Don't let the Scout become a status symbol; why $60k misses the point of the Revival

[Scout_Lookout]

Hey everyone,

It's been a few weeks since I've logged in... just a lot of work and life lately.

I was catching up on the Q1 auto sales numbers that just dropped, and it’s a pretty wild market right now. With new EV sales taking a hit and the used market getting flooded with off-lease vehicles, the pricing landscape is definitely shifting.

I’m actually part of that off-lease wave. My EV lease ends this October, so I'm officially on the hunt for a "gap vehicle" to hold me over until the Scout arrives in 2028.

Given the market uncertainty, whatever I pick up this fall needs to be something I'd be comfortable keeping long-term, just in case the Scout final price tag ends up being higher than I'm willing to stomach.

Is anyone else in a similar boat needing a gap vehicle soon? Curious what you all are looking at to bridge the time.

My Rivian R1T lease doesn't end until March 2028, but I'm going to be well over mileage due to taking a new job so I'll be doing a lease buyout for sure. But with the R2 release eminent, I'm thinking the R2 is a perfect "gap vehicle" until the Scout's come out.

 

[cyure]

My Rivian R1T lease doesn't end until March 2028, but I'm going to be well over mileage due to taking a new job so I'll be doing a lease buyout for sure. But with the R2 release eminent, I'm thinking the R2 is a perfect "gap vehicle" until the Scout's come out.

This. This is transportation after all and we all need to get where we need to go. We all may not be able to wait to purchase a Scout and have to purchase something in between and that’s perfectly okay.

 

[tomgillotti]

I think you're missing something critical here and that is that the addition of the Harvester also greatly expands Scout's TAM (Total Addressable Market). So if the extra $1.2B allows them to sell a lot more vehicles then it's a good investment to grow the company and not a direct cost that must be made up on the already planned volume. The fact that both Ford and Chevy are shifting resources from BEVs to PHEVs (plus Scout's own reservation data) means they are on to something.

Not to get political, but I also do not think gas prices are going to be coming down any time soon. I do not expect electricity prices to rise nearly as much as natural gas prices will reman subdued (they are hard to transport and we have a lot of it in the US so that will keep prices low). I think this will drive more people to BEVs and PHEVs as the price per mile will be radically positive for electrification.

Requirements? Chevy is doing crazy deals on Equinox and Bolt EVs. The Bolt is a little small for my tastes but the Equinox is a good size and if you end up keeping it could be passed down to a kid when they start driving.

@strider, that is actually a really solid counterpoint. You are absolutely right that adding the Harvester drastically increases their Total Addressable Market (TAM).

If that $1.2B investment allows them to scale volume efficiently enough to offset the upfront CapEx, then the MSRP doesn't necessarily have to absorb the entire blow. I’ve been looking heavily at the immediate CapEx burden, and you are highlighting the long-term volume return. I genuinely hope your side of the equation wins out, because that benefits all of us holding reservations.

I also really appreciate the gap vehicle suggestions. I have a 13-year-old who will be getting his license right around the time the Scout is supposed to hit the road, so exploring those aggressive Chevy deals for a safe, pass-down vehicle is a fantastic backup plan.

To the others who mentioned the R2—I know a lot of people are excited about it, but I just can't get behind the price tag. To me, a $45k starting target for a smaller crossover is the epitome of how far the industry's baseline has drifted over the last six years. It feels overpriced for what it is (but I've already made my point on that).

Because of that, I am looking strictly at the used market to bridge the gap. I want to let someone else take the initial depreciation hit. I'm keeping a very close eye on the Ford F-150 Lightning market right now. My hope is that the prices on the Extended Range models continue to drop over the next few months, allowing me to grab one as a daily, around-town driver while we wait to see where Scout's final numbers land.

 

[R1TVT]

To the others who mentioned the R2—I know a lot of people are excited about it, but I just can't get behind the price tag.

 

[tomgillotti]

I had a moment yesterday that perfectly encapsulates where we are at with this wait. I was on the phone with a small local dealership, still looking around for a gap vehicle to bridge the time until the Scout launches. The dealer was actually familiar with Scout and mentioned it looked like a cool vehicle.

Without even thinking, my knee-jerk response to him was: "Yeah, it’ll be a great truck... if they don’t keep raising the price and it doesn’t continue to get delayed."

It made me realize something about my own experience with this vehicle. Those of us on this forum are enthusiasts. We will follow the breadcrumbs, debate the corporate CapEx, and hold our reservations. But for the general public, the mass-market buyers that Scout desperately needs to survive, there is a very real risk of startup fatigue. If the timeline slips and the price creeps up, non-enthusiasts won't stick around to debate it. They will just quietly move on.

We've seen this exact cycle play out too many times. My dad originally pre-ordered the Aptera when the targeted price was in the low $20k range. After years of development and shifting timelines, that price has ballooned into the $40k range. Because he is unable to work right now, a near 100% price increase means he simply can't afford it anymore. He was priced right out of a vehicle he supported early on.

If Scout misses the mark on their timeline or lets the MSRP run away from them, I worry a lot of the general public will end up in the exact same boat.

 

[tomgillotti]

I know the dealer lawsuit has been debated to death, so I won't rehash it. I will just add this: I worked as a car salesman for three and a half years while in college, and I am absolutely amazed that we haven't abolished that scam of a business model by now. I genuinely hope Scout wins that fight and can sell direct.

But looking past the dealership drama, the broader market data that just dropped continues to show how brutal the landscape is for premium vehicles right now.

Cox Automotive just released their Q1 2026 numbers, and new EV sales in the U.S. plunged by 27% year-over-year. The mass market is clearly tapped out and refusing to finance expensive electric vehicles. Add in the new report from Fitch Ratings showing that auto loan delinquencies just hit a 32-year record high, and it is obvious the consumer base is completely exhausted by massive car payments.

Combine that consumer reality with VW’s finalized annual report confirming a 53% drop in operating profits, and the financial pressure on the Harvester's final MSRP is immense.

 

[jeremydunworth]

You nailed it with the "Rich Americans" comment. That is exactly how they view us—as a piggy bank to be smashed open (I lived in Germany from 2018-2024, just as an aside). But that’s exactly why we shouldn't just roll over and accept it.


<snip>


2. The Rebate "Smoking Gun"


You brought up a critical point: The price changed when the rebate went away.


If that’s true, it proves my point entirely. It means their pricing isn't based on the cost to build; it’s based on "Monthly Payment Targeting." They looked at the $7,500 rebate and said, "Great, we can charge $7,500 more and the customer won't feel it."


That is the definition of subsidy capture. Now that the subsidy is gone, they are just leaving the price high because they think we are trained to pay it.

It was very interesting to me that when EV Tax Credits, which honestly were a pain for me to utilitze because of reasons, went away, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 prices dropped by a similar or greater amount from the 2025 to 2026 model years.

I am surprised how much I like my Ioniq 5, so much so I am annoying about telling everyone how much I like it. It was at around $50k, for basically the top end of the line. The starting MSRP is $35,000 on hyundaiusa.com as I type this message right now.

I think @tomgillotti has a strong point about a $40kish entry point. I realize that can be a tough pill for Scout Motors to swallow, and I want Scout Motors to succeed, so they need this feedback.

<snip>


We can't keep making excuses for a multi-national conglomerate. They are building in SC to avoid tariffs and partnering with Rivian to cut costs. They can hit $40k-$45k. They just won't do it unless we stop acting like "Rich Americans" willing to pay whatever they ask.

 

[jeremydunworth]

I know the dealer lawsuit has been debated to death, so I won't rehash it. I will just add this: I worked as a car salesman for three and a half years while in college, and I am absolutely amazed that we haven't abolished that scam of a business model by now. I genuinely hope Scout wins that fight and can sell direct.

But looking past the dealership drama, the broader market data that just dropped continues to show how brutal the landscape is for premium vehicles right now.

Cox Automotive just released their Q1 2026 numbers, and new EV sales in the U.S. plunged by 27% year-over-year. The mass market is clearly tapped out and refusing to finance expensive electric vehicles. Add in the new report from Fitch Ratings showing that auto loan delinquencies just hit a 32-year record high, and it is obvious the consumer base is completely exhausted by massive car payments.

Combine that consumer reality with VW’s finalized annual report confirming a 53% drop in operating profits, and the financial pressure on the Harvester's final MSRP is immense.

I don't know if you are still looking for "gap vehicle" recommendations. Mine is a Hyundai Ioniq 5. If you happen to be near Kearny Mesa Subaru Hyundai in San Diego, I have a specific salesperson to recommend.

 

[RodorW]

It was very interesting to me that when EV Tax Credits, which honestly were a pain for me to utilitze because of reasons, went away, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 prices dropped by a similar or greater amount from the 2025 to 2026 model years.

I am surprised how much I like my Ioniq 5, so much so I am annoying about telling everyone how much I like it. It was at around $50k, for basically the top end of the line. The starting MSRP is $35,000 on hyundaiusa.com as I type this message right now.

I think @tomgillotti has a strong point about a $40kish entry point. I realize that can be a tough pill for Scout Motors to swallow, and I want Scout Motors to succeed, so they need this feedback.

$40k would be nice, but especially while we’re talking the launch vehicles it’s just not going to happen, maybe after all reservations are met and they can start offering lower spec models

 

[jeremydunworth]

$40k would be nice, but especially while we’re talking the launch vehicles it’s just not going to happen, maybe after all reservations are met and they can start offering lower spec models

I agree the initial launch vehicles should be optioned out and more expensive. My thought is more about getting the base MSRP down into the 40k range, which includes $49,995 in my definition of "40k range".

I look at it like this, let's say Scout Terra launches in 2 years, 3% inflation this year and next, 33% premium for a truck over a similar car.

35k * 1.33 * 1.03^2 = $49,385, which seems fair to me.

The 33% premium I picked arbitarily, it is just my good luck the math worked out to give the answer I wanted.

 

[strider]

It was very interesting to me that when EV Tax Credits, which honestly were a pain for me to utilitze because of reasons, went away, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 prices dropped by a similar or greater amount from the 2025 to 2026 model years.

I am surprised how much I like my Ioniq 5, so much so I am annoying about telling everyone how much I like it. It was at around $50k, for basically the top end of the line. The starting MSRP is $35,000 on hyundaiusa.com as I type this message right now.

I think @tomgillotti has a strong point about a $40kish entry point. I realize that can be a tough pill for Scout Motors to swallow, and I want Scout Motors to succeed, so they need this feedback.

Just realize that the Terra and Traveller are full-size trucks/SUVs. So the comparison is with a Chevy Tahoe or Ioniq 9 (both start at $60k), not a 5. As did Tesla and Rivian, Scout is talking about their second round vehicles being smaller/cheaper. Bottom line is that Scout is down the track with the current models so they are coming as they are no matter what. I'm sure they are doing everything they can to have the second round come as quickly as they can in order to have access to the largest possible market.

 

[jeremydunworth]

Just realize that the Terra and Traveller are full-size trucks/SUVs. So the comparison is with a Chevy Tahoe or Ioniq 9 (both start at $60k), not a 5. As did Tesla and Rivian, Scout is talking about their second round vehicles being smaller/cheaper. Bottom line is that Scout is down the track with the current models so they are coming as they are no matter what. I'm sure they are doing everything they can to have the second round come as quickly as they can in order to have access to the largest possible market.

Good point on the Ioniq 9. When I leased the Ioniq 5, 9's were just starting to show up on the dealer lot, and I would have been tempted except the price was too rich for me (about $79k I was told for the equivalent features in the Ioniq 5 I went with).

I just checked and today the Ioniq 9 starting MSRP is $58,955. So if Scout Motors Terra and Traveller are competitive with that, I'm optimistic. I do really hope they make it to a lower cost model following the Rivian model to be a compelling vehicle brand for the largest possible market.

I don't want anybody to follow the Tesla model, ever . Well, Ford, Ford can follow Tesla . I'm still bitter about 1938.

 

[Scoutsie]

It would be very, very cool to have a $45,000 SUV. It would be awesome if it was $35,000. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about what an original International Harvester Scout II would cost today. That would be awesome.

It’s not realistic, though. It’s been explained so many times to @tomgillotti here that it’s not even worth repeating. It has to stay competitive, there are R&D costs to recoup, there are salaries to pay, lights gotta stay on, bills gotta get paid, there are so many things that a $60,000 sale has to do to be an American-made car that hopefully isn’t also a shitty douchebag car made by and for douchebags that asking less isn’t realistic.

It just is what it is. I hope the smaller Scout’s going to be more in that $45K range. That would be rad. I hope things change with our toilet inflation and garbage-fire societal direction.

 

[jeremydunworth]

It would be very, very cool to have a $45,000 SUV. It would be awesome if it was $35,000. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about what an original International Harvester Scout II would cost today. That would be awesome.

It’s not realistic, though. It’s been explained so many times to @tomgillotti here that it’s not even worth repeating. It has to stay competitive, there are R&D costs to recoup, there are salaries to pay, lights gotta stay on, bills gotta get paid, there are so many things that a $60,000 sale has to do to be an American-made car that hopefully isn’t also a shitty douchebag car made by and for douchebags that asking less isn’t realistic.

It just is what it is. I hope the smaller Scout’s going to be more in that $45K range. That would be rad. I hope things change with our toilet inflation and garbage-fire societal direction.

Thanks. This thread is 23 pages, I didn't read all of it before posting . Sounds like maybe I should take a deeper look.

In an example of creating even more noise, I want to say I also stumbled on a much longer thread this morning while drinking my coffee and I was really impressed with some of the thoughtful answers to the question "What is one feature you hope Scout will include that has not yet been shown?"

Especially this one: https://community.scoutmotors.com/t...de-that-has-not-yet-been-shown.951/post-79188

In what is surely on par with a Festivus Miracle, this message board seems to have attracted a lot of knowledgeable and overall positive contributors. Amazing.

 

[robothero]

Just realize that the Terra and Traveller are full-size trucks/SUVs. So the comparison is with a Chevy Tahoe or Ioniq 9 (both start at $60k), not a 5.

This is a trap that many people (including myself) constantly fall into. They are much bigger vehicles than you think.

 

[cyure]

This is a trap that many people (including myself) constantly fall into. They are much bigger vehicles than you think.

They truly are. When you see them it’s like oh, these are full size.

 

[Chavannigans]

I feel like this entire thread is a group of people talking to a Chat Bot.

 

[R1TVT]

I feel like this entire thread is a group of people talking to a Chat Bot.

 

[robothero]

I feel like this entire thread is a group of people talking to a Chat Bot.

I can do more than just chat!

 

[jeremydunworth]

This is a trap that many people (including myself) constantly fall into. They are much bigger vehicles than you think.

This is actually a concern and a reason I may pass on the Scout Terra and hope for something smaller in the 2nd generation

Fortunately someone already did the comparison to the Scout II, see here:

Thread 'Scout Dimensions Updated On Our Website'

Nov 1, 2024

We have updated the dimensions of the concept vehicles on our website to be clearer. I would only add that while these concepts are 85-90% accurate, there could be minor changes with the production models (different side mirror designs, overall height that varies with wheel and suspension setup, etc.,etc.).

TRAVELER:

TERRA:

• Jamie@ScoutMotors
• Replies: 41
• Forum: GENERAL DISCUSSION

• 

Which I will summarize for myself and may update if I find more accurate data later, or with the dimensions of my garage which my Scout II fits in, but I am very doubtful the new Terra will fit.

Dimensions in Inches	Terra (2027?)	My Scout II (1973?)
Length	229.2	166.2
Wheelbase	148.6	100
Width without mirrors	79.9	70
Width with mirrors	91.6	about 86
Height with roof rails	77.7	About 75

Also, I realize people want their full size trucks. One thing I haven't fully digested is that going from a Subaru Outback to a Ioniq 5, the use of space in the EV is just somehow more efficient so even though the car is physically smaller, I really haven't had as much degradation in cargo capacity as I feared. The only thing is if I need to transport something longer then the folded down back seat cargo area dimensions, but in a truck with an open bed this should not be an issue, just let it extend over the tailgate or temporarily add a lumber rack, like in the olden days.