VW’s Scout brand reveal set for October 24
VW’s electric adventure truck spinoff, Scout Motors, will reveal its first vehicle on October 24.
Two years ago, VW announced that it would resurrect the classic International Harvester Scout brand as an electric adventure vehicle, aiming for a similar niche as Rivian.
The original Scouts were built in the 60s and 70s, and the last Scout rolled off the line 44 years ago now. So it’s been quite the wait to see the brand come back.
Scout sent out an email today announcing that it’s hosting a big reveal on October 24 – a little later than the “this summer” target they previously had, but hey, what’s a couple weeks in the EV world?
Here’s the text of an email sent out by Scout about the reveal:
Fans, Friends, and Followers,
They say the best things come to those who wait. After two years of dreaming big and pushing boundaries, we’re ready to show the world the next generation of Scout vehicles. On October 24, 2024 – 44 years after the last Scout II™ rolled off the line – we’ll officially reveal our new Scout SUV and truck concepts.
While you won’t see a lot of teasers or taillights from us between now and October 24, here’s what I can tell you. Like the originals, you’ll know a Scout vehicle when you see one. A bold, iconic design featuring multifunctional spaces for gathering and connection. Built for work and play, our new Scout SUV and truck will be rugged, capable, and versatile. They have to be in order to credibly don the Scout badge. And with real tactile controls and real feel, they’ll meet the needs of Americans on the road and way off.
Building not only cars but a company and factory from the ground up can certainly feel like a herculean task, but what we’ve learned these past few years is quite simple. When you put American ingenuity back to work, anything is possible. We couldn’t be prouder to create American jobs and produce this awesome connection machine that will bring people together and closer to the experiences that mean the most to them.
If you’ve ever owned, driven, or even seen a Scout truck, you know it’s so much more than a vehicle or brand. It’s a way of life. Cheers to the remarkable community that has kept the hardworking scout spirit alive for decades and all the makers, doers, and everyday explorers. Our new Scout vehicles are for you.
October 24 can’t come soon enough!
Scott Keogh
President & CEO, Scout Motors
While Scout does say that we won’t see a lot of teasers between now and the reveal, we do have a few teasers we’ve already seen.
When VW originally announced the brand, we did get these design sketches showing the car and its very Rivian-like look:
And we’ve also gotten a silhouette teaser in the interim, where the vehicle shows a little bit more classic look, in particular the characteristic hood design:
And we’ve even gotten a teaser of the vehicle “in the wild,” though again in double silhouette form:
And finally, there’s the new minor teaser today available on Scout’s website, and which you can see as the featured photo at the top of this article. This shows a short animation of a compass embedded into the roof of the vehicle, suggesting that this will become a characteristic feature for Scout.
This new teaser jives with something mentioned in the email sent out today – that Scout will focus on “real tactile controls,” suggesting the brand may shy away from the all-digital cockpits that have become common on modern vehicles, particularly electric vehicles.
These touchscreen interfaces are easy to manufacture and allow for deep over the air updates of the system, a feature which consumers like – but are more distracting or confusing to use, which can turn off new owners. It will be interesting to see what balance Scout strikes – especially given VW’s recent investment in Rivian for software help, which is additionally interesting given that Scout seems targeted directly at the same niche Rivian is in.
So far, we don’t know much about the unveiling other than what we’ve said above, but we do know the vehicles probably aren’t coming for a while. Scout is building a factory in South Carolina, which just broke ground in February. So, not only does that factory need to be built, but it needs to be tooled and start building cars – which will all take a while.
But we’ll find out more next month about what Scout has in store for us. Stay tuned.
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The all-electric luxury electric SUV is getting significantly cheaper. Lexus launched a new entry-level 2025 RZ trim with starting prices over $10,000 less than last year’s model. And you get just as much driving range.
2025 Lexus RZ electric SUV prices and driving range
Lexus launched its first dedicated EV last year, the RZ electric SUV. Starting at $55,175, the 2024 Lexus RZ 300e has a range of up to 266 miles.
The 2024 RZ 450e AWD, equipped with its dual-moto DIRECT4 system, has a range of up to 196 miles. Prices start at just under $60,000. Both models are offered in Premium or Luxury packages.
Lexus is drastically lowering prices for the 2025 model year. The 2025 Lexus RZ starts at $43,975, and that includes the $1,175 delivery fee.
At under $44,000, prices for the 2025 RZ start at over $10,000 less than last year’s model. The lower price tag comes as Lexus added a new entry-level RZ 300e FWD trim to the lineup.
The 2025 Lexus RZ 300e FWD still has an EPA-estimated 266-mile range (18″ wheels), so despite the lower price, it’s no loss from last year’s model. It’s powered by a 72.8 kWh battery pack from global leader CATL.
Lexus modified the subframe for the FWD model, replacing the rear eAxle from the AWD model. The result is a quieter, smoother drive.
Powered by a 71.4 kWh battery, the 2025 RZ 450e AWD has an EPA-estimated driving range of up to 220 miles (18″ wheels).
| 2025 Lexus RZ model | Starting Price* | EPA-estimated Driving Range |
| RZ 450e AWD | $48,675 | 220 miles |
| RZ 450e Premium AWD w/ 18″ Wheel | $52,875 | 220 miles |
| RZ 450e Premium AWD w/ 20″ Wheel | $54,115 | 196 miles |
| RZ 450e Luxury AWD | $58,605 | 220 miles |
| RZ 300e FWD | $43,975 | 266 miles |
| RZ 300e Premium FWD w/ 18″ Wheel | $48,175 | 266 miles |
| RZ 300e Premium FWD w/ 20″ Wheel | $49,415 | 224 miles |
| RZ 300e Luxury FWD | $53,905 | 266 miles |
The 2025 Lexus RZ is available in three grades. These include the new entry-level model, in addition to the current Premium and Luxury trims.
Inside, the electric SUV has a minimalistic feel with a standard 14″ infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support at the center.
You can also opt for the available 10″ head-up display (HUD), Mark Levinson Surround Sound System, and a host of safety features.
The flat platform provides a spacious interior with 37.52″ of rear legroom, nearly as much as the second row of a Ford Explorer (39″).
With the 2025 model arriving at dealerships soon, Lexus is offering closeout prices on 2024 models with up to $18,500 in lease cash discounts. You can use our link to find the best offers on the Lexus RZ at a dealer near you today.
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Environment
‘Political malpractice’ if Trump undoes climate-geared Biden projects, outgoing U.S. energy secretary says
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm speaks to the media on day five at the UNFCCC COP29 Climate Conference on November 15, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images
A potential decision by Donald Trump to walk back the Biden administration’s climate-geared projects would impact jobs in areas governed by the President-elect’s own party, outgoing U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told CNBC, urging consistency in Washington’s green transition policies.
Referencing the White House’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement — a 2015 treaty in which nearly 200 governments made non-binding pledges to reduce greenhouse emissions — during Trump’s first mandate, Granholm said the U.S. pressed ahead with projects linked to the green transition that members of Congress wanted to undertake in their districts.
“We are now building all of these projects. We’re building batteries for electric vehicles, we’re building the vehicles, we’re building the offshore wind turbines, we’re building the solar panels. And all of those are factories. And those factories are in districts of members of Congress,” she told CNBC’s Dan Murphy on Friday at the COP29 U.N. climate conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
She estimated that 80% of the funding from U.S. President Joe Biden’s legacy bills — the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — went to U.S. districts represented by Republican leadership.
“It would be political malpractice to undo those opportunities when people are just now getting hired,” she said, stressing benefits to the manufacturing sector and noting that the business community of the world’s largest economy and oil producer now wants a clear course from Washington on its climate policy.
“This isn’t about in [the Paris Agreement], out, shifting back and forth. Let’s have a consistent practice,” she said.
When asked for a response on Granholm’s comments, Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump’s transition team, said the president-elect will “deliver” on the promises he made on the campaign trail.
International focus has now shifted on the shape of the U.S.’ future role in global climate policy, as Trump prepares to take the helm at the White House for a second mandate in January, following a sweeping victory against Democrat candidate Kamala Harris. Trump — who has yet to announce his own pick to lead the U.S. Department of Energy — put hydrocarbons at the front and center of his campaigning agenda, pledging to “end Biden’s delays in federal drilling permits and leases that are needed to unleash American oil and natural gas production.”
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in March said that the country already “produced more crude oil than any nation at any time” for the past six years to 2023, averaging a crude oil and condensate production of 12.9 million barrels per day that year — breaking the previous U.S. and global record of 12.3 million barrels per day recorded in 2019, during Trump’s first mandate.
Yet Granholm on Friday stressed that the clean transition is also “unleashed” and will take place regardless of who is leading the White House — and that ignoring climate change risks sacrificing Washington’s position as a frontrunner in the blooming decarbonization industry.
“Why would we take a second, a backseat to an economic competitor like China?” she asked. “They have an economic strategy, they want to be number one. So if we get out of the game, we’re just going to cede that territory all over again. It’s bad strategy for the United States and for workers and for communities across the country.”
As the world braces for the possibility of a second U.S. exit from the Paris Agreement, some climate activists note that the green transition has now gained a different global momentum than during Trump’s first turn at the White House:
“There is no denying that another Trump presidency will stall national efforts to tackle the climate crisis and protect the environment, but most U.S. state, local, and private sector leaders are committed to charging ahead,” Dan Lashof, U.S. director of the World Resources Institute, said in a Nov. 6 statement.
“Donald Trump heading back to the White House won’t be a death knell to the clean energy transition that has rapidly picked up pace these last four years.”
Granholm also identified potential support in Trump’s current entourage, which this week welcomed business tycoon Elon Musk as the president-elect’s choice to head a new Department of Government Efficiency, alongside conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy:
“His right-hand man, Elon Musk, is somebody who has been strongly in favor of products that … address climate change. Obviously, he’s the founder of Tesla,” Granholm pointed out.
Musk’s environmental stance has come under question over the years, shifting from telling Rolling Stone magazine that “climate change is the biggest threat that humanity faces this century, except for AI” and backing carbon taxes to holding that the world needs hydrocarbon supplies as a bridge to renewable energy.
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