Scout Motors chooses South Carolina for new $2 billion EV plant

COLUMBIA, SC — A Volkswagen Group-backed auto company this week announced plans to open a $2 billion electric truck and SUV plant just outside of Columbia, South Carolina.

Scout Motors Inc. officials and South Carolina said Friday that the company would establish its first factory in Blythewood on an industrial site. At full capacity, more than 200,000 vehicles can be produced annually at the plant, which is expected to create 4,000 or more permanent jobs, Governor Henry McMaster’s office said in a press release.

Scout Motors, an independent company headquartered in Virginia and backed by Volkswagen, plans to produce all-electric trucks and SUVs in the style of the Scout vehicles produced by International Harvester between 1960 and 1980.

“Scout Motors will provide thousands of South Carolinians with unprecedented opportunity and prosperity for generations to come,” McMaster said in a statement. “The state of Palmetto, with its rich history, superior people and outstanding reputation for automotive manufacturing, is the perfect place to reboot this iconic American brand.”

According to the press release, vehicle production should begin at the end of 2026.

The Scout deal is expected to receive county-level tax breaks that have already received initial approval, the state reported. According to the newspaper, it was not immediately clear what state-level incentives the project would have received.