Scout Motors has 212,000 vehicle reservations as $2 billion South Carolina plant nears completion

BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. — Electric vehicle startup Scout Motors has notched roughly 212,000 reservations for its upcoming EVs as the company nears completion of its new $2 billion plant in South Carolina, CEO Scott Keogh told CNBC.

The reservations are for the Volkswagen-backed company's Terra pickup truck and Traveler SUV, which are expected to start full production next year before deliveries begin to customers in 2028.

Reservations do not necessarily translate to sales, as the U.S. automotive industry has learned during the past decade, especially with highly anticipated all-electric trucks such as the Ford F-150 Lightning, Tesla Cybertruck and others that garnered strong interest that didn't lead to meaningful numbers of purchases.

Keogh said he expects Scout could roughly double those reservations by the time customer production begins, but he said the more important thing is to convert early interest into actual sales as production nears.

"It's been a consistent drumbeat," Keogh said during an interview at Scout's plant site outside Columbia, South Carolina. "I think we could easily be up over 400,000 with reservations without doing too much effort. The big thing for us is how much of the initial production can we 100% presell."

Keogh said achieving an order book of 12-to-18 months "would be great" and something he thinks the company can do before production. Scout on Thursday said construction is "in its final phase."

Scout's vehicles will be offered as all-electric versions as well as electric hybrid variants, known as extended-range electric vehicles, or EREVs, that include an engine as a backup generator for the electric motors and batteries.

Scout, a former American vehicle brand from 1961 to 1980, was expected to exclusively offer EVs in a bid for the German automaker to expand its presence in the U.S. However, slower-than-expected adoption of EVs and higher costs led the company to decide to offer EREVs as well.

Keogh said the EREVs and SUV are dominating reservations thus far, with roughly 87% choosing EREV models and 75% being SUVs.

Given the interest signaled by reservations, Keogh said the company is expected to launch with the EREVs first, followed by the EVs. He also said the company plans to launch with mid-level models first, a deviation from many companies that begin with their highest-priced models.

"The No.1 thing for me is I want to go get the best volume as soon as possible," Keogh said. "In my mind, it's how quick can you get to 100,000 units? It's at 100,000 units where you can start to punch through."

His comments come months after Rivian Automotive received criticism online for launching its R2 SUV with its highest-priced models first, despite that being a common practice across the automotive industry.

Keogh said Scout's South Carolina plant is about 85% complete, but supporting infrastructure and a $300 million supplier park continue to be installed.

Reservations for Scout's vehicles initially opened in October 2024, when it revealed the Traveler and Terra, which feature sleek, yet rugged, exterior appearances that pay some homage to the brand's historic models.