I=4 Scout announces two new EVs, a Traveler SUV and Terra pickup truck that will arrive in 2027
Scout Motors has announced its first two EVs, a Traveler SUV and Terra pickup truck that will arrive in 2027 and will cost $50,000 and $60,000, respectively.
The EVs will have 300 miles of range, accelerate 0-60 mph in under 3.5 seconds and offer around 1,000 lb.-ft. of torque.
The company expects the first EVs to cover about 40% of the U.S truck market with the Traveler SUV accounting for two-thirds of its initial sales.
Scout said it will also bring extended range vehicles (EREVs) which will come with more than 500 miles of range.
Motor Intelligence estimates that around 58,000 EV trucks (including SUV trucks) were sold in the first half of 2024 in U.S.
The design of the Traveler and Terra is similar to that of the old scout, but they feature smoother and modernized exterior. Their interior also have large horizontal screens and soft-touch materials.
Scout’s CEO Scott Keogh said the company wants to be profitable on an operational basis within the first calendar year of production.
Scout’s models will be build at a $2 billion plant under construction in South Carolina which has annual capacity of 200,000 vehicles.
Volkswagen Group will be bringing a number of new and facelifted models in 2024. The new models include Audi Q6 e-tron, Audi A6 e-tron, the EV Macan, Skoda Elroq and CUPRA Tavascan. My initial assessment established that most of these new models and facelifts such as the new Passat, the new Golf and new Skoda models received great reception. However, although management said demand for the EV Macan remains robust except in China, some analysts are sceptical of its reception. Similarly, the facelifted Taycan may not have gotten a great following as seen by its deliveries trend during the third quarter. Also, Porsche cut the production shift of the Taycan by half in July and said that its demand remains challenging and Porsche needs to build trust on the model. Looking at the deliveries of Audi rivals, it appears to me that competition may not be coming from Mercedes-Benz and BMW but other brands such as those from China and Volvo. I will continue assessing the products and post my assessments in this topic. Here is our wiki article on the same:
I=6 Volkswagen will significantly revamp its ID models in 2026, looks to be inspired by the upcoming ID2all
Volkswagen R&D boss Kai GrĂĽnitz told Autocar that the company will significantly revamp its ID electric models in 2026 due to the huge upgrade of the MEB architecture on which they are based.
GrĂĽnitz said the changes will span looks, battery performance, cost reductions and new functionality.
The looks will be inspired by the ID2 all which is on track for a late 2025/early 2026 launch.
“We are not as fast as our Chinese competitors, but we’ve caught up a lot. For ID.2all we’re faster than the usual 52 months; I think we’ll end up at around 40. The next project, the urban BEV under the ID.2all, will be in 36 months. So we’ve caught up, but there’s still room for improvement," He said.
Grünitz pointed out that the company will slim down some of the company’s ICE models when the EU CO2 regulations kick in next year.
I=6 Audi axes Audi Q8 e-tron due to diminishing sales
Audi Q8 e-tron, which is produced at the soon- to- be closed Brussels plant, will be axed at the end of February 2025 due to diminishing sales, particularly in China.
The model’s technology has been unsatisfactory and its energy consumption of up to 28 kWh/62 miles is deemed too high.
In the first 10 months of 2024, 4,200 units of these model were sold in Germany compared to 10,000 units in the whole of 2023.
The Audi Q8 e-tron will have a successor build in Mexico but is not expected to arrive until 2027.
I=6 Audi unveiled the Audi E Concept car that appears competitive in China and is due to arrive in the second half of 2025
In November 7, Audi and SAIC unveiled their jointly developed Audi E Concept in which three models will be based.
According to the JV’s CEO, FermĂn Soneira, the concept is 95% close to production and the first model will be launched in the second half of 2025.
The concept will be based on a new platform called Advanced Digitized Platform, specifically design for the Chinese market and will utilize a software from the local startup firm Momenta which will have smart driving capabilities on highways and in urban areas.
The concept car has eliminated the four rings logo and features minimalist design, an infotainment system that spans the entire dashboard, illuminated wood and loads of light materials.
It is powered by a 100-kWh battery, enabling 700 km of range (CLTC) and comes with 800-volt architecture with super-fast charging; in just 10 months, 370 km of range is ensured.
It has two electric motors that deliver a t tal power output of 570 kW and 800 Nm, leading to acceleration of 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds.
It will be priced at $41,000 same as Nio ET5 Touring which has a range of 530 (CLTC).
The concept car will reduce development times to 12 months from 18 months, matching that of other Chinese automakers.
I=5 Porsche is looking to stick with combustion vehicles for longer due to lackluster demand for EVs
Porsche is now looking to stick with combustion engine vehicles for longer.
“We are currently looking at the possibility of the originally planned all-electric vehicles having a hybrid drive or a combustion engine," Porsche’s CFO Lutz Meschke told Automotive News Europe.
“We are currently in the middle of making conceptual decisions. What is clear is that we are sticking with the combustion engine for much longer.”
The decision could confirm analysts opinions that the EV Macan may have received bad reception.
The company already said the EV Taycan is being avoided by customers due to reliability issues.
Volkswagen plans to debut new safety features namely the Proactive Occupant Protection System, Active Hood System and Proactive Safety System.
The Active Hood System is meant to protect pedestrians who suddenly appear in front of the vehicle by making the hood to open in order to distribute the force of a collision. When there is no collision, the hood closes itself. Tesla Model 3 has something similar but without the self-closing mechanism.
The Proactive Occupant Protection system is meant to predict when a crush is imminent and initiate safety actions such as tightening of the seat belts and rolling the windows up.
The Proactive Safety System detects when the driver passes out behind the wheel. It initiates actions such as attempting to wake up the driver before pulling off to the side of the road on its own and turning on hazard lights.
I=5 Northvolt problems likely to affect some Audi and Porsche upcoming models
Porsche and Audi planned model launches may be delayed because the battery cells they had sourced from Northvolt may not be available on time.
The affected models include Porsche 718 electric models which were due to arrive at the end of 2025 and some Audi models that are based on Premium Platform Electric (PPE ).
Audi said the upcoming A6 e-tron models are “not affected by any delivery problems.”
Porsche sold 18,048 units of the 718 models in the 9 months of 2024.
Customers buying the EV Macan are new to the brand
Porsche Cars North America CEO Timo Resch said customers buying the EV Macan are new to the brand.
“A lot of the consumers that come into the Macan Electric are [new to the] brand,” Porsche Cars North America CEO Timo Resch said on a Jan. 9 call with reporters. “That’s exactly what we wanted to achieve: continue our strong Macan ICE model offer and then adding people looking in the segment for an electric” vehicle.
Porsche Cars North America sold 2,771 electric Macans in 2024.
I=4 A new ICE Macan is in the offing as demand for its electric version is uncertain
Porsche is now considering launching a new internal-combustion Macan as demand for the EV Macan is uncertain.
“The reception to the new (electric) Macan has been positive, but we are yet to see its long-term performance given uncertain market conditions,” says a senior insider. “The downturn in Taycan sales highlights new market dynamics. We cannot rely solely on traditional assumptions about consumer behavior.”
Porsche recently said that it was looking at the possibility of the originally planned EVs having hybrids or ICEs but had not specified the EV Macan.
Volkswagen said its ID.7 Pro S covered a distance of 941 kilometres on a single charge, exceeding ID.7’s maximum WLTP range of up to 709 kilometres, during a test drive carried out in December at temperatures of 5 to 15 degrees Celsius.
“The ID.7 is currently one of our bestsellers. The feedback from customers is very positive," said Martin Sander, Board Member for Sales, Marketing and After Sales
