The Traveler Scout Motors Terra pickup truck and SUV are displayed during the 2025 Los Angeles Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center on November 21, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Josh Lefkowitz | Getty Images
BLYTHEWOOD, SC — Electric vehicle startup Scout Motors has logged about 212,000 reservations for its upcoming electric vehicles as the company nears completion of its new $2 billion factory in South Carolina, CEO Scott Keogh told CNBC.
The reservations are for the Volkswagen-backed company’s Terra van and Traveler SUV, which are expected to begin full production next year before deliveries to customers begin in 2028.
Reservations don’t necessarily translate into sales, as the U.S. auto industry has learned over the past decade, especially with highly anticipated all-electric trucks such as the Ford F-150 Lightning, Tesla Cybertruck and others that generated strong interest but did not lead to a significant number of purchases.
Keogh said he expects Scout to be able to roughly double those reservations by the time the customer’s production begins, but he said the most important thing is converting early interest into actual sales as production approaches.
“It’s been a constant drumbeat,” Keogh said in an interview at the Scout factory site outside Columbia, South Carolina. “I think we could easily exceed 400,000 with reservations without putting in too much effort. The most important thing for us is how much of the initial production can we 100% pre-sell.”
Keogh said reaching an order backlog of 12 to 18 months “would be great” and that he believes the company can do it ahead of production. Scout said Thursday that construction was “in its final stages.”
Scout vehicles will be offered in fully electric versions as well as hybrid-electric variants, known as extended-range electric vehicles, or EREVs, which include an engine as a backup generator for the electric motors and batteries.
Scout, a former American automobile brand from 1961 to 1980, was to exclusively offer electric vehicles in an effort to allow the German automaker to expand its presence in the United States. However, slower than expected adoption of electric vehicles and higher costs led the company to decide to also offer EREVs.
Scout Motors shows off one of its older gasoline models during a ceremony celebrating the start of construction of its new electric SUV, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Blythewood, South Carolina.
Jeffrey Collins | P.A.
Keogh said EREVs and SUVs dominate bookings so far, with around 87% choosing EREV models and 75% being SUVs.
Given the interest shown in bookings, Keogh said the company is expected to launch EREVs first, followed by electric vehicles. He also said the company plans to launch mid-tier models first, which is a difference from many companies that start with their most expensive models.
“The No. 1 thing for me is I want to get the best volume as soon as possible,” Keogh said. “In my mind, it’s about how quickly can you get to 100,000 units? 100,000 units is where you can start to break through.”
His comments come months after Rivian Automobile has received criticism online for launching its R2 SUV first with its most expensive models, although this is standard practice in the auto industry.
Keogh said Scout’s South Carolina plant is about 85 percent complete, but supporting infrastructure and a $300 million supplier fleet continue to be installed.
Reservations for Scout vehicles initially opened in October 2024, with the reveal of the Traveler and Terra, which feature stylish yet rugged exterior appearances that pay homage to the brand’s historic models.
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