As it prepares to go into production with its first model, Scout Motors is whetting buyer appetites with two distinct takes on its flagship electric SUV. The Mountainside and the Trail-Ready concepts, shown for the first time this past weekend, are based on the close-to-production Traveler concept first introduced two years ago. Their aim, the company says, is to illustrate the vehicle's capacity to balance refined cabin luxury with extreme off-road capability.
The Volkswagen Group subsidiary, which resurrected the iconic International Harvester nameplate as an independent brand, presented the vehicles to the public at the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Experience in Aspen, Colorado.
Traveler Mountainside Concept
The Mountainside concept represents a warmer, more sophisticated interpretation of the Traveler. Designed to evoke the comfort of returning to a cozy snow cabin after an outdoor excursion, it wears a dark Morning Dusk paint finish, a charcoal-brown shade infused with gold metallic flakes that shift tone in the sunlight.
The vehicle rides on 22-inch anodized Vault dish wheels wrapped in 35-inch tires designed for mainly on-pavement use. Inside, the cabin features light brown semi-aniline leather, dark grey woven fabric, houndstooth headliner upholstery and recycled walnut wood trim reminiscent of corkboard.
Traveler Trail-Ready Concept
The Trail-Ready concept leans more into the brand’s rugged agricultural roots. Finished in a Galvanized Steel paint that mimics raw metal, it also gets a contrasting roof finished in something called “Canvas”.
This variant receives full-metal front and rear bumpers, rock rails, an integrated front winch and a roof rack with trail lamps. It rolls on 18-inch black beadlock wheels wrapped in 35-inch mud-terrain tires, accompanied by a rear-mounted spare wheel carrier with an integrated fuel caddy.
The interior introduces a Denim District design inspired by durable American workwear, accented by brick-red leather highlights and a convertible canvas roof.
Retro foundations and delayed launch
Both models pay homage to the original 1960s and 1970s International Harvester Scout with retro-inspired boxy silhouettes, straight lines and angular rear quarter windows. Beneath the sheet metal, Scout will offer an extended-range “Harvester” powertrain, which pairs a non-turbocharged 4-cylinder generator with a 63-kWh lithium iron phosphate battery to deliver a targeted 500 miles (804 km) of total range.
Scout says that high demand for the range-extended variant means it will lead the initial rollout over the fully electric version.
Though neither concept has been confirmed for production, their specialized hardware, for example the beadlock wheels and integrated winches, likely previews potential factory option packages.
Scout Motors confirmed that initial customer deliveries for both the Traveler SUV and its platform-sharing sibling, the Terra pickup, have been pushed back to mid-2028 at the earliest. Assembly will take place at a newly constructed manufacturing facility in Blythewood, South Carolina.