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Volkswagen bringing back Scout brand truck as electric vehicle made in America

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Re: Volkswagen bringing back Scout brand truck as electric vehicle made in America

#31

Post by EricE »

kurthr wrote: post #12
actionablefiber wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get the sense that the pickup truck market in the U.S. particularly in suburbs is driven by brand marketing rather than consumer needs. People are paying a premium, in the cost of purchasing as well as in the cost of insuring, maintaining, and fueling, for the image of the rugged individualistic American ready for any terrain, weather, or load that needs hauling, and maximally armored to "win" should they ever hit…

The giant king cab luxury seating is the only thing available on the larger and more expensive models unless you have access to fleet purchasing. They definitely have a market and they've tuned product lines for it. There are even supersport models. Personally, I hate the short-beds cuz you can't easily transport lumber or plywood sheets.

Both the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Ranger have tail gates that will partially lower to the same level as the tops of the wheel wells, providing a perfect platform for 4x8 sheets of plywood. I have a friend with a Ranger and we have hauled plywood and other larger objects with no issues. Would I want to do it routinely? Probably not - but for casual hauling they work well enough. I would expect the Scout to be designed in a very similar way.

I've owned trucks with 8 foot beds in the past - I'd rather have a second row of seats and a smaller bed as well as a vehicle that's overall smaller than the 8 foot bed trucks of old. These newer designs are a great compromise of functionality and convenience, which is why you are seeing them take over the lower end.

What I really want is the return of true micro pickups like the original Nissan hard body :(

Re: Volkswagen bringing back Scout brand truck as electric vehicle made in America

#32

Post by toast0 »

orangepurple wrote: post #15

I have heard that VW suffers in the USA because of extremely poor and predatory dealership experiences

I bought a new 2011 TDI JettaSportwagen and didn't find the dealer experience any worse or better than my other dealer experiences (2007 Ford, 2017 Chrysler). Dieselgate was a disappointment, but I was thrilled with how they handled it; we had grown out of the car, and they purchased it at a nice price with zero fuss. I would love it if that happened again.

Re: Volkswagen bringing back Scout brand truck as electric vehicle made in America

#33

Post by EricE »

renewiltord wrote: post #24

I would absolutely love a pickup truck that I can use in SF. All the modern ones are absolutely humongous. I had a Titan and that thing was enormous . Cost me absolute bags of money to offset the carbon. Ultimately, I just want something with a bed that I can strap my bike down and take somewhere to ride. You can't really do that with the Forester I have now.

Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick are two recent models moving in the right direction for those of us who would like to see true mini-pickups return to the US.

Re: Volkswagen bringing back Scout brand truck as electric vehicle made in America

#34

Post by alistairSH »

corrral wrote: post #27
rootusrootus wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would wager it is only the retail market where the non-crew-cab is nearly extinct. A two seat pickup is a niche vehicle, about as useful for carrying a family around as a two seat sports car.

> A two seat pickup is a niche vehicle, about as useful for carrying a family around as a two seat sports car. Not to country folk—kids ride in the bed. Or crammed in the middle if there aren't too many of them and they're still fairly small and you're lucky enough to still have a bench seat.

Not legally (in many states).

Re: Volkswagen bringing back Scout brand truck as electric vehicle made in America

#35

Post by macintux »

Animats wrote: post #30
macintux wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Citation? I follow Jeep news very closely and haven’t heard any rumblings of a 2-door cancellation. Electric seems inevitable, however.

See http://www.google.com * "Jeep Ending Wrangler Two-Door Sales In Key Market" [1] * "Stellantis to Kill the Two-Door Jeep Wrangler in Europe" [2] * https://www.jeep.com/ Note total absence of 2 door models in pictures. * Electric available only in 4-door.[3] [1] https://carbuzz.com/news/jeep-ending-wrangler-two-door-sales... [2] https://www.autoevolution.com/news/stellantis-to-kill-the-tw... [3] https://www.jeep.co…

Ah, yes, I tend to forget there’s a world outside the U.S.

I think the electric Wrangler will arrive in time to save the 2-door in the U.S.

Re: Volkswagen bringing back Scout brand truck as electric vehicle made in America

#36

Post by corrral »

alistairSH wrote: post #34
corrral wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A two seat pickup is a niche vehicle, about as useful for carrying a family around as a two seat sports car. Not to country folk—kids ride in the bed. Or crammed in the middle if there aren't too many of them and they're still fairly small and you're lucky enough to still have a bench seat.

Not legally (in many states).

Never stopped country folk before. See also: shooting stop signs.

Doesn't work for suburbanites with trucks, though.

Re: Volkswagen bringing back Scout brand truck as electric vehicle made in America

#37

Post by balls187 »

> Despite its global standing as the world's second-largest carmaker, Volkswagen is a chronic underachiever in the United States.

There is a large community of VW enthusiasts in the US, and yet that market is never treated as anything other than an afterthought by VW.

Despite being 2nd generation VW owner (my dad drove an original beetle, and my first and second vehicles were both Golfs), my next vehicle will be a Ford.

Re: Volkswagen bringing back Scout brand truck as electric vehicle made in America

#38

Post by jagger27 »

ThePhysicist wrote: post #29
josephpmay wrote: post #16

This is actually a pretty interesting story, from a career perspective: The CEO of VW North America is on vacation with his family, sees a restored classic Scout, and falls in love with it. He finds out that coincidentally VW now owns the rights to the Scout brand, so he steps down from his post to start a new Scout subsidiary.

Startup life has ruined me, so I'll never be able to believe such an origin story anymore and always assume it's something that PR/marketing has made up.

The most believable part of the story is that the exec didn’t know Volkwagen Group had the rights to the name. The company is absolutely gargantuan.

It’s a great move. Of the main VW brands I can’t think of one that I would associate with rugged vehicles. SUVs, sure, but not pickup trucks.

Re: Volkswagen bringing back Scout brand truck as electric vehicle made in America

#39

Post by balls187 »

browningstreet wrote: post #25
orangepurple wrote: post #15

I have heard that VW suffers in the USA because of extremely poor and predatory dealership experiences

I bought VWs & Audis in 3 states and had no issues. I also had zero problems with any of my cars... including A6s and my last VW product was a VW CC. But after that, the cars were always out of step with what they were competing with. VW started making "VWs cars for Americans in America", like the Atlas. I bought a Highlander because the Atlas was bigger than I wanted, had less tech (at the beginning, not true at the…

> I wanted an R as my last ICE vehicle, couldn't get one to save my life, and I tried.

Some how I got a 2016 R (manual) on launch; it's my current vehicle, and I cannot bear the idea of parting with it, but I will most likely be selling it to by a EUV.

Re: Volkswagen bringing back Scout brand truck as electric vehicle made in America

#40

Post by jmann99999 »

zactato wrote: post #6

I hope this ends up being smaller than the F150. I get the popularity of that form factor, but I simply don't believe that many people are hauling yards of soil or towing boats. 2 Seats + 6 Foot bed seems like a winning combination in practicality, but is quite rare in the US.

You haven't been camping in Utah recently. If you did, you would wonder whether anyone has any other vehicle besides an F150/250/350. It's incredible.
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