Scout Motors Books Roughly 212,000 Reservations as $2 Billion South Carolina Plant Nears Finish

Reservations Are Building, But Deliveries Are A Wait

Scout Motors has tallied around 212,000 reservations for its Terra pickup and Traveler SUV, CEO Scott Keogh said in a CNBC interview at the company's site near Columbia, South Carolina. Reservations opened in October 2024 alongside the reveal of both models.

Keogh described the pace of interest as "a consistent drumbeat" and said the count could top 400,000 by the time customer production begins. "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."

The plan is to kick off full-scale production next year, with deliveries to customers starting in 2028. Scout is backed by Volkswagen.

Factory Status And Launch Game Plan

On Thursday, the company reported that work on the facility has entered its concluding stage. Keogh put completion at roughly 85% for the South Carolina plant, while he noted that site work and a supplier park priced at $300 million are still being installed. Earlier this year, the company showcased one of its vintage gasoline models at a February 15, 2024 event in Blythewood, South Carolina that marked the groundbreaking for its new electric SUV. The original Scout brand ran from 1961 to 1980.

Scout will offer both battery-electric versions and extended-range electric vehicles - EREVs that use an engine to generate power for the motors and batteries. The company had been expected to go EV only, but slower EV adoption and higher costs led it to add EREVs.

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So far, the mix skews toward EREVs and SUVs. Keogh said about 87% of reservations are for EREVs and 75% for SUVs, so the rollout is expected to start with EREVs and follow with EVs. He also plans to begin with mid-level trims, bucking the common industry move to debut the most expensive versions first. His comments came months after Rivian Automotive drew online criticism for launching its R2 SUV with top-priced models first.

Why The Order Book Matters

The headline reservation figure matters less than converting interest into signed orders. U.S. automakers have seen surges of reservations that did not fully translate into sales for splashy electric trucks such as Ford's F-150 Lightning and Tesla's Cybertruck.

Keogh said an order book covering 12 to 18 months "would be great" and is a target he believes Scout can hit before production begins. "The No.1 thing for me is I want to go get the best volume as soon as possible," he 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."

What It Means for Your Portfolio

In plain English: early demand points to EREVs and SUVs, and Scout plans to launch around that pattern. The factory is nearing completion, production is planned for next year, and deliveries are slated for 2028. The signal to watch is how many of those roughly 212,000 hand raisers become firm orders - and whether Scout can build a 12 to 18 month backlog and push toward 100,000 units quickly.

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