The pickup is far from being a new segment for Volkswagen, who already has the Amarok, whose renewal is long overdue. But the German brand has an Achilles heel called the United States, where these dump trucks are the main market. But Volkswagen may have found the solution: a new electric pickup. The confirmation was given by the group, even if it is not a model coming soon, given that the forecast for its launch is dated 2026.
Volkswagen appears to be reacting to multiple electric pickup announcements in the US, where Ford leads the way with its F150 Lightning. A great success which is also due to the lack of competition. Rivian cannot compete industrially with Ford, and the other competitors have not yet released their models. The only one that could potentially give Ford a hard time is the pickup GMC Hummer EV, but it is much more expensive.
The Volkswagen pickup therefore has a chance to make its way into the American market. The problem, however, as previously mentioned, is that it will not arrive before 2026. Four years where, surely, the other brands will not be idle.
Volkswagen, the electric pick-up and the 4 × 4 unveiled in two images
The German brand has unveiled the first images that show two models based on the same platform and which are 100% electric: the pick-up and a 4 × 4 very focused on off-road.
The second model announced by the Wolfsburg house it is therefore an electric 4 × 4, which will bear a name already known in the past, or Scout. This revived name is due to Traton, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, which merged in 2020 with Navistar, which is the successor of International Harvester. And it is to the latter company, which disappeared in the 80s, that we owe the first, original Scout. This was a small, simple and inexpensive 4 × 4 that many compared to the first generation Ford Bronco when it was marketed in the 1960s and 1970s.
For Volkswagen, the relaunch of the Scout in electric is a great opportunity thanks to the popularity of a much loved model in the United States of the 60s and 70s. It could also give a new, younger and more dynamic image to the group, which also has l’ID Buzz, a model that in the Americans brings back the good memories of Woodstock.
The electric Scout and pickup will be designed and manufactured in the United States. And nothing indicates for the moment that they will be sold in Europe, where their size could be a problem.