CHARLOTTE — Volkswagen Group-backed Scout Motors Inc. — the automaker with plans to establish its headquarters in Charlotte — could delay the launch of its electric vehicles, German news outlet Der Spiegel reported this week.
[ READ MORE: Scout Motors to create 1,200 jobs in Charlotte, investing $206.9 million ]
The report states the company plans to delay the launch of its electric trucks and SUVs until 2028 because of “technical problems.” Scout has been planning to launch the vehicles in 2027. The automaker’s manufacturing efforts are centered on a massive plant under construction in Blythewood, South Carolina, which is just over 75 miles south of Charlotte.
A Scout spokesperson provided a statement to the Charlotte Business Journal noting the company “has not shared any timing or product update announcements.”
The statement did not address a question sent by CBJ about potential impacts of any delay on Scout’s Charlotte headquarters plans.
“We’re now fully into the heart of the construction process for our Scout Motors Production Center in Blythewood, South Carolina, which remains on track,” the spokesperson’s emailed statement said. “Our buildings are weathertight and we’ve begun installing process equipment, including the first robot which arrived in mid-January in the body shop, marking another major milestone. Additionally, we’ve begun hiring and training our first maintenance technicians who will work in the factory.”
When asked a follow-up question about if Scout stands by its plans to launch its vehicles in 2027, the spokesperson said the company had nothing to add beyond the initial statement.
Read more at Charlotte Business Journal’s website here.