*

Scout to begin selling EVs in 2027 produced in South

Carolina

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Scout to forgo traditional dealers, expects 65-70% of

vehicles

will be SUVs

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New vehicles will start below $60,000, compete with Tesla,

Rivian, GM

*

(Adds interview with Scout CEO, details in paragraphs 3-9)

By David Shepardson

Oct 24 (Reuters) - Volkswagen's Scout Motors

unit on Thursday unveiled its concept electric SUV and truck and

said it will offer extended-range versions that include a small

gasoline engine.

The German automaker

announced the brand in May 2022

as an EV-only standalone company, but Scout said on

Thursday that it had listened to the concerns of some U.S.

drivers about recharging abilities.

VW is building a $2 billion factory in South Carolina

and expects to begin production of the new vehicles in 2027. The

full EV versions will offer up to 350 miles (560 km) of range on

a charge while the extended-range version will have 500 miles

(800 km).

"It makes the platform future proof," Scout CEO Scott Keogh

said, adding that the company can divide production between the

variants based on demand.

The gas-powered engine will recharge the vehicle's

high-voltage battery, but will not have a direct connection to

the wheels, the company said.

Like Tesla, Scout will forgo a traditional

independent dealer network in favor of directly selling and

servicing vehicles, and it pledged full price transparency and

transactions that can be completed in minutes. Keogh expects

Scout will have around three dozen U.S. retail centers when

sales start, eventually rising to 100.

Scout will compete with growing EV SUV and truck

segments that include Rivian, Tesla, General Motors ( GM )

and Ford.

Keogh said in a Reuters interview that Scout models are

designed to feel like traditional vehicles with mechanical

switches that are less futuristic than other EVs.

"They want real switches, they want a door handle they

can move," Keogh said of American buyers. "It has that love and

nostalgia from the '60s and '70s with the high-tech stuff."

The Scout Traveler SUV and Scout Terra pickup will start

under $60,000. Scout, which will be able to produce 200,000

vehicles annually in South Carolina, is currently planning

65%-70% of production as SUVs versus pickups.

Keogh says the SUV is "kind of a Defender meets a Land

Cruiser meets a Bronco" -- referencing three popular SUVs of

Land Rover, Toyota and Ford, respectively.

VW last sold a pickup in the United States in the early

1980s. Scout and Travelall vehicles made by International

Harvester were forerunners in both function and style of the

popular SUVs from Detroit's Big Three automakers such as the

Bronco and GM's Chevrolet Suburban.