Following an announcement in May that it would be reviving its off-road Scout brand for an all-electric future, Volkswagen is reportedly in talks with contract manufacturer Foxconn to help manufacture the vehicles. Additionally, VW is considering Magna Steyr as another notable option.
Scout is the classic nameplate that dates back to the International Harvester Scout – an off-road vehicle from the ’60s and ’70s. Following previous rumors that Volkswagen Group was considering a revival of the name, the German automaker confirmed its intentions earlier this year.
Better yet, it shared that Scout would return as an entirely-EV brand, targeting a similar demographic as the Rivian R1 EVs, but at a lower price point (probably). Two months later, Volkswagen Group president for North America Scott Keogh announced he was stepping down to become the new CEO of the reborn Scout brand.
Since then, news pertaining to the all-electric Scout vehicles has remained relatively quiet apart from the company’s new CEO proclaiming the potential to share EV technology to create future Volkswagen pickups, and the group’s global head of passenger cars saying otherwise.
In fact, we’ve only seen the teaser images of the potential Scout EVs displayed above and below. As Volkswagen morphs this off-road renaissance into a viable brand, it is reportedly seeking a partner… or at the very least, a seasoned contract manufacturer to help bring its designs to fruition.
VW looks to revive Scout with help of Foxconn (or Magna)
According to a report from Automobilwoche out of Germany, the sister site of Automotive News Europe has been in touch with multiple sources at Volkswagen that state the automaker is in talks with Foxconn to manufacture Scout EVs for it.
Foxconn is a Taiwanese contract manufacturer that specialized in personal electronics like iPhones before recently beginning to expand vehicle manufacturing. This past May, Foxconn officially closed on the purchase of a manufacturing facility in Lordstown, Ohio, previously owned by Lordstown Motors and GM before that. It is here that Foxconn now manufactures the Lordstown Endurance pickup, which kicked off production in September.
Additionally, Foxconn has manufacturing agreements with Indi EV, Monarch Tractors, and will soon build Fisker Inc’s second model, the PEAR, on US soil. Not to be outdone, Foxconn introduced two EV models of its own this past October, including a pickup. Due to its manufacturing experience, US a footprint with fresh funding, and EV platform technology in place, a deal between VW, Scout, and Foxconn would make a lot of sense… but not so fast.
The report also states that Volkswagen is also talking to rival contract manufacturer Magna-Steyr, which exists as an Austrian facility owned by Magna International. The sources say that Magna could potentially co-develop the off-road EVs alongside scout.
Earlier this month, Magna-Steyr began production of the Fisker Ocean in Graz, Austria and as we’ve previously reported, and been flirting with the idea of bringing EV manufacturing to US soil in order to qualify for federal tax credits under revised terms in the Inflation Reduction Act. That could be another sweetener in a potential deal, should Volkswagen go that route. However, Foxconn already has US manufacturing and might make more sense if VW wants Scout EVs to qualify for credits.
Volkswagen said it would not comment on any speculation about potential partnerships at this time, but a spokesperson for the company did share the following:
We are very pleased with the progress the Scout team is making and with the enthusiasm it’s already generating among current fans and future customers.
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Hyundai is about to launch a new electric SUV in China. With its big debut coming up, Hyundai just dropped a sneak peek, and it looks like it could be the IONIQ 4. Check it out for yourself in the video below.
Is Hyundai teasing the IONIQ 4?
We caught our first glimpse of the new EV model last month after Beijing Hyundai released a few official “spy” photos.
Despite the camouflage, you can see a few design elements, like a light bar across the front, slim LED headlights, and a closed-off grille. At first, it almost looks like a smaller version of the IONIQ 9, Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV, but with a much sportier, shaped profile.
Beijing Hyundai released a new teaser for the upcoming electric SUV this week. The video shows “a wave of high-end operations” as the vehicle dances across the snow.
The video highlights features like real-time torque control, high-speed cornering, and the SUV’s impressive body control while driving around cones.
Hyundai’s new electric SUV is being called “OE” internally, according to The Korean Car Blog, suggesting it could be an IONIQ model.
All other Hyundai IONIQ EV models were also codenamed with an “E” internally, which is raising speculation that this could be the IONIQ 4.
Like most global OEMs, Hyundai is fighting to compete in an intense Chinese EV market, which is dominated by domestic automakers like BYD.
Hyundai opened its first overseas R&D center last year in China to spearhead its comeback. It will work with local suppliers and tech companies to develop EVs designed for Chinese buyers. The new electric SUV is expected to launch in China later this year, followed by three new energy vehicles, including EVs and EREVs.
Beijing Hyundai will release more information on April 16, with the electric SUV set to “challenge the limit of driving performance.”
What do you think of Hyundai’s new electric SUV? Is this the IONIQ 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Charge point provider char.gy has secured a £130 million contract to install 6,000 curbside EV chargers for Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) – the UK’s largest installation of its kind.
London-based char.gy has also been awarded a 15-year contract to operate and maintain the charging network.
Installing Level 2 chargers curbside, where most drivers in the UK park, will enable more people to take advantage of cheaper charging rates while juicing up their EVs overnight. (charg.gy’s pay as you go night tariff, between midnight and 7 am, is £0.39/kWh, compared to its £0.59/kWh day tariff.)
John Lewis, chief executive of char.gy, said the project is “a huge moment for the UK and its EV ambitions. This partnership alone will empower thousands of residents to confidently make the switch to electric vehicles, knowing they have easy access to chargers.”
Brighton and Hove City Council is among the first to tap into the government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, designed to help English local authorities roll out charging solutions for residents without off-street parking. Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said making EV charging as accessible as possible is “crucial to making the switch to electric a success.”
The UK now has over 75,000 public EV chargers, according to the Department for Transport—and it looks like the country’s on pace to hit its 2030 target. Back in December, the National Audit Office said the rollout is “on track” to meet the DfT’s estimate that at least 300,000 chargers will be needed by the end of the decade.
Read more: Meet the UK’s largest solar + storage EV charging ‘Superhub’
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