Not to be snarky, legit question. Are you on every other car forum telling them to lower prices or just feel as though Scout should suffer as a start up (backed by VWAG) and lose money for longer than necessary so you can be satisfied seeing a company make concessions for your needs? I noted early on but never heard you say what industry you are in? Are you willing to take a loss of your pay every year because a handful of people think you should? (Like 35%)
I’m sure if Scout can lower the prices a little bit they will but I want them fairly compensated because well treated employees do better work and hopefully that translates to better cars.
That said, Jamie has said $40K isn’t happening and he works for the company and yet you continue to challenge that. Are you asking the richest man on earth to lower the price of Teslas as well? I’m sure Mr Musk would love to subsidize his company with his Billions of $$$. it just doesn’t work. You’re asking SM to reduce the vehicle by nearly 35%.
It’s simply not the way a successful company operates if it wants to reduce its debt and have money for R&D to develop more models and last more than 5 years. I let myself get sucked back into this thread because I saw many members who were commenting and have been here and support this company but yet you all but continue to demand we all stand by you to get the industry to change.
Maybe you have the secrets to enlighten us since we appear to all be lemmings-tell us how SM cuts 35% and remains profitable and able to grow and perhaps you’ll convince me to stand beside or behind you. You have asked/demanded change over and over but haven’t suggested how -now please tell us how it happens?
OR
Maybe it’s simply a case of you caring and none or very few of us actually do. As others have said-I see the value of the legacy, the new innovations by Scout, their transparency thus far, there passion and the amazing product they produced and I accept that for $60K or $70K or $80K fully loaded. Interestingly thus far, nobody has come on this thread to state they are ready to stand by you which leads me to believe that most active members see the value and aren’t willing to demand a 35% cut in price only to see this brand and this Scout community wither away and die.
I appreciate the "legit question," so let me give you a legit answer.
1. The "Employee Pay" Straw Man
You asked: "Are you willing to take a loss of your pay every year...?"
This is a classic false equivalence. Lowering the price of a product does not require lowering the wages of the people building it.
• Toyota builds affordable cars and pays excellent wages.
• Tesla slashed prices by ~25% last year and didn't slash factory wages; they optimized manufacturing.
• The Real Risk to Jobs: Pricing the vehicle so high that inventory sits on the lot, leading to production cuts and layoffs.
I want Scout employees to be secure. The best job security is a factory running at 100% capacity because the product is priced to sell. The quickest way to get people fired is to build a niche luxury toy that only sells 20,000 units a year.
2. The Tesla/Musk Self-Own
You asked: "Are you asking the richest man on earth to lower the price of Teslas as well?" Yes. And he did. You might have missed it, but Tesla aggressively cut prices on the Model Y and Model 3 over the last 18 months—dropping the Model Y from nearly $67k to under $45k.
• Why? Because Elon understands Price Elasticity. He knew that to keep the factories running, he had to lower the price to meet the market.
• He didn't "subsidize" it with his billions; he used Volume and Efficiency to make the numbers work.
That is exactly what I am asking Scout to do. If Tesla can drop prices by $20k to stay competitive, why is Scout immune to that economic reality?
3. The "How" (Since you asked)
You challenged me to explain how they cut costs by 35% without bankrupting the company. It isn't magic; it's Scale.
• VW Group Leverage: Scout isn't a lonely startup buying parts at AutoZone. They are backed by the second-largest automaker on earth. They should be getting the best pricing on Bosch motors, batteries, and chips in the industry.
• Amortization Strategy: If you try to pay off the R&D in Year 1, the truck costs $80k. If you amortize it over a 10-year production run (aiming for 200k units/year), the per-unit cost drops dramatically.
• Target Pricing: You don't build a truck and ask "What does it cost?" You look at the market, see that the sweet spot is $45k, and say "Build it to cost $38k."
4. Standing Alone
You noted that "nobody has come on this thread to stand by you."
That’s fine. Forums are often echo chambers for the most dedicated enthusiasts—the people willing to pay anything.
But if you think I’m alone, go look at the sales charts for $70,000 trucks right now. They are rotting on dealer lots. The "Silent Majority" agrees with me. They just aren't posting here; they are buying Toyotas.
Bottom Line: I'm not asking for Scout to "suffer." I'm asking them to be smart. High prices kill new brands. High volume builds empires. I want Scout to be an empire, not a boutique.
