Scout Motors, a company resurrected by Volkswagen Group for the North American markets, will soon be releasing its first all-electric SUV and pickup truck. Both will have traditional buttons in the cabin, but won’t otherwise cling to outdated design solutions.
The corresponding statement was made by Scout Design Director Chris Benjamin and echoed by company CEO Scott Keogh as they laid the foundation of the company’s factory in South Carolina. According to InsideEVs, Benjamin also pointed out that new Scout vehicles will look much more modern than most customers may expect and will not resemble the Ford Bronco.
He opined that having actual hardware controls in the car is essential. The upcoming Scout EVs are being envisioned as daily-driven “workhorses”, so the driver must have easy access to the features they are using on a daily basis. Among other things, it implies not having to rummage in the depths of capacitive screens with obscure interfaces.
He added that using touchscreens at higher speeds or off-road can be taxing, while using traditional buttons is simple, practical and provides enjoyable tactile feedback.
It remains to be seen what the EVs will look like on the outside. According to Benjamin, the revived American brand will not attempt to copy the designs of the original Scout vehicles made by International Harvester in the second half of the 20th century. When polled, some potential customers asked for “Classic Scout models, just electrified”, but most of the respondents said they knew nothing about the heritage of the brand and didn’t care about retro. In the end, the company decided to go with just a bit of retro mixed with modern tech and trends.