple layout to be shown on screen and work with the several touch-sensitive surfaces.

While the change announcement is as close to being official as possible since we take Schafer's position into account, we will have to wait for it to happen to be sure it has been done.

Earlier this year, the Volkswagen brand updated its MIB 3.0 modular infotainment matrix software. The evolution brought new features like more information in the digital gauge cluster, Park Assist Plus, and Travel Assist. It also tried to amend a few foibles we (and many others) have complained about since MIB's debut, improving touch recognition, speeding response times to touch inputs, tweaking the user experience, and adding over-the-air updates so owners don't need to drive to the dealer for enhancements.

As we found in our First Drive of the 2023 Volkswagen ID.4, the most infuriating components remain, like the capacitive buttons everywhere, the non-illuminated volume and HVAC controls, and some odd button placement. Brand chief Thomas Schäfer spoke to Car magazine at the L.A. Auto Show and promised continuous updates over the next two years.

He explained the uproar from buyers and testers had gotten so bad that the Volkswagen Group Board stepped in and continues to be involved in monthly meetings about the system. The first task has been to figure out the brand identity, then the specific model identity. After that, it's about creating a logic to ergonomics and functionality for the brands and models that use the system by asking questions like, "What are the top 10 functions that customers always need?" and putting those on the first level of hard buttons. The secondary function are then decided and placed. Once that's decided, he said the imperative is "Keep it the bloody same. Don’t change it around!"

We're told the board meetings aren't merely discussions, they're for trying out improvements, "The [technical] team puts together mock-ups and we sit down and try them. We can say: 'This doesn’t really work. Who the hell did this? Next!'" More frequent clinics get random outsiders of all ages and abilities testing new ideas. "If you listen carefully," Schäfer said, "you find out what you should and shouldn't do." All of this sounds so basic, but so many basic and good ideas get shoved overboard when a company wants to be first, and everything is sacrificed to make the deadline.

The MIB 3.0 overhaul begins as soon as "in the next few weeks" with a software update, but we don't know what that contains. Meanwhile, now that OTA updates are part of the mix, incremental tweaks will come quicker. Next year, all of the sliders will be illuminated, and revised steering wheels debuting on the new Tiguan will begin the return of physical buttons to the cockpit. Additional hardware changes will carry on into 2024. Naturally, the hardware needs the most time thanks to the VW Group's size, Schäfer calling the physical revisions "a monumental task – because you have to change 100 tools and so many suppliers globally to change it into something new."

The ID.7 sedan and Tiguan are expected to show sometime next year.

BERLIN — Volkswagen is in talks with Taiwan's Foxconn about a partnership to build vehicles for the Scout brand, German autos publication Automobilwoche reported on Tuesday, citing Volkswagen company sources.

Volkswagen said in May it planned to reintroduce the Scout off-road brand, creating a separate, independent company to build Scout trucks and SUVs starting in 2026 that will be designed, engineered, and manufactured in the United States for U.S. customers.

Foxconn, best known for assembling Apple's iPhone, has expanded into building electric vehicles for auto brands such as Lordstown, hoping for 5% market share in EV manufacturing by 2025.

Volkswagen said it would not comment on speculation about possible partnerships. Foxconn declined to comment.

Volkswagen is also in talks with Magna Steyr, a subsidiary of Magna International, who have been looking to build a plant in the United States, Automobilwoche reported.

Volkswagen is having second thoughts about its electric vehicle program and is still pondering whether the ID. brand holds enough strength to be carried over. Fresh rumors indicate that Volkswagen might drop the ID.2 name and use the ID.Golf instead. However it might be named, the new model’s development is well underway, as evidenced in the first pictures of a testing mule.
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Volkswagen’s recent management changes have left things less clear concerning its EV program. The much-hyped Project Trinity is on the back burner, with no clear signs that it might be fast-tracked in the near future. At the same time, Volkswagen abandoned plans for a new EV platform and opted to extend the life cycle of the current MEB architecture. The MEB was never imagined as a long-term solution. But it must continue in a highly competitive market. Even with the planned upgrades, it will be difficult for the MEB+ to hold against Hyundai’s E-GMP and future iterations, to name just one competitor.

To make things even more confusing, Volkswagen is not sure it wants to keep the ID. brand going forward. Sure, it sounds a little robotic, although arguably better than Toyota’s bZ, but mixing the EV brand with legacy nameplates doesn’t look like a great idea either. Understandably, Volkswagen wants to preserve its iconic model names in the EV era. Nevertheless, it also plans to go EV-only from 2033, with the European market ditching the combustion engine altogether from 2035. Then why not replace the ID.3 name with the Golf name and ID.4 with the Tiguan?

We’re unsure, but things got much more complicated when we discovered the ID.Golf would not be based on ID.3 but on the upcoming ID.2. Right now, the ID.3 has the same length as the Golf, and it was expected that Volkswagen would launch the ID.2 as an electric version of the Polo. Well, Volkswagen thinks the ID.3 offers more space inside than the Golf, thanks to its electric architecture, and it can get away with calling the ID.2 an ID.Golf.

Based on our sources, the ID.Golf would slot between the Polo and the Golf in size, offering similar interior space to the latter. The ID.Golf would be the first Volkswagen model based on the revamped MEB-Plus platform and is rumored to feature an LFP battery to keep costs down. If our sources are correct, Volkswagen aims to sell the new compact for under 22,500 euros ($24,000 at current exchange rates).

The ID.2/ID.Golf was supposed to draw inspiration from the ID.LIFE design study, but the new management didn’t like Jozef Kaban’s work. Instead, it commissioned the team led by Volkswagen’s new design boss Andreas Mindt to give it a more conventional hatchback shape. Think of a Golf barely changing design between generations, this is how Volkswagen wants it.

The ID.Golf should have conflicting specifications, considering that it uses heavier LFP cells. One Volkswagen source recently told Autocar that the new EV would be much lighter than usual electric vehicles, somewhere between 1,600-1,700 kg (3,500-3,750 lbs). The compact EV would be offered as a single-motor, front-wheel-drive version, which is interesting considering that the ID.3 is rea-wheel drive.

As for its size, it will be considerably shorter than the ID.3 (4,262 mm/167.8 in), based on the first pictures of a testing mule spotted by our photographers. You can see that the mule based on the ID.3 has a much smaller rear door to account for the shortened wheelbase. The same pictures reveal that the ID.Golf has its charging port at the front right, under the A-pillar, unlike the ID.3. The new model is expected to launch in 2025 as a 2026 model year.

Volkswagen is set to begin production of the electric light truck under the Scout brand in 2026. Thanks to generous incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, the German carmaker has decided to drop contract manufacturing plans and instead pursue building its own plant. At the same time, Audi is also looking to start production in the U.S. for the same reasons.

Volkswagen acquired the Scout brand in 2021 and is now preparing to launch an electric pickup truck and an SUV to capitalize on the brand’s off-road prowess. The Scout electric off-roaders are set to start production in 2026, with initial plans to commission production to a contract manufacturer. Magna and Foxconn have been shortlisted for the task, but this plan is now doomed, thanks to the very generous IRA incentives.

Instead of paying another company to assemble the trucks, Volkswagen is considering building them itself in a new local factory. A decision has not yet been made, although it is highly likely. Many car companies have announced plans to set up EV production facilities in the U.S. in light of the Inflation Reduction Act. Volkswagen is already producing the ID.4 in Tennessee, but the group is mulling building at least another plant to accommodate future EV models.

Apart from Scout, Audi is also looking to build its own U.S. assembly plant. Audi’s boss, Markus Deusmann, told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that the carmaker is weighing building an EV factory in the U.S. The move aims to take advantage of the subsidies offered through the Inflation Reduction Act, making local production more enticing. It is unclear whether Audi and Scout vehicles would be assembled in the same plant.

Considering they have very different vehicle lineups, it’s highly unlikely that a common factory makes sense. Still, Audi could build the Audi Q4 e-tron alongside the Volkswagen ID.4 in Chattanooga, thanks to their similarities. On the other hand, Scout could operate a separate production facility that could also produce Volkswagen trucks, provided the German carmaker wants to use the upcoming Scout vehicle platform for its products.

Volkswagen Group's supervisory board met on Friday to discuss plans for two new factories in North America. According to South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, the state will host one dedicated to producing Scout Motors EVs.

Initially, Volkswagen wanted to task a contract manufacturer with the production, but the plans have changed in light of the IRA. Volkswagen will build the trucks in its own factory to benefit from the incentives offered. The rumors have been floating around for some time but got more substantial a week ago. Both Scout and Audi were looking to build new factories to start U.S. production at the time.

Following a board meeting on Friday, Scout has got its factory. This would be the second production facility Volkswagen will operate in the U.S., after the Chattanooga plant where the ID.4 is produced. There is no word yet about Audi's plant, but it would make sense to build the Q4 e-tron on the same production line with the ID.4, considering the similarities. Meanwhile, it's unclear whether Volkswagen intends to produce an electric pickup alongside the Scout EVs.

Although Volkswagen has not made an official announcement at the time of writing, we already know that the Scout Motors factory will break ground in South Carolina. The news was shared on Twitter by the state's governor Henry McMaster Friday morning. According to his tweet, Volkswagen will invest $2 billion in the new factory and employ 4,000 workers to build Scout's electric trucks. Production is expected to start in 2026, in line with the previous target set by Scout Motors and Volkswagen.

Volkswagen acquired the Scout brand in 2021 and is now making it the centerpiece of its strategy to conquer the U.S. market. Volkswagen has lacked a pickup truck in its lineup and thinks that's why it could not sell more cars in North America. Scout should be the perfect tool to boost U.S. sales and help Volkswagen gain 10 percent of the market. Being an American brand will no doubt help, not to mention that Scout will produce two of the most popular vehicle types in North America.

Like Rivian, Scout Motors intends to produce a pickup truck and an SUV, sharing the same dedicated EV platform. Volkswagen vowed to honor Scout's heritage and make the trucks proper off-roaders, pitching the brand against the likes of Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler, like in the good old days. The new company promised to show a concept prototype in 2023, with volume production planned to start in 2026.

Volkswagen is still in doubt about the location of a third factory in North America. This one was called "Volkswagen's first gigafactory" and should produce Li-ion batteries to feed Chattanooga and the newly announced Scout factory in South Carolina. Volkswagen wants to build it in Canada to use its vast mineral resources, but no decision has been made about the location.

WOLFSBURG, Germany — Volkswagen said on Monday it will build its first North American battery cell plant in Canada, granting its cars access to both Canadian and U.S. subsidies as it works to localize its electric vehicle production chain in the region.

Volkswagen confirmed in December it was looking for sites for a plant in Canada after it signed a memorandum of understanding with the country six months prior to secure access to key raw materials for batteries.

Canada, which is home to a large mining sector for minerals including lithium, nickel, and cobalt, is trying to woo companies involved in all levels of the EV supply chain via a multi-billion green technology fund to safeguard the future of its manufacturing heartland in Ontario as the world seeks to cut carbon emissions.

Cars with batteries from the plant will also qualify for thousands of dollars in subsidies under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, allocated to vehicles with a battery made with a minimum proportion of critical minerals extracted or processed in the United States or a country with a U.S. free-trade agreement, or recycled in North America.

The U.S. Treasury is due to release details on this guidance in March.

VW's Monday's announcement did not specify the size of the investment or the capacity of the new plant, but board member Thomas Schmall said in August the company was targeting 20 gigawatt hours of capacity at its first North American site.

Volkswagen has long said it is working towards setting up regional supply chains in Europe, North America and China for EV production in light of high transport and logistic costs, supply chain risks and geopolitical tensions.

It announced last week its Scout brand would build a $2 billion manufacturing plant near Columbia, South Carolina, for trucks and SUVs, with production to start in 2026.

The IRA gave the company an incentive to prioritize decisions on North American investments, it said last week, adding plans for battery plants in Europe were still in place but that it would wait to see whether the IRA spurred Europe to offer better incentives.

Volkswagen (VOW.DE) achieved something on Wednesday that Tesla (TSLA) couldn’t at its investor day this month — show off a sub-$30,000 electric vehicle (EV).

At an event in Hamburg, Germany, Volkswagen offered a first glimpse of its ID.2all concept, a car that will cost less than 25,000 euros ($26,400) and go into production for the European market in 2025. VW didn't mention whether the car would eventually come to the U.S. (The even smaller, even cheaper ID.1 surely won't.)

"The ID.2all shows where we want to take the brand. We want to be close to the customer and offer top technology in combination with fantastic design," Volkswagen Passenger Cars CEO Thomas Schäfer said. "We are implementing the transformation at pace to bring electric mobility to the masses.”

Sized between a Polo compact hatchback and a Golf, Volkswagen says the ID.2all will be offered with "improved footprint" from an interior point of view. Generally speaking this means the EV powertrain and battery setup will allow for more interior space.


VW says the ID.2all also "introduces the new design language for our future models" for the auto giant. Inside, the ID.2all concept has a brand new HMI system — or user interface — with actual knobs and buttons, Volkswagen said. Models like the current Golf R have received criticism for removing buttons and making users have to find and access functions with the touchscreen, which can be cumbersome.

Volkswagen says the production version of the ID.2all will feature a front wheel drive architecture using MEB entry platform for EVs, have 450 km of estimated range, and feature 150kW fast charging.

The ID.2all will be one of 10 new EVs Volkswagen plans to launch by 2026. One of those, Volkswagen says, will be another that will cost less than 20,000 euros ($21,000).

Just this week VW said it will spend $193 billion (180 billion euros) over the next 5 years into what the company is calling its “most attractive profit pools,” which include battery production, expanding its footprint in North America, and digitalization efforts and products in China.

VW says two-thirds of the spending will be earmarked specifically for electrification and digitalization — meaning auto software and user-interface features, for example. VW says there will be ongoing investment in gas-powered engines, which are expected to peak in 2025, then eventually tail off.

Volkswagen keeps adding ingredients to its electric vehicle pot, but we won't know what fare the automaker's going to serve us for a few more years. The Germans introduced the ID.2all concept this week, an entry-level addition to the ID hatchback range sized between the 160.3-inch-long Volkswagen Polo and the 168.7-inch-long Golf. Sitting on the MEB platform used by current products like the ID.3 and ID.4 and due by 2026, not only will the ID.2all inaugurate a new EV design language, it will also bring the brand's new infotainment interface. And Top Gear reports the frugal electric hatch will be joined by a hot hatch variant. A VW exec told the outlet a "sporty version," also FWD, is in the works, and, "Whether it will be a GTI or GTX or whatever, we will see."

The standard ID.2all is expected to make 223 horsepower from a single motor on the front axle — there'll be no AWD here, neither in plain nor spicy guise — and get from zero to 62 miles per hour in under 7.0 seconds. That's already a little more output and quicker acceleration than the rear-driver, 201-hp ID.3 Pro Performance. The VW exec wouldn't be drawn on specs for a production hot hatch ID.2all, telling TG those revelations would "be a surprise for the next time we see each other." A bookmark comparison for now, though, would be the current VW GTI that sends its 241 hp to the front axle and gets from 0-60 in a claimed 5.1 seconds when fitted with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

This encouragement to compare the ID2.all concept with the GTI, and the exec's suggestion that the GTI name is at least a possibility, leads us to all sorts of questions about whether we're looking at the next GTI. In league with recent news that the GTI and Golf R will go electric by the end of the decade, the spec chart begs for attention. The ID.2all and GTI performance numbers are already close, ID2.all dimensions putting it near enough to the GTI to provide similar interior room. This is pure speculation, but making the ID.2all a GTI successor could leave the ID.3 GTX to be a Golf R successor or the bones for such. The ID.3 is but an inch shorter than the Golf, and the ID2.all isn't planned to get the hotter ID.3 and Golf R pack AWD drivetrains. We'll know more when VW decides to dish on those surprises like horsepower and naming for the upgraded ID.2all.