Scout Motors success storyA new era for Scout Motors starts in South Carolina
Originally built from 1960–1980, Scout 4x4 vehicles were iconic and helped usher in the age of the modern SUV. The brand’s rebirth started in 2021 when Volkswagen Group purchased the name and began the highly competitive selection process for the site of its first assembly plant. In 2023, Scout Motors chose Blythewood, SC for the location of its 1,600-acre facility. Once up and running, the plant will employ 4,000+ people full-time and create many additional jobs through suppliers.
Investing & transforming the future in SC
Scout Motors is investing more than $2 billion into its first assembly plant, located 20 miles north of Columbia, South Carolina. Designed to build electric and hybrid-like SUVs and trucks, it will be a massive state-of-the-art facility, running 24 hours a day. Combined with the state’s investments, the Scout Motors plant is bringing infrastructure improvements and training programs to produce thousands of high-wage jobs, all of which will be transformative for local communities. Also transformative, the project has the largest environmental mitigation ever in South Carolina, preserving approximately 5,000 acres of land next to the Congaree National Park and restoring streams in the Sumter National Forest, which will now be conserved for future generations to enjoy.
Scout Motors and readySC™ partner to open training center
Scout Motors and state officials officially opened the $25 million, on-site training center in Richland County in the late spring of 2026. The facility serves as the primary hub to prepare and upskill workers for advanced electric vehicle assembly ahead of the plant's targeted production launch. Funded through a $25 million investment by readySC and supported by the South Carolina Technical College System, the training center represents a significant expansion of workforce training infrastructure in the Midlands, purpose‑built to support Scout Motors’ long‑term production and hiring needs.
We’re honored to partner with South Carolina to usher in a new era. Scout has been an American icon since introducing an SUV in 1960. Today, we’re reimagining Scout’s original ingenuity and electrifying its future. We’re bringing the Scout spirit to South Carolina and it’s going to be a hell of a ride.
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