Scouting the Road Ahead With Scout Motors President and CEO Scott Keogh
Blunt talk from the man in charge of what's been happening with and what's in store for the modern era Scout.
0:00 / 0:00
Scout Motors surprised and delighted the world last October when it debuted two coming-to-an-off-road-park-near-you soon products: the Traveler SUV and the massive Terra pickup truck. Looking somewhat Rivian-esque, closer inspection revealed a well executed restomod design that recalled the OG Scouts of the 1960s and 1970s without being slavishly retro. Both vehicles are EVs reportedly good for 350-miles of range with a twist; both will offer an EREV (extended range electric vehicle) option. Both the Traveler and the Terra will be on sale by the fourth quarter of 2027. The man tasked with overseeing the entire launch? Scott Keogh, Scout's president and CEO.
Scott takes us through everything, from the decision to restart the brand, how Scout is part of, yet separate from, the larger Volkswagen Group, the decision to go direct to consumer, why Scout’s selling EREVs as well as pure EVs, how Rivian’s tech fits into the Scout picture, why South Carolina is the home of the factory, and much, much more. Known for his signature blunt yet friendly style, Keogh pulls no punches while talking about the revived American brand. The only bummer is that there’s still nearly two years of waiting before we can get our greedy paws on either Traveler or Terra. Based on this interview, we’re excited for both.
Are you interested in what Scout Motors will one day have on offer? Then you ought to listen to what Mr. Keogh has to say. Or better yet, watch! Why not both? You can watch the vodcast right here or on our YouTube channel. If audio is your thing, download the podcast here or wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you like it, please tell your friends, share us on social media, like the video, and don't forget to give us a five-star review. Better yet, ask us a question, and if we use if on an episode, we’ll send you some MotorTrend/The InEVitable swag. We hope you enjoyed this episode as much as we did. Remember: Ed and Jonny will be back next week with another new episode of The InEVitable!
When I was just one-year-old and newly walking, I managed to paint a white racing stripe down the side of my father’s Datsun 280Z. It’s been downhill ever since then. Moral of the story? Painting the garage leads to petrolheads. I’ve always loved writing, and I’ve always had strong opinions about cars.
One day I realized that I should combine two of my biggest passions and see what happened. Turns out that some people liked what I had to say and within a few years Angus MacKenzie came calling. I regularly come to the realization that I have the best job in the entire world. My father is the one most responsible for my car obsession. While driving, he would never fail to regale me with tales of my grandfather’s 1950 Cadillac 60 Special and 1953 Buick Roadmaster. He’d also try to impart driving wisdom, explaining how the younger you learn to drive, the safer driver you’ll be. “I learned to drive when I was 12 and I’ve never been in an accident.” He also, at least once per month warned, “No matter how good you drive, someday, somewhere, a drunk’s going to come out of nowhere and plow into you.”
When I was very young my dad would strap my car seat into the front of his Datsun 280Z and we’d go flying around the hills above Malibu, near where I grew up. The same roads, in fact, that we now use for the majority of our comparison tests. I believe these weekend runs are part of the reason why I’ve never developed motion sickness, a trait that comes in handy when my “job” requires me to sit in the passenger seats for repeated hot laps of the Nurburgring. Outside of cars and writing, my great passions include beer — brewing and judging as well as tasting — and tournament poker. I also like collecting cactus, because they’re tough to kill. My amazing wife Amy is an actress here in Los Angeles and we have a wonderful son, Richard.Read More