The success of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) will be defined by the efficacy of the platforms on which they’re built. Many automakers have struggled to get the foundations for software development right, which has subsequently inspired partnerships. Most notably, Volkswagen-Rivian announced a joint venture (JV) in August 2024 to build a common SDV platform.
Amid this flux comes Scout Motors, a new automaker named after a popular SUV precursor—the International Scout—produced by International Harvester between 1961 and 1980. An independent company with its own board of directors but still wholly owned by Volkswagen, Scout Motors will be among the first to leverage software offerings from the Volkswagen-Rivian JV. “We’re building our own proprietary platform for our vehicles, but it will use Rivian software,” explains Strategy Director Ryan Decker.
Scout’s software platform is defined by its Community UX ecosystem, which is designed to offer premium digital and connected experiences without being needlessly overwhelming and opaque for customers. In practice, this means a kind of minimalism: allowing the driver to moderate the level of digital interaction they prefer through three customisable display modes and emphasising traditional analogue-style features like knobs and buttons. But can Scout Motors’ uniquely ‘balanced’ approach to software-defined mobility help drive adoption?
Old world and new world
Decker remarks that Scout Motors’ platform offers a “clean sheet of paper” upon which to draw its mobility vision. “We’re a start-up with a running start; we have a brand with a beloved fan club but a forward-looking vision,” he explains. “And we have the backing of one of the world’s largest OEMs, which certainly helps.” Scout Motors was founded by Volkswagen in May 2022. Research and development—including a company-owned IT operation—takes place in Michigan, while production is expected to begin in South Carolina from 2027.
“Our unique selling point is this perfect marriage of old world and new world approaches,” says Decker. While the company often hews to the adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, it remains thoroughly uninterested in recreating a vehicle from 1980. This can be observed in the company’s use of Rivian’s modern zonal architecture for its software platform, which enables remote diagnostics and continuous over-the-air updates across the vehicle’s lifecycle. At the same time, Scout eschews the hyper-minimalist, touchscreen-centric approach to the interior that many other automakers have adopted as they increasingly shift towards software.
Tactility over touchscreens
Of course, there are still touchscreens on board. The Community UX is centred in an ultra-wide 21:9-ratio 16.2-inch touchscreen LCD in the middle of the dashboard, albeit underscored by a row of metal buttons. These buttons include physical climate controls that allow variables like temperature and fan speed to be quickly tweaked without the driver taking their eyes off the road. Despite the ‘analogue’ appearance, the buttons are powered by and connected to software. They are meant to augment the touchscreen—for example, the temperature dials sit right below the temperature information display.
“We want these vehicles to feel connected at the tactile level,” explains Decker. By prioritising tactility, the automaker aims to buck a trend started by Tesla in which the touchscreen determines more and more aspects of vehicle functionality. It also creates an alternative, more mechanical aesthetic for the automaker’s SDV vision. A second, smaller display sits behind the wheel in place of the instrument cluster. While this could help win over older consumers more reluctant to embrace the digital aesthetic, there are signs it could also prove popular among younger people. A 2024 report by McKinsey notes a trend among Gen Z customers restricting their digital lives, manifested in the growing popularity of ‘dumbphones’—mobile phones that limit functionalities to calls, texts, maps, and a few other simple features.
At the same time, Scout is working to ensure its platform is connected to a full range of software offerings, including music streaming, video and more. The brand aims to make these experiences seamless through built-in satellite internet, enabling connectivity-dependent media and information offerings to be enjoyed in off-road and remote settings as and when desired. “We want to be a brand that equips Scout owners to go out and do things without restrictions,” Decker states. However, this also helps drivers set the terms for their own exposure level and access to automotive software. Satellite internet will be offered on a subscription basis.
Decision fatigue
The ability to let drivers manage their software exposure may be best observed through the three customisable information modes Community UX offers: detailed view, default mode, and detox mode. While the detailed view is intended for those who want as much vehicle data as possible, the detox mode is intended to minimise distractions with a clean, simple display. The standard mode is in keeping with standard infotainment experiences, displaying essential information while integrating buttons and knobs to maximise tactility.
I could quite easily make the case modern vehicles are becoming disconnection machines
The detox mode is noticeably minimalist, showing only critical vehicle information in orange text against a black backdrop. When the navigation system is active, the instrument cluster screen will not show a map but rather simple text-and-arrow-based turn-by-turn directions. During this time, the centre screen will provide a minimalist trip summary. Decker notes the ease by which modern drivers can experience ‘decision fatigue’, or a sense of feeling overwhelmed by technology and the numerous ways in which drivers must constantly interact with it and make decisions. “I could quite easily make the case modern vehicles are becoming disconnection machines,” he remarks.
Instead, the Community UX software is oriented around strengthening the feeling of connectedness between the driver and passenger. “We are really interested in the idea of turning the passenger into a co-pilot,” he explains. The screen’s 21:9 ratio is designed with a unique interface that allows for collaboration and group tasks: content can be swapped from one side to the other with a simple touch gesture or by using an arrow at the touchscreen’s bottom. The passenger can search for a charging station on their side of the screen and relay it to the driver’s side or go back and forth picking songs for a music playlist.
Ultimately, if Scout Motors’s Community UX can integrate a sense of mechanical touch-and-feel and connectedness, while allowing the driver to mitigate their sense of digital fatigue, it could help convince those more reluctant about SDVs. “If you want to win over American buyers in the SUV segment to software, you need to recognise that they want tactility. They want to work the vehicle themselves with a muddy glove,” Decker concludes. “Having a brand philosophy that embraces these things and integrates them into a broader vision unlocks a wider portion of the market.”
