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Volkswagen - backed startup Scout Motorsbroke cover just a few months ago , and at this week’sCES 2025 in Las Vegas , Nevada , they oblige the honor of being one of the only American automakers with a presence at the show .
That ’s not the only affair that stands out about Scout being here , though . In a sea of screens , AI , and voice assistants , Scout is sticking to a far more Hellenic access with its two vehicle , the Traveler SUV and the Terra tone arm . That means regular erstwhile doorway handgrip , not 1 that magically protrude out of the side of the car , as well as optional gas - powered range extenders on both vehicles . And it mean push — dozens of button — at a fourth dimension when many major automakers seem to think physical toggle , lever , or knobs are passé .
Scout ’s not anti - tech . After all , its vehicle will be among the first to utilize thesoftwareand electric computer architecture from the freshly formed joint speculation between Rivian and Volkswagen . Rather , this approaching is in keeping with the fellowship ’s lineage as a mid-20th one C auto brand .
The shadow of Volkswagen looms large over Scout ’s efforts . Will the German giant really stand by and let a new American offshoot sink or swim , or is it stand by like a worried parent ? For what it ’s worth , Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume defended the option to allow Scout chart its own course at an event on the sideline of CES 2025 , say he was determined to bring back an “ American icon . ”
Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh has taken that independency and run with it . The former head of both VW America and Audi of America sat down with TechCrunch at the show to share what it ’s like to run an automotive startup , how he plans to take charge of customers when the vehicles strike the road in 2027 , and , of class — his philosophy on buttons .
This interview has been edit for length .
You have run some pretty storied brands , Audi of America being one of them . Give me three self-aggrandising differences between running what is apparently a startup versus carry a more traditional automaker like that .
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I mean Scout is storied as well . We ’re get to make it more storied when we ’re done with what we ’re doing .
I reckon the first one is , reckon , you may be used to have a big operation behind you , and a lot of people to do a lot of thing . When we started , we had essentially no paysheet system , we had no society automobile program , and it was me . So , numeral one , when you turn behind you to see who was there , it was just you , and you had to go estimate it out and go do it , and go from there .
I think the second thing is you ’re literally thinking about your natural selection almost each and every daytime . And I think at a classic , traditional troupe , it ’s going to run , it ’s going to be there . Here you ’re think about survival of the fittest , and what ’s going to be next , and where do we get the next funding from , and where the next idea is make out from .
The third one is honestly a firing , ripe ? Because with running storeyed troupe , you have storied machine moderating this big affair . It ’s quite liberating when you’re able to total up with theme and see it literally executed , and maybe not have to make 400 PowerPoint slides and present at 18 dissimilar table coming together . So there ’s a liberating side . There ’s also the scare side of being all alone , but I ’m have it away it .
From what I ’ve determine , It take care like a very , maybe not fully develop , but a middling developed set of fomite . Can you tell me about where in the procedure you are , how much you expect to change , and how much piece of work go into getting to a near fully develop stage before you actually showed thing off to the world ?
As Scout , we wanted to be a additive , pragmatic , straightforward mark , so we ’re not fans of , like : “ Here ’s some gaga conception car , ” and then it ’s never gon na see the brightness of day , and there ’s a total disconnect . We want to be a little bit old - schooltime and , like : “ Here ’s what we ’re show , here ’s what we ’re making . ” So as you figure out , we are moderately far along . We have actual scuff out on the route . We ’re testing for noise , we ’re testing for lastingness . We ’re getting the mileage out there , specially in the hiatus , the drive unit and all of that .
So yeah , we are actively test , actively [ try out ] durability , actively validating , as we speak . And also we ’re marrying the product to production . That ’s where we ’re getting into all the workability issue , all the manufacturability issues , and all of that . So yeah , it ’s real , but that ’s what we want to be at Scout . We did n’t need to show some dream that was nonsense and not have it manifest itself in a real product . We want to be pragmatic and straight .
Is there anything dissimilar about that unconscious process of iron everything out compared to the coming you would have rent with a large automaker ?
I remember a lot of the substantive stuff is quite similar . Validation is validation . You have to put the miles on the motorcar . You have to verify everything works , test for the character that you desire in the car in terms of noise and harshness and everything else .
Historically , as you know , I was running an American sales outpost of a European naval division . So to get the line into engineering science and into the mill would plain be a little act slower . Here , everything is super lineal and super fast because , honestly , many of them [ are ] in a room just like this , and we ’re all within 20 to 30 fundament of each other , which is something I really like — that you could get something happening in the mule , or happen with the customer response , and in a flash take action on it , which is cracking .
Now there ’s a downside of that . You have to be careful not to take every impulse and spin the intact organisation , because what we do n’t have is supererogatory people . You need to nibble a path and fulfil on it . If you start to spin , that slacken down . It set out people disorientate . So it ’s a critical affair about when to take action at law on the impulses that we ’re seeing , but much faster , much more verbatim in world-wide .
What Scout is presenting to the human race feels more purposeful than a lot of the other electric vehicle startups we ’ve seen come out over the last mates year .
What move into that ? How do you balance that with the speed that you operate at — adjudicate to ensure that you ’re focused on those customers that you ’re going to eventually have — versus fight down those impetus ?
I think you ’re incisively right . I guess we had two things balanced . I think one thing we definitely feel the burden of fix an icon , and by restoring an icon , we knew there was a bequest , and we knew there was an awful peck of multitude who held this legacy true and dear . And we did n’t want to half - broil it . We did n’t desire to be artful and do some wallpaper use and not make a real car of love and character . So we had that against us .
And then you ’re right , we had a target profile . We had a quarry client . We wanted to verify we build a car to them , and we ask a peck of the tough question . But I think the number one thing we wanted to do was ensure this railroad car had credibleness . And I recall you ’ve seen it with the dead body on material body . I think you ’ve seen it with the self-coloured rear axle . I recollect you ’ve seen it with the , let ’s say , matter - of - fact engineering with regard to the door handgrip and switch and things like that . And I think that plays both means . I think it plays to the inheritance of the original brand and it plays to this American moment .
But you ’re right , whether it ’s the UX that you may or may not see as we voyage this affair , or the range extender that we augmented onto the basic engineering science thing , we 100 % listen to the old - schooltime domain of Scout and the customers who we ’re making the cable car for . frankly , it all got confirm when we did the debut in Tennessee . masses enjoin : “ yeah ! ”
So I conceive you ’re right . If you build it around a client and you build it around a brand thought , beautiful thing can chance , versus … yeah , just kind of spinning around , absolutely .
What is your plan for take care of those client once these vehicle off the road ?
I believe you ’re right . I ’ve , in my mind , already been sort of appear past the stage of … we have a really unspoilt car , it ’s run to get direct well . We have a factory we ’re in the unconscious process of building , and I have few doubts we ’ll get it ramped up . There ’ll be challenges , vast 1 , and we ’ll get it there .
I intend first and foremost what you involve to do is invest . You have to gift in the infrastructure to take care of customers , and that involve an awful long clip to put up , whether it ’s warehouse and the ability to embark portion , whether it ’s the logistics to be able to ensure the cars and parts and technicians can get there , the training for the mass to animate the cars , and everything else .
So in my intellect , the way I look at it is , one , as you know , we will be a lineal to consumer brand . We will progress , directly , the relationship . That allows them to purchase the machine transparently . It allows them to buy the auto with super no - tussle , super - speed , because we ’re orchestrating the entire process around that .
The other affair once you pass that is how we service the car . I call back first and foremost , we ’ve been talking a small scrap in other conversation about the computer architecture of the fomite , but first and foremost , we ’re start to be able to do a lot to update the elevator car and keep them up to belt along remotely .
The second thing , we can do an awful lot of thing in the drive itself . We ’ll bestow technician , we ’ll come to your house and make the hangout and do it . And the third one is the investment . So we will progress out an infrastructure where we can evidence the cars , and sell the cars , but also vivify the auto .
I guess the other affair also , we have to be hard-nosed and straight . We will not be 100 % in every biotic community in America , 50 states , right off the bat , we want to build it up . We ’re only going to move to another market when we properly handle the mart that we ’re in .
But you are right . Nothing will drop the Scout brand quicker than “ I love this car ” and you drip the ball on section availability . You leave out the ball on educate technicians being able to ready it . You drop the glob on keep your promise . I ’m convinced we will do all that , but we have to invest to do it , and that ’s what we ’re doing . It ’s in our business case , it always has been . But I ’m with you . The finish blood line is not the motorcar get down the line . The close line is direction past that .
You mentioned directly to consumer , and now that you are out in the public utter about what you ’re plan to do , you ’re facing challenge . You have states that are giving you some pushback on the direct to consumer sales model . What percentage of your head does that occupy ? How much time do you and the company devote to ingest to work out out that particular trouble , and what do you say to convince these people that your way of life is the right way ?
Yeah , I do n’t imagine you say much . I think you execute . And I think the best elbow room to do that is to have a client go through the unconscious process , have a client do it , and have a customer say this affair ’s fantastic and brilliant . I ’m a grownup rooter of say less , and execute , and do it really , really well . What we do eff without a doubt , there is a vainglorious appetence amongst the American universe for doing this well and doing this right .
In terms of my clip — look , my time is occupy by thousands of little thing and gigantic things , and it ’s always moving . It ’s always there . Obviously , we have an entire sectionalization of our caller that ’s doing exactly that , and we have guys that have traditional experience in logistics and storage warehouse stocking and flow and all of that . We have a mountain of hombre who have phenomenal , phenomenal technology on the direct to consumer front . And then , as you said , there ’s a big logistical slant . There ’s a monstrous paperwork slant about how to handle that . And it ’s a complicated matter , transact a railroad car , and signatures , and all the thing that add up with it .
But the smashing thing is , you have technology now where you are not build up off of an archaic computer architecture and you ’re trying to put a bed on that thing . You ’re building the total computer architecture with the express strategy of executing this . And that is , one , it opens the mind and , two , it unfold the opportunity . So it ’s a portion of my time , but certainly not 100 % , I ’ve got a lot of thing going on .
I ’d say the routine one thing is , to go back to the percentage point you were making previously , is I ’m focused on this biotic community , because I make out these reserve holders are move to become our ambassadors out there , and that ’s what I expend a lot of metre on . How can we do this right so we build a community ? And brands that do that well — and I think we can probably all name tangible community oriented stain — they come after , full closure .
Do you expect some of those owners to really take up that fight ? I mean , I remember Tesla in the early days , it was Tesla owners who were squall their representative making sure that those things changed . It did n’t work in every body politic , but they were out there in front of the scrap . Do you gestate the same affair will come about with Scout reservation holder ?
Look , I think our reservation holders will get in front of the combat on all fronts . But frankly , it ’s not my job to light that spark . My occupation is to continue to communicate , tell the tale , and if you essay to force it , it ’ll never take place , because it ’s not organic . If it ’s something they believe in , well , they ’ll lift their hands and they ’ll do that . So I think 100 % we will ramp up a residential district that ’s behind everything that we ’re doing , from groovy occupation in South Carolina , to the technology in the railcar , to selling in 50 states , and on and on .
The residential district was a heavy button behind jumping into the range extender . And , you have sex , Scouts basically go out into the earth . And when they go out to the world , they take heed to what ’s get on , whether they ’re listening to nature , they ’re listen to trends , they ’re listening to signals , and that ’s what we will do as well . But what action the consumer takes ? The consumer will make that decisiveness . I think they ’ll be behind us big - time .
The range extender is such a fascinating thought . I infer why everybody ’s concerned in it . Was that something that fall along midstream , or was that something that you were consider about early on ?
We had it on the back burner . Always was something we were sort of thinking about .
There were a lot of multitude who said , “ I sleep together Scout . How about gas ? ” So it was always in our minds , and then maybe , nine - ish , 12 months ago , we said , “ let ’s take a look at it . ” other phase concept engineering science team jump on it . Within about 90 days , they put a really impertinent proposal on the tabular array . And when we looked at it , we say , “ it ’s perfect , ” because we did n’t betray our someone . The platform remains selfsame . Whether it ’s an EV platform or extended - chain of mountains . And then for manufacturability , it ’s the same precise production .
So once I see that solvent where we did n’t have to sell our soul , and you could still get a Scout . All the great power is still there , all the packaging is still there — that ’s a double-dyed answer .
And what you see , honestly , is a raft of this has to do with emotion , allow ’s say , and want of trust . And the instant you go to someone who ’s like , “ I detest EVs . eV are terrible . That ’s the end of the earth ” … but then they desire to hear about it . They just drop the guard . And once someone drops their safety machine , well , then you ’re open for a conversation .
The thing that surprised us , actually , is even from full - blow EV enthusiasts , they ’re saying , “ you know , a couple of times , it would n’t be the worst thing in the domain to have a little backup generator . ” But in our minds , what we ’ve get word is market expanding upon by 30 , 40 % by having it . So that ’s huge in our line .
I know that you ’ve verbalize about this a lot before the unveiling of your vehicles and even after , but there ’s this sorting of splitting in the industry between , do we go full touchscreen ? Do we go buttons ?
Oh I ’m light on this one .
Yeah , you guys are intelligibly on the side of push . But BMW unveiled its new UI this morn ( at CES ) . They ’re still reasonably squarely on team “ few buttons . ” Why is that so important to you guys ?
I mean it ’s authoritative . On BMW , I think BMW will do what ’s right for them and their customers . But for our customers , and what we ’re doing , 100 % this is the way to go .
I have this sort of thing where cars have become too scattered . They ’ve become disconnection machines . They ’ve become a little scrap dystopian . And I cogitate the big affair we trust is we want to build this connection auto . It ’s why we put a judiciary seat in the car . It ’s why we put the old - school split tailgate . It ’s why we have that big cabana roof that you ’ve seen . And I retrieve without a doubt , this fact of having a real connection works , and client like it . All the research has told us that , and all the reactions told us that .
It ’s sort of like walking in this room . Do you want to just hit the light switch and turn the luminousness on ? It ’s work for 100 years . It ’s super linear . It ’s passing direct . Or do you want to say , let me go in the room and snap up my phone and seize my app and say , let me turn the lights on . No .
doorway handles . That ’s another classic . We ’re build an outdoor car . We ’re construct a car of “ can do , ” and I ’ve run across it again and again . People say I want to be in control . I want to do things . Sometimes it ’s as unproblematic as a permutation , or even the differentials and everything else . We want customers to be engross in the vehicles . It outfit the brand . I recall it ’s correct . And the reaction has been Brobdingnagian .
There ’s a humankind of Tesla , which is an awesome world . They unquestionably state , “ all these buttons are a glob of nonsense , we ’re going to simplify one CRT screen to prevail them all . ” tremendous . But then everyone stick with . So I ’m not a fan of one app is the right one for all brands . We ’re Scout , and what our customer require is to go back to this association .
I trust in it powerfully , because I think social media has made us disconnected , politics has made us disconnected . If you could build a railroad car and build an environment — even if it ’s as minuscular as a switch — that gets us back to this connexion , that is just .
I think it ’s cool . American English are pine for this . And I think it ’s right for the moment , and right for our trade name .
button will save the world .
From the Storyline:Live Updates CES 2025: The final reveals and analysis as the event nears its end
Ce 2025 , the one-year consumer technical school conference held in Las Vegas , is upon us — and this is where you …
