- Scout is constructing a $2 billion plant in South Carolina
- A part of the build-out consists of the power to deal with contract manufacturing, or constructing autos for different automakers like VW
- This might assist fund Scout’s ventures and even lead to cross-brand tech sharing sooner or later
Scout Motors, the off-road, U.S.-centric model spun off from Volkswagen, is on the point of root itself in South Carolina. When its $2 billion Palmetto State plant comes on-line in 2027, it is working to set the model up for achievement—and never simply with its personal two introductory vans.
See, Scout goes about this in a quite sensible manner. Seemingly not like Volkswagen, Scout has a spotlight on the subject of EVs. It is not about creating home equipment, it is about creating a life-style product {that a} shopper actually needs. And, positive, there’s going to be some tech sharing happening amongst mother or father and baby manufacturers, which is why Scout is hitting the fitness center early so it might flex its manufacturing muscle tissue to the entire automotive business.
Photograph by: Scout Motors
The Blythewood-based facility could have a three-phase launch. In accordance with Joern Petri, the automaker’s VP of Plant Launch, the primary part shall be all about getting the doorways open and pumping out the Traveler SUV adopted by the Terra pickup. After it will get its footing, the plant will proceed to ramp up manufacturing to output round 200,000 autos per yr. And as soon as it does that? Effectively, that is the place issues get fascinating.
Scout really constructed its plant with contract manufacturing in thoughts. That implies that it is going to be capable of construct autos for different OEMs (like Volkswagen) out of the identical facility, permitting it to share its cool tech and instruments throughout manufacturers whereas serving to automakers meet U.S. manufacturing necessities for autos to qualify for the federal EV tax necessities with out the model constructing a complete new manufacturing facility by itself. A win-win, if you happen to ask me.
“We arrange the manufacturing facility in a manner that contract manufacturing is feasible for different VW manufacturers, or whoever is ,” stated Petri throughout a presentation late final month.
It additionally means a fast launch of another fashions that Scout has deliberate sooner or later. I assume that is higher futureproofing than organising a bunch of tents, proper?
Scout’s plant can be set as much as be fully modular. The already large plant is architected form of like Legos, which means that if the necessity for enlargement is there, the model can merely snap on some extra manufacturing facility and proceed constructing. The structure and land are each already there, so understanding that it might double manufacturing capability on very brief discover needs to be a optimistic for any automaker trying to reap the benefits of the model’s provide to deal with contract manufacturing.
All of that being stated, it is possible that Scout will not attain that time till nearer to the highest of the last decade. So whereas all OEMs proceed to get their battery-powered butts in gear, it is good to know that there are extra choices on the market to ramp up EV manufacturing. And if these vans prove half pretty much as good as the general public thinks they’ll, I am positive people would not thoughts a little bit of Scout below the hood.
