Extra, Extra....Read All About It!

  • From all of us at Scout Motors, welcome to the Scout Community! We created this community to provide Scout vehicle owners, enthusiasts, and curiosity seekers with a place to engage in discussion, suggestions, stories, and connections. Supportive communities are sometimes hard to find, but we're determined to turn this into one.

    Additionally, Scout Motors wants to hear your feedback and speak directly to the rabid community of owners as unique as America. We'll use the Scout Community to deliver news and information on events and launch updates directly to the group. Although the start of production is anticipated in 2026, many new developments and milestones will occur in the interim. We plan to share them with you on this site and look for your feedback and suggestions.

    How will the Scout Community be run? Think of it this way: this place is your favorite local hangout. We want you to enjoy the atmosphere, talk to people who share similar interests, request and receive advice, and generally have an enjoyable time. The Scout Community should be a highlight of your day. We want you to tell stories, share photos, spread your knowledge, and tell us how Scout can deliver great products and experiences. Along the way, Scout Motors will share our journey to production with you.

    Scout is all about respect. We respect our heritage. We respect the land and outdoors. We respect each other. Every person should feel safe, included, and welcomed in the Scout Community. Being kind and courteous to the other forum members is non-negotiable. Friendly debates are welcomed and often produce great outcomes, but we don't want things to get too rowdy. Please take a moment to consider what you post, especially if you think it may insult others. We'll do our best to encourage friendly discourse and to keep the discussions flowing.

    So, welcome to the Scout Community! We encourage you to check back regularly as we plan to engage our members, share teasers, and participate in discussions. The world needs Scouts™. Let's get going.


    We are Scout Motors.
We all have concerns, but I try not to worry about things I have no control over. Could VW "claim" Blythewood and build Audis and Porsches there? Sure. We would hear rumors about that well before an official announcement from VW or Scout is made. Jamie is a great guy, but he works for Scout. He's going to have to toe the company line.
That I don’t know about. Because it’s mainly built off of state grants, making it the states.

And rumors are already circulating that Scout is being sold. Because VW can’t hold onto it,
 
I was talking to my wife today with what she does in banking and commercial lending. Knowing that this will be the first opportunity for VWAG to break into US market with a serious truck and SUV. While it’s possible to see them selling, the money invested to date is significant and the technologies being advanced with Rivian make sense for an EV platform. And knowing Audis can be built alongside them also makes sense to hold onto them. vWAG would have done all kinds of future forecasting and would have considered and logically been prepared for the current U.S. administration to turn electric on its head. EV sales continue to grow-albeit slower year after year and with the intention of using the EREV, every other company is now discussing the same idea. SM can be way more nimble than a legacy manufacturer and plan their vehicle strategy around changes. I think SM has made everyone realize the current vehicle ideal is EREV. And it will serve as the BEV stepping stone. In my opinion pulling Scout now would hurt VWAG even more in the long run. Needless to say her point of view is VWAG as that big of a company would have anticipated this. And across every sector in every industry companies are trying to shed costs because without getting political-the tariffs have hurt Everybody and the effects haven’t even begun rippling yet so everyone is going to suffer for years to come. Scout could also use their factory to produce smaller EV/EREV vehicles for other companies and as soon as the north American battery companies are operational in 3 years prices will be even more competitive
 
I was talking to my wife today with what she does in banking and commercial lending. Knowing that this will be the first opportunity for VWAG to break into US market with a serious truck and SUV. While it’s possible to see them selling, the money invested to date is significant and the technologies being advanced with Rivian make sense for an EV platform. And knowing Audis can be built alongside them also makes sense to hold onto them. vWAG would have done all kinds of future forecasting and would have considered and logically been prepared for the current U.S. administration to turn electric on its head. EV sales continue to grow-albeit slower year after year and with the intention of using the EREV, every other company is now discussing the same idea. SM can be way more nimble than a legacy manufacturer and plan their vehicle strategy around changes. I think SM has made everyone realize the current vehicle ideal is EREV. And it will serve as the BEV stepping stone. In my opinion pulling Scout now would hurt VWAG even more in the long run. Needless to say her point of view is VWAG as that big of a company would have anticipated this. And across every sector in every industry companies are trying to shed costs because without getting political-the tariffs have hurt Everybody and the effects haven’t even begun rippling yet so everyone is going to suffer for years to come. Scout could also use their factory to produce smaller EV/EREV vehicles for other companies and as soon as the north American battery companies are operational in 3 years prices will be even more competitive
My wish is to see TELO being made in Blythewood. Those Guys and Gals have worked so hard on that small little truck.

Well i hope you Wife is right about that because VWAG is a large company that it has done the research and placement for this legendary return. Because it would suck to see Stellantis Take over. Because thats what I've been seeing/watching and reading. But yet again VW obviously doesn't do much financial planning because this wouldn't happen every year around the same time. And it happened in the previous US administration. So that crap needs to stop.
 
man I hope not!
I’m not worried about it. I found one article from a publication I have never heard of before. To me it’s just click bait and at the end they say they have reached out to VW and SM for comment and haven’t heard back. So it sounds like they are just making up stories at this point.

Now I could see Audi building their off roader in SC after Scout gets going. That makes sense, but selling, I don’t see it.
 
(Sorry for long post)
Since my wife is a banking/financial nerd (in the absolute best way possible) she started digging into this info about VWAG today-because she finds it enjoyable-Math-Ewwww!
Anyway, VWAG has taken a hit financially this year particularly the 3rd quarter because of realized tariff costs along with…

-Porsche-One time write off of 2 billion $ for Impairment loss for capitalized project costs and expenses (changed product strategy)

-2.7 billion $ in goodwill write offs regarding Porsche
These things aren’t great but VWAG put the brakes on to prevent a larger loss. The write off was non-cash so not as major a hit as it could have been (intangible costs)

If you look at these as one time events (though tariffs will continue, unfortunately, VWAG was actually on target to have similar and possibly better profits this year.
And as I noted the other day, to sell Scout off as an American built American brand would be a bad strategy when the biggest impact to VWAG right now is import tariffs from both Europe and Mexico. Now you have a U.S. plant to help offset the tariff impacts with room to grow on site and possibly take on some traditional vehicles on a separate manufacturing line. And the potential for Audi to expedite a high end luxury vehicle out of Blythewood is another win for the company.
And I’m still going to argue for Scout to start a Metro vehicle update and promote it for BEV delivery service vehicles no different than Rivian and Amazon.
Additionally, she looked at Honda and Kia as well since they have a mix of import and stateside manufacturing and guess what? Their numbers are tracking just like VWAG with a drop in profit of approximately 35-40% which is directly related to the start of tariffs. And to balance that from a stateside only look, Ford also has taken a 40% hit overall. And to be fair-she looked at all of these for about 10-15 minutes each but used the same resources. (company statements, SEC notes, etc…).
Ford’s gas vehicles was 3,692 million in 2024 for first 9 months and for 2025, it was 2,297 million and for 2024 electric ford showed a loss of 3,708 million and for 2025 it was a loss of 3,588 million which shows they improved on EV sales a bit. The PRO division was down as well. So the only thing Ford improved on as a positive increase is the Ford Motor Credit which is due to higher interest rates. The 3rd quarter impact was in part due to a negative $700 million dollar loss due to tariffs. It certainly isn’t a deep dive but her early life was manufacturing auditing so she really gets this stuff and knows what to look at for deep dive as well as a quick synopsis like this.
So doesn’t mean VWAG couldn’t drop/sell SM but her quick assessment is they be foolish to do so.
 
Last edited:
(Sorry for long post)
Since my wife is a banking/financial nerd (in the absolute best way possible) she started digging into this info about VWAG today-because she finds it enjoyable-Math-Ewwww!
Anyway, VWAG has taken a hit financially this year particularly the 3rd quarter because of realized tariff costs along with…

-Porsche-One time write off of 2 billion $ for Impairment loss for capitalized project costs and expenses (changed product strategy)

-2.7 billion $ in goodwill write offs regarding Porsche
These things aren’t great but VWAG put the brakes on to prevent a larger loss. The write off was non-cash so not as major a hit as it could have been (intangible costs)

If you look at these as one time events (though tariffs will continue, unfortunately, VWAG was actually on target to have similar and possibly better profits this year.
And as I noted the other day, to sell Scout off as an American built American brand would be a bad strategy when the biggest impact to VWAG right now is import tariffs from both Europe and Mexico. Now you have a U.S. plant to help offset the tariff impacts with room to grow on site and possibly take on some traditional vehicles on a separate manufacturing line. And the potential for Audi to expedite a high end luxury vehicle out of Blythewood is another win for the company.
And I’m still going to argue for Scout to start a Metro vehicle update and promote it for BEV delivery service vehicles no different than Rivian and Amazon.
Additionally, she looked at Honda and Kia as well since they have a mix of import and stateside manufacturing and guess what? Their numbers are tracking just like VWAG with a drop in profit of approximately 35-40% which is directly related to the start of tariffs. And to balance that from a stateside only look, Ford also has taken a 40% hit overall. And to be fair-she looked at all of these for about 10-15 minutes each but used the same resources. (company statements, SEC notes, etc…).
Ford’s gas vehicles was 3,692 million in 2024 for first 9 months and for 2025, it was 2,297 million and for 2024 electric ford showed a loss of 3,708 million and for 2025 it was a loss of 3,588 million which shows they improved on EV sales a bit. The PRO division was down as well. So the only thing Ford improved on as a positive increase is the Ford Motor Credit which is due to higher interest rates. The 3rd quarter impact was in part due to a negative $700 million dollar loss due to tariffs. It certainly isn’t a deep dive but her early life was manufacturing auditing so she really gets this stuff and knows what to look at for deep dive as well as a quick synopsis like this.
So doesn’t mean VWAG couldn’t drop/sell SM but her quick assessment is they be foolish to do so.
Tell her I said thank you. That makes me feel better. And I appreciate her math skills!
 
(Sorry for long post)
Since my wife is a banking/financial nerd (in the absolute best way possible) she started digging into this info about VWAG today-because she finds it enjoyable-Math-Ewwww!
Anyway, VWAG has taken a hit financially this year particularly the 3rd quarter because of realized tariff costs along with…

-Porsche-One time write off of 2 billion $ for Impairment loss for capitalized project costs and expenses (changed product strategy)

-2.7 billion $ in goodwill write offs regarding Porsche
These things aren’t great but VWAG put the brakes on to prevent a larger loss. The write off was non-cash so not as major a hit as it could have been (intangible costs)

If you look at these as one time events (though tariffs will continue, unfortunately, VWAG was actually on target to have similar and possibly better profits this year.
And as I noted the other day, to sell Scout off as an American built American brand would be a bad strategy when the biggest impact to VWAG right now is import tariffs from both Europe and Mexico. Now you have a U.S. plant to help offset the tariff impacts with room to grow on site and possibly take on some traditional vehicles on a separate manufacturing line. And the potential for Audi to expedite a high end luxury vehicle out of Blythewood is another win for the company.
And I’m still going to argue for Scout to start a Metro vehicle update and promote it for BEV delivery service vehicles no different than Rivian and Amazon.
Additionally, she looked at Honda and Kia as well since they have a mix of import and stateside manufacturing and guess what? Their numbers are tracking just like VWAG with a drop in profit of approximately 35-40% which is directly related to the start of tariffs. And to balance that from a stateside only look, Ford also has taken a 40% hit overall. And to be fair-she looked at all of these for about 10-15 minutes each but used the same resources. (company statements, SEC notes, etc…).
Ford’s gas vehicles was 3,692 million in 2024 for first 9 months and for 2025, it was 2,297 million and for 2024 electric ford showed a loss of 3,708 million and for 2025 it was a loss of 3,588 million which shows they improved on EV sales a bit. The PRO division was down as well. So the only thing Ford improved on as a positive increase is the Ford Motor Credit which is due to higher interest rates. The 3rd quarter impact was in part due to a negative $700 million dollar loss due to tariffs. It certainly isn’t a deep dive but her early life was manufacturing auditing so she really gets this stuff and knows what to look at for deep dive as well as a quick synopsis like this.
So doesn’t mean VWAG couldn’t drop/sell SM but her quick assessment is they be foolish to do so.
This is great!

Also, of note is the VWAG is the top revenue auto maker in the world. Toyota is a close second. They trade the top spot.

Nobody else is close (like the third place in revenue is $100B lower).

VWAG has $31B in free liquidity, after the nonsense from the tariffs.

There is nobody in the US who has the liquid assets to buy Scout for what it's worth who doesn't already have a full-sized pickup and large SUV available for sale.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cyure
(Sorry for long post)
Since my wife is a banking/financial nerd (in the absolute best way possible) she started digging into this info about VWAG today-because she finds it enjoyable-Math-Ewwww!
Anyway, VWAG has taken a hit financially this year particularly the 3rd quarter because of realized tariff costs along with…

-Porsche-One time write off of 2 billion $ for Impairment loss for capitalized project costs and expenses (changed product strategy)

-2.7 billion $ in goodwill write offs regarding Porsche
These things aren’t great but VWAG put the brakes on to prevent a larger loss. The write off was non-cash so not as major a hit as it could have been (intangible costs)

If you look at these as one time events (though tariffs will continue, unfortunately, VWAG was actually on target to have similar and possibly better profits this year.
And as I noted the other day, to sell Scout off as an American built American brand would be a bad strategy when the biggest impact to VWAG right now is import tariffs from both Europe and Mexico. Now you have a U.S. plant to help offset the tariff impacts with room to grow on site and possibly take on some traditional vehicles on a separate manufacturing line. And the potential for Audi to expedite a high end luxury vehicle out of Blythewood is another win for the company.
And I’m still going to argue for Scout to start a Metro vehicle update and promote it for BEV delivery service vehicles no different than Rivian and Amazon.
Additionally, she looked at Honda and Kia as well since they have a mix of import and stateside manufacturing and guess what? Their numbers are tracking just like VWAG with a drop in profit of approximately 35-40% which is directly related to the start of tariffs. And to balance that from a stateside only look, Ford also has taken a 40% hit overall. And to be fair-she looked at all of these for about 10-15 minutes each but used the same resources. (company statements, SEC notes, etc…).
Ford’s gas vehicles was 3,692 million in 2024 for first 9 months and for 2025, it was 2,297 million and for 2024 electric ford showed a loss of 3,708 million and for 2025 it was a loss of 3,588 million which shows they improved on EV sales a bit. The PRO division was down as well. So the only thing Ford improved on as a positive increase is the Ford Motor Credit which is due to higher interest rates. The 3rd quarter impact was in part due to a negative $700 million dollar loss due to tariffs. It certainly isn’t a deep dive but her early life was manufacturing auditing so she really gets this stuff and knows what to look at for deep dive as well as a quick synopsis like this.
So doesn’t mean VWAG couldn’t drop/sell SM but her quick assessment is they be foolish to do so.
Makes me feel better
 
(Sorry for long post)
Since my wife is a banking/financial nerd (in the absolute best way possible) she started digging into this info about VWAG today-because she finds it enjoyable-Math-Ewwww!
Anyway, VWAG has taken a hit financially this year particularly the 3rd quarter because of realized tariff costs along with…

-Porsche-One time write off of 2 billion $ for Impairment loss for capitalized project costs and expenses (changed product strategy)

-2.7 billion $ in goodwill write offs regarding Porsche
These things aren’t great but VWAG put the brakes on to prevent a larger loss. The write off was non-cash so not as major a hit as it could have been (intangible costs)

If you look at these as one time events (though tariffs will continue, unfortunately, VWAG was actually on target to have similar and possibly better profits this year.
And as I noted the other day, to sell Scout off as an American built American brand would be a bad strategy when the biggest impact to VWAG right now is import tariffs from both Europe and Mexico. Now you have a U.S. plant to help offset the tariff impacts with room to grow on site and possibly take on some traditional vehicles on a separate manufacturing line. And the potential for Audi to expedite a high end luxury vehicle out of Blythewood is another win for the company.
And I’m still going to argue for Scout to start a Metro vehicle update and promote it for BEV delivery service vehicles no different than Rivian and Amazon.
Additionally, she looked at Honda and Kia as well since they have a mix of import and stateside manufacturing and guess what? Their numbers are tracking just like VWAG with a drop in profit of approximately 35-40% which is directly related to the start of tariffs. And to balance that from a stateside only look, Ford also has taken a 40% hit overall. And to be fair-she looked at all of these for about 10-15 minutes each but used the same resources. (company statements, SEC notes, etc…).
Ford’s gas vehicles was 3,692 million in 2024 for first 9 months and for 2025, it was 2,297 million and for 2024 electric ford showed a loss of 3,708 million and for 2025 it was a loss of 3,588 million which shows they improved on EV sales a bit. The PRO division was down as well. So the only thing Ford improved on as a positive increase is the Ford Motor Credit which is due to higher interest rates. The 3rd quarter impact was in part due to a negative $700 million dollar loss due to tariffs. It certainly isn’t a deep dive but her early life was manufacturing auditing so she really gets this stuff and knows what to look at for deep dive as well as a quick synopsis like this.
So doesn’t mean VWAG couldn’t drop/sell SM but her quick assessment is they be foolish to do so.
Wow - thanks for digging in!
 
  • Like
Reactions: cyure