Many Volkswagen dealerships across the United States feel frustrated over a lack of communication from VW after it recently announced the revival of the Scout name.
On May 11, the German automaker said that it would sell a new electric pickup and SUV in the U.S. under the Scout name. It will establish a separate, independent company dubbed Scout and dealers are worried that VW may push for a direct-sales model with the new brand.
“That’s what it feels like to me,” one dealer told Auto News. “If we were going to have any involvement, they would have told us something. But they haven’t said a word to us, either before or after the announcement.”
VW of America sales and marketing head Andrew Savvas revealed in a letter to the brand’s 650 dealers across the U.S. that they will have no claim on its products.
Dealers throughout the United States have been calling on VW to introduce a pickup truck for decades and one told Auto News it was hopeful it would “get the first crack” at selling the Scout pickup and SUV if VW does decide to sell them through franchises.
Read More: VW Coming After Ford’s Bronco And Rivian With Scout Revival Electric SUV And Truck In 2026
VW’s decision to revive the Scout name as a brand producing EVs forms part of chief executive Herbert Diess’ plans for VW to capture a 10 percent market share across all brands in the United States.
“[Scout] will be a separate unit and brand within the Volkswagen Group to be managed independently,” VW Group chief financial officer Arno Antlitz added. “This aligns with the new group steering model — small units that act agilely and have access to our tech platforms to leverage synergies.”
VW has not yet confirmed how its new Scout models will be sold with a spokesman for VW Group of America simply stating “we aim to share more news as it becomes available.”
