South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Monday signed laws approving $1.29 billion in state incentives for Volkswagen’s off-road model Scout Motors to construct a $2 billion manufacturing plant for vans and SUVs.
The challenge may additionally obtain as much as $180 million in job growth tax credit based mostly on hiring, mentioned South Carolina Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey.
In Could, VW mentioned it will reintroduce the Scout off-road model in america, providing new electrical pickup and sport-utility autos. Scout mentioned it hopes to finally create 4,000 jobs and produce 200,000 Scout autos yearly.
Groundbreaking is deliberate for mid-2023 and manufacturing is projected to start by the tip of 2026.
“We checked out 74 websites in a dozen states, roughly,” Scout CEO Scott Keogh informed reporters. “The location was prepared, the governor himself put collectively an EV council … to verify his state was prepared.”
Keogh mentioned Scout needs to “act like a startup, be nimble and make the most of this second.” Scout, an impartial U.S. firm owned by Volkswagen Group, has mentioned it’s evaluating the potential for outdoor funding however has made no bulletins.
Volkswagen has moved away from vehicles in america. SUVs now account for about 80% of U.S. gross sales of the group’s VW and Audi manufacturers. VW final offered a pickup in america within the early Nineteen Eighties.
Scout and Travelall autos made by Worldwide Harvester had been forerunners to the favored SUVs from Detroit’s Three automakers such because the Ford Bronco and Basic Motors Co’s Chevrolet Suburban.
Volkswagen first disclosed it was contemplating utilizing the Scout title late in 2021. The automaker’s Traton enterprise acquired U.S. truck maker Navistar in 2020, which owns the title.
Monday’s occasion was the most recent main auto announcement for South Carolina, house to BMW’s U.S. operations and its largest plant by quantity. The state additionally has over 500 automotive-related corporations and 75,000 automotive business staff.
