VW’s EV Subsidiary May be Scouting for Public Offering in Future

by Michael Strong

Published: May 11th, 2026

vws ev subsidiary may be scouting for public offering in future

Volkswagen’s U.S.-based EV subsidiary, Scout Motors, was set up to become its own company in the future.

Scott Keogh, Scout’s CEO, told Handelsblatt the company was designed to be its own company from the get-go. The move to draw cash from investors was “an option that is on the table,” he told the German newspaper over the weekend.

He noted that despite the company’s delayed production schedule, spinning off from its German parent company is still a realistic possibility. He noted there are U.S. investor groups still bullish on the growth of electric vehicles and the country’s “industrial renaissance.” He didn’t offer specific firms.

Before there is a public offering, VW officials are hoping the Scout will fulfill its mission of expanding the German automaker’s market share in the U.S. However, the recent production delays has engendered some doubt in the mind of many top decision makers, Handelsblatt reported.

Keogh, who headed up VW of America before taking the lead role at Scout, noted the company’s robust trucks and SUVs paired with gasoline-powered range extenders have been the company’s most popular pre-ordered vehicles. In fact, 87 percent ⁠of more than 170,000 pre-orders included range extenders.

Last month it was revealed Scout’s first vehicles will be delayed with the Traveler SUV not arriving until 2028 and the Terra pickup in 2030. AutoForecast Solutions, which produces a regular forecast of when vehicles will begin or change production, said in a report that production of the Traveler SUV will begin Sept. 1, 2028. Meanwhile, the Terra pickup will start March 1, 2030. Both vehicles will be produced at the company’s new plant in Blythewood, South Carolina, just outside Columbia.

Both vehicles were initially slated to begin March 1, 2028, but the company is taking more time to shakedown the vehicles, the first for the newly formed company, which was created in 2022. Production was initially targeted for next year.

Traveler orders came in at nearly a 3-to-1 ratio over the Terra pickup, Scout officials noted, adding there were more than 160,000 reservations for vehicles earlier this year. The Blythewood plant will be capable of producing 200,000 vehicles annually, and is expected to employ about 4,000 people when at full capacity.

[Images: Scout Motors]

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#scoutmotors #Volkswagen #ElectricVehicles #CEOScoutMotors #ScottKeogh

Michael Strong

Michael Strong has spent more than 25 years writing about the automotive industry. A Detroit-area native, he’s written about everything from local car shows to product reviews to financial news. Currently he writes and edits for a variety of national and local publications. He’s also a longtime member of the Automotive Press Association and the International Motor Press Association, and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Hail Southern! Despite a love for ’70s land yachts and BMWs from the late ’80s and early ’90s, his personal vehicle is neither of those.

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7 of 25 comments

Jrhmobile on May 12, 2026

This is subterfuge.

And providing a rationalization to establish Scout "separate enough" to justify direct sales and bypass state dealership laws. These plans will dissipate once enough factory showrooms are established around the country.

2 Reply
- Hummer on May 12, 2026
  
  It's a stopgap to see if the company is successful enough to become a real player in the industry.
  Basically two routes for new brands to get to the market.
  
  Tesla - Where they fight every state that does not allow direct sales until they're large enough and selling enough cars to justify dealerships just like all the other brands.
  Ineos - Where they don't have the money to fight for direct sales so they just get a couple bespoke hole in the walls to support them with varying degrees of success.
  
  1
Program on May 12, 2026

tbf, i thought all the ev kickstarter type startups from 10+ years ago were vaporware. a bunch of them now make cars ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

1 Reply
- See 3 previous
- Hummer on May 13, 2026
  
  I mean to be fair Tesla is the only successful one of the lot, Rivian would be a distant #2 but it is still heavily dependent on regular cash injections to keep the doors open. Lucid is barely clinging on relying heavily on Saudi investors. The chance Rivian or Lucid is still around in 10 years just doesn't seem likely. Rivian may get folded into VW but VW isn't exactly on the up and up at this point either.
  
  Like
- The Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla on May 13, 2026
  
  Can't leave out Faraday Future. They're still a thing...somehow.
  
  Like
- Hummer on May 13, 2026
  
  I haven't heard that name in what seems like years, yea I forgot it. There was another, Karma a couple years ago - I think all of those may be bricked now due to issues and lack of support?
  
  Like
- Lloyd Bonified on May 14, 2026
  
  I'll lease an EV so I can invest in them
  
  1
- Lloyd Bonified on May 18, 2026
  
  A bunch being 1 or 2?
  
  Like Flagged comment

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