Pilot Builds in 2026?

[BeerParty]

In the Car Scoops article (https://www.carscoops.com/2025/12/scouts-terra-and-traveler-want-to-sound-like-no-other-ev/) on the sound recordings they are making for the new Scout vehicles, the final sentence said this:

Production of the Terra and Traveler begins in South Carolina in late 2027, after a run of pilot builds in 2026.

This is the first I have heard of "pilot builds in 2026." Are these the testing vehicles that were mentioned by Jamie, or does "pilot build" mean something else? A quick Google search of "car pilot build" didn't turn up anything useful (don't bother with an "auto pilot build" search, that just gets you autopilot info).

 

[dreamweaver]

In the Car Scoops article (https://www.carscoops.com/2025/12/scouts-terra-and-traveler-want-to-sound-like-no-other-ev/) on the sound recordings they are making for the new Scout vehicles, the final sentence said this:



This is the first I have heard of "pilot builds in 2026." Are these the testing vehicles that were mentioned by Jamie, or does "pilot build" mean something else? A quick Google search of "car pilot build" didn't turn up anything useful (don't bother with an "auto pilot build" search, that just gets you autopilot info).

When I worked at Ford Motor Company they had a special plant just for pilot builds. Now because Scout has a brand new plant with no builds running they will most likely build them on the new vehicle lines.

 

[R1TVT]

My guess would be that they meant to use the word PROTOTYPE. I would envision the 2026 prototype vehicles to appear very much like the current builds, have a real-drive train + battery pack, resemble the production interiors that have been shown (with possible tweaks to materials based on working with suppliers) and maybe run a hybrid Scout / Rivian SW pack while the final SW design are finalized within the Zonal architecture. These will be absolutely pummeled and tested in all kinds of harsh environments so Scout can make any final supplier choices and lock-in last minute procurement for their supply chain (based on results of testing done with prototypes). The first vehicles will likely be in a state not dissimilar to the R1T's used in a Long Way Up. Here's a decent explainer:

 

[RodorW]

Pilot builds are usually the finalized design, run through the line for Q.A., and might be sent out as the demo vehicles for the public to interact with. I've read something about them being used for dealer test drives, but unless it's late 2026, that seems a little early for this description of a pilot build

 

[dreamweaver]

My guess would be that they meant to use the word PROTOTYPE. I would envision the 2026 prototype vehicles to appear very much like the current builds, have a real-drive train + battery pack, resemble the production interiors that have been shown (with possible tweaks to materials based on working with suppliers) and maybe run a hybrid Scout / Rivian SW pack while the final SW design are finalized within the Zonal architecture. These will be absolutely pummeled and tested in all kinds of harsh environments so Scout can make any final supplier choices and lock-in last minute procurement for their supply chain (based on results of testing done with prototypes). The first vehicles will likely be in a state not dissimilar to the R1T's used in a Long Way Up. Here's a decent explainer:

Pilot vehicles are for fleshing out assembly issues of a fully baked vehicle. Well after Prototype.

 

[R1TVT]

This is a pretty good methodology (caveat being that I am not an engineer and do not work for an OEM). I would say Scout is through the Concept Confirmation phase of this. My only point was that before "Pilot" with real vehicles to flesh out those assembly issues, we would likely see a prototype run, which might look something like the current concept vehicles we have seen, BUT with actual core components built into the frame of the concept (as opposed to solely on mules).

Exciting times ahead for sure as FC or the Functional Confirmation phase gets underway to include all HW, SW and components. This is from Magna FWIW:

 

[dreamweaver]

This is a pretty good methodology (caveat being that I am not an engineer and do not work for an OEM). I would say Scout is through the Concept Confirmation phase of this. My only point was that before "Pilot" with real vehicles to flesh out those assembly issues, we would likely see a prototype run, which might look something like the current concept vehicles we have seen, BUT with actual core components built into the frame of the concept (as opposed to solely on mules).

Exciting times ahead for sure as FC or the Functional Confirmation phase gets underway to include all HW, SW and components. This is from Magna FWIW:

View attachment 11866

I concure.

 

[cyure]

I concure.

It’s so exciting knowing at some point we will get to see prototypes!

 

[dreamweaver]

It’s so exciting knowing at some point we will get to see prototypes!

Quite often you won't recognize the prototypes, they are frankensteins.

 

[R1TVT]

Quite often you won't recognize the prototypes, they are frankensteins.

Those frankensteins were the mules I was referring to... I was thinking that the prototype would look like the R1T prototypes, which were very close to pilot and production R1T's. All speculation of course!

 

[cyure]

Quite often you won't recognize the prototypes, they are frankensteins.

I thought the frankensteins were the test mules. It’s my understanding the prototypes are the next in the step to production. So closer to what the production vehicles will look like.

 

[dreamweaver]

I thought the frankensteins were the test mules. It’s my understanding the prototypes are the next in the step to production. So closer to what the production vehicles will look like.

Covered in camouflage, both hard & soft

 

[6-ScoutFamily]

Pilot vehicles are for fleshing out assembly issues of a fully baked vehicle. Well after Prototype.

This makes the most sense to me, and using the actual production lines would reveal any production troubles lurking in the shadows.

 

[J Alynn]

In the Car Scoops article (https://www.carscoops.com/2025/12/scouts-terra-and-traveler-want-to-sound-like-no-other-ev/) on the sound recordings they are making for the new Scout vehicles, the final sentence said this:



This is the first I have heard of "pilot builds in 2026." Are these the testing vehicles that were mentioned by Jamie, or does "pilot build" mean something else? A quick Google search of "car pilot build" didn't turn up anything useful (don't bother with an "auto pilot build" search, that just gets you autopilot info).

Pilot build are the testing vehicles that are basically pre production zero series.

 

[J Alynn]

I thought the frankensteins were the test mules. It’s my understanding the prototypes are the next in the step to production. So closer to what the production vehicles will look like.

This is very much. They’ve done winter and summer mule tests and now winter is here they can do round two. They’ve been developing the SW all along so the pilots should be pretty well baked by then

 

[Chuckles]

In the Car Scoops article (https://www.carscoops.com/2025/12/scouts-terra-and-traveler-want-to-sound-like-no-other-ev/) on the sound recordings they are making for the new Scout vehicles, the final sentence said this:



This is the first I have heard of "pilot builds in 2026." Are these the testing vehicles that were mentioned by Jamie, or does "pilot build" mean something else? A quick Google search of "car pilot build" didn't turn up anything useful (don't bother with an "auto pilot build" search, that just gets you autopilot info).

Here's an Automotive News article from November 24:

Scout preps for preproduction builds in S.C.; mules go through the wringer​

LOS ANGELES — Scout Motors, on a tight timeline to begin output in late 2027, is set to take a significant step forward in 2026 when preproduction vehicles begin rolling down the line at a new factory in South Carolina. And some executives are just starting to get initial drive time with test mules as development of the Traveler SUV and Terra pickup continues.
“We are very quickly getting to something that looks and feels like real production vehicles,” Cody Thacker, vice president of commercial operations, said while speaking during a fireside chat at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Scout displayed both vehicles outside the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Ryan Decker, Scout’s vice president of strategy and brand, said the company will begin building vehicle bodies, followed by the first vehicle builds, at the Scout Motors Production Center in Blythewood, S.C., once all necessary equipment has been installed.
“We’ll start actually making stuff in that factory by the end of 2026,” Decker told Automotive News.
Scout broke ground on the expansive site in February 2024. The main assembly building has been enclosed, while paint equipment and conveyor systems have been installed in the paint shop.

Scout test mules go through the wringer​

As the manufacturing site comes together, Scout engineers, and executives such as Decker, are putting early prototypes through the wringer.
“I drove my first mule a few weeks ago,” Decker said. “Super special moment. It’s dynamic for a vehicle that has our capability.”
Scout is planning to offer two powertrains: full electric or an extended-range electric vehicle energy system.

Decker declined to say which powertrain the mule he drove had or how many Scout mules are running but said, “We don’t make a ton of those.”
Scout has also begun to integrate software with the mules, Decker said.
The Traveler and Terra will be among the first VW Group models to benefit from a joint venture between Rivian and the German automaker. Engineers at the joint venture are building upon Rivian’s electrical architecture used for the R1T pickup and R1S crossover, the companies said, which will be used in Scout vehicles.
Thacker said Scout finished an initial round of cold-weather evaluation in Sweden last winter and will go into Round 2 of testing in coming months.

“We have several generations of test mules that are driving around,” Thacker said. “They look like Frankenstein vehicles, but we are now validating on real drive dynamic, chassis dynamic, suspension dynamic, traction control. These things are getting dialed in. The software is coming to light.”

It isn’t clear which competitors Scout is benchmarking during early road tests.

Thacker said Scout is still optimistic that the brand will achieve a sub-$60,000 starting price.

In September, Scout CEO Scott Keogh said the brand had procured most of the materials, parts and key components for the Traveler and Terra.

Scout has relied on the vast resources of VW Group to secure better pricing and availability on parts. Scout also plans to source batteries from VW Group’s PowerCo subsidiary.

Decker said Scout has not decided whether it’s going to launch production of both models at the same time or which powertrain will be available first.

Audi, another VW Group brand, plans to develop a large SUV tailored for the U.S. and leverage Scout’s platform and plant for the vehicle, sources familiar with the matter told Automotive News affiliate Automobilwoche.

“We believe our platform and our factory are compelling for other users,” Decker said. “We have not confirmed anything beyond that.”

Scout final production design is coming soon​

Chris Benjamin, Scout’s chief design officer, said while his team has made some adjustments for manufacturing and feasibility, the prototypes displayed in Los Angeles largely reflect what will be built.

One change he pointed to will be at the front and rear quarter panels. The prototypes feature daytime running lights that bleed into the front and rear fender/quarter panel assemblies.

“That is too intricate to stamp on a piece that large,” Benjamin said. “We’ve taken considerations for that. We’ll have a cool insert that the light sits in, in order to get a nice fit and finish around it for stamping.”
Benjamin declined to say when Scout will show the Traveler and Terra in final production form, saying simply: “Stay tuned.”

 

[dreamweaver]

Here's an Automotive News article from November 24:

Scout preps for preproduction builds in S.C.; mules go through the wringer​

LOS ANGELES — Scout Motors, on a tight timeline to begin output in late 2027, is set to take a significant step forward in 2026 when preproduction vehicles begin rolling down the line at a new factory in South Carolina. And some executives are just starting to get initial drive time with test mules as development of the Traveler SUV and Terra pickup continues.
“We are very quickly getting to something that looks and feels like real production vehicles,” Cody Thacker, vice president of commercial operations, said while speaking during a fireside chat at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Scout displayed both vehicles outside the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Ryan Decker, Scout’s vice president of strategy and brand, said the company will begin building vehicle bodies, followed by the first vehicle builds, at the Scout Motors Production Center in Blythewood, S.C., once all necessary equipment has been installed.
“We’ll start actually making stuff in that factory by the end of 2026,” Decker told Automotive News.
Scout broke ground on the expansive site in February 2024. The main assembly building has been enclosed, while paint equipment and conveyor systems have been installed in the paint shop.

Scout test mules go through the wringer​

As the manufacturing site comes together, Scout engineers, and executives such as Decker, are putting early prototypes through the wringer.
“I drove my first mule a few weeks ago,” Decker said. “Super special moment. It’s dynamic for a vehicle that has our capability.”
Scout is planning to offer two powertrains: full electric or an extended-range electric vehicle energy system.

Decker declined to say which powertrain the mule he drove had or how many Scout mules are running but said, “We don’t make a ton of those.”
Scout has also begun to integrate software with the mules, Decker said.
The Traveler and Terra will be among the first VW Group models to benefit from a joint venture between Rivian and the German automaker. Engineers at the joint venture are building upon Rivian’s electrical architecture used for the R1T pickup and R1S crossover, the companies said, which will be used in Scout vehicles.
Thacker said Scout finished an initial round of cold-weather evaluation in Sweden last winter and will go into Round 2 of testing in coming months.

“We have several generations of test mules that are driving around,” Thacker said. “They look like Frankenstein vehicles, but we are now validating on real drive dynamic, chassis dynamic, suspension dynamic, traction control. These things are getting dialed in. The software is coming to light.”

It isn’t clear which competitors Scout is benchmarking during early road tests.

Thacker said Scout is still optimistic that the brand will achieve a sub-$60,000 starting price.

In September, Scout CEO Scott Keogh said the brand had procured most of the materials, parts and key components for the Traveler and Terra.

Scout has relied on the vast resources of VW Group to secure better pricing and availability on parts. Scout also plans to source batteries from VW Group’s PowerCo subsidiary.

Decker said Scout has not decided whether it’s going to launch production of both models at the same time or which powertrain will be available first.

Audi, another VW Group brand, plans to develop a large SUV tailored for the U.S. and leverage Scout’s platform and plant for the vehicle, sources familiar with the matter told Automotive News affiliate Automobilwoche.

“We believe our platform and our factory are compelling for other users,” Decker said. “We have not confirmed anything beyond that.”

Scout final production design is coming soon​

Chris Benjamin, Scout’s chief design officer, said while his team has made some adjustments for manufacturing and feasibility, the prototypes displayed in Los Angeles largely reflect what will be built.

One change he pointed to will be at the front and rear quarter panels. The prototypes feature daytime running lights that bleed into the front and rear fender/quarter panel assemblies.

“That is too intricate to stamp on a piece that large,” Benjamin said. “We’ve taken considerations for that. We’ll have a cool insert that the light sits in, in order to get a nice fit and finish around it for stamping.”
Benjamin declined to say when Scout will show the Traveler and Terra in final production form, saying simply: “Stay tuned.”

Another great article. Thank's for the post.

 

[pwrofgrayskull]

Here's an Automotive News article from November 24:

Scout preps for preproduction builds in S.C.; mules go through the wringer​

LOS ANGELES — Scout Motors, on a tight timeline to begin output in late 2027, is set to take a significant step forward in 2026 when preproduction vehicles begin rolling down the line at a new factory in South Carolina. And some executives are just starting to get initial drive time with test mules as development of the Traveler SUV and Terra pickup continues.
“We are very quickly getting to something that looks and feels like real production vehicles,” Cody Thacker, vice president of commercial operations, said while speaking during a fireside chat at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Scout displayed both vehicles outside the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Ryan Decker, Scout’s vice president of strategy and brand, said the company will begin building vehicle bodies, followed by the first vehicle builds, at the Scout Motors Production Center in Blythewood, S.C., once all necessary equipment has been installed.
“We’ll start actually making stuff in that factory by the end of 2026,” Decker told Automotive News.
Scout broke ground on the expansive site in February 2024. The main assembly building has been enclosed, while paint equipment and conveyor systems have been installed in the paint shop.

Scout test mules go through the wringer​

As the manufacturing site comes together, Scout engineers, and executives such as Decker, are putting early prototypes through the wringer.
“I drove my first mule a few weeks ago,” Decker said. “Super special moment. It’s dynamic for a vehicle that has our capability.”
Scout is planning to offer two powertrains: full electric or an extended-range electric vehicle energy system.

Decker declined to say which powertrain the mule he drove had or how many Scout mules are running but said, “We don’t make a ton of those.”
Scout has also begun to integrate software with the mules, Decker said.
The Traveler and Terra will be among the first VW Group models to benefit from a joint venture between Rivian and the German automaker. Engineers at the joint venture are building upon Rivian’s electrical architecture used for the R1T pickup and R1S crossover, the companies said, which will be used in Scout vehicles.
Thacker said Scout finished an initial round of cold-weather evaluation in Sweden last winter and will go into Round 2 of testing in coming months.

“We have several generations of test mules that are driving around,” Thacker said. “They look like Frankenstein vehicles, but we are now validating on real drive dynamic, chassis dynamic, suspension dynamic, traction control. These things are getting dialed in. The software is coming to light.”

It isn’t clear which competitors Scout is benchmarking during early road tests.

Thacker said Scout is still optimistic that the brand will achieve a sub-$60,000 starting price.

In September, Scout CEO Scott Keogh said the brand had procured most of the materials, parts and key components for the Traveler and Terra.

Scout has relied on the vast resources of VW Group to secure better pricing and availability on parts. Scout also plans to source batteries from VW Group’s PowerCo subsidiary.

Decker said Scout has not decided whether it’s going to launch production of both models at the same time or which powertrain will be available first.

Audi, another VW Group brand, plans to develop a large SUV tailored for the U.S. and leverage Scout’s platform and plant for the vehicle, sources familiar with the matter told Automotive News affiliate Automobilwoche.

“We believe our platform and our factory are compelling for other users,” Decker said. “We have not confirmed anything beyond that.”

Scout final production design is coming soon​

Chris Benjamin, Scout’s chief design officer, said while his team has made some adjustments for manufacturing and feasibility, the prototypes displayed in Los Angeles largely reflect what will be built.

One change he pointed to will be at the front and rear quarter panels. The prototypes feature daytime running lights that bleed into the front and rear fender/quarter panel assemblies.

“That is too intricate to stamp on a piece that large,” Benjamin said. “We’ve taken considerations for that. We’ll have a cool insert that the light sits in, in order to get a nice fit and finish around it for stamping.”
Benjamin declined to say when Scout will show the Traveler and Terra in final production form, saying simply: “Stay tuned.”

Great article, thanks for sharing it.

 

[bakdraft8231]

did see a few things about Audi joining the team with a BIG AUDI branded,Scout look a like SUV,wonder if that would be equivalent to the top of the line Scout, or even more decked out??? With Audi doing that I would imagine the top of the line of either would be around 100K..

 

[maynard]

This is a pretty good methodology (caveat being that I am not an engineer and do not work for an OEM). I would say Scout is through the Concept Confirmation phase of this. My only point was that before "Pilot" with real vehicles to flesh out those assembly issues, we would likely see a prototype run, which might look something like the current concept vehicles we have seen, BUT with actual core components built into the frame of the concept (as opposed to solely on mules).

Exciting times ahead for sure as FC or the Functional Confirmation phase gets underway to include all HW, SW and components. This is from Magna FWIW:

View attachment 11866

thanks for this!