Is Volkswagen Targeting the Ford Maverick?
When the Ford Maverick first hit the market, it was a guessing game about who was going to introduce the next small truck. In 2023, we now have two compact pickups, the Maverick, and the Hyundai Santa Cruz. Now, some promising news is coming out of Volkswagen about the German automaker building a small truck.
Does Volkswagen have a truck?
In the United States, Volkswagen does not currently offer a pickup truck. On the global market, that is a different story, but we’re going to focus on the States for now. Although a VW truck is not in production to compete with the Ford Maverick, the brand does have plans to change that.
According to Car and Driver, come 2026, VW will be launching a new sub-brand known as “Scout.” The Scout brand will produce an electric SUV as well as an electric truck. And the focus will be on offering off-road capability. Production will take place in South Carolina, allowing Volkswagen to build a viable truck for the States.
VW does have the ID.4 currently in production. But that’s no truck. With the Scout brand, Volkswagen will once again have a pickup truck in the United States. However, the fact that it will be electric might rub some folks the wrong way.
Volkswagen’s truck might compete with the Ford Maverick
Now, I don’t want to say that a VW truck will compete directly with the Maverick. After all, Ford’s small truck is not electric. But come 2026, maybe more folks will be cross-shopping electric and ICE vehicles.
The VW Scout truck could especially target the Maverick if it is actually competent off-road. In the past, the Scout brand of vehicles has represented a sense of adventure. And it will be interesting to see if Volkswagen can bring those characteristics into the modern day.
Of course, getting an electric truck is not the only exciting part about this prospect. VW estimates that the new production plant will add 4,000 jobs to the area. And production should be around 200,000 EVs a year.
Is the Maverick truck going electric?
As it stands, the Ford Maverick is only available with a hybrid engine and a turbocharged EcoBoost powerplant. But, according to Electrek, the Blue Oval has filed trademarks for an electric version of its small truck. That might mean nothing, or it could mean something.
Auto manufacturers are constantly filing things like trademarks, and that does not always mean those items will be seen in the real world. If Volkswagen is able to find success with the new Scout brand, who knows? The future of cars certainly looks electric, and Ford might want to have a legitimate competitor to answer VW.
For now, we don’t know much about VW’s planned truck. It is not going into production until 2026, and there is probably a lot that has not been finalized yet. Until that happens, we’re left to speculate what the end product could look like.
