Scout breaks ground in Blythewood on Midlands’ first auto factory

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Ground has officially been broken on the massive site where Scout Motors will manufacture electric SUVs and pickup trucks in the future.

Scout officials joined South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, other officials from state and Richland County government and the town of Blythewood, and many local visitors for the event.

“We are returning an American icon to production and we couldn’t have more powerful partners to do it,” said Scott Keogh, CEO of Virginia-based Scout Motors. “When we were looking for partners to work with, the answer was clear and that is why we are here in Blythewood and in South Carolina. We want to celebrate this powerful moment here in a place which is a great place to live, get an education, build a career and do business.”

The groundbreaking came just shy of a year after Scout announced its $2 billion investment in Richland County in March 2023. The 1,100-acre site for the future Scout plant is located at 501 Blythewood Road in the southeastern quadrant of Richland County’s industrial park off Interstate 77.

The project is expected to create an estimated 4,000 jobs and officials hope to begin production by the end of 2026.

South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey told the crowd it was “hard to believe” that the project had come so far in under a year.

“A year ago we were locked down in closed-room sessions figuring out how we could be competitive for Scout, and we accomplished it,” Lightsey said. “This is one of those moments that make a generation.”

Lightsey called Scout “the embodiment of our new brand: from launch to legacy.”

McMaster praised the speed of the Scout deal’s completion, and described how the company looked at more than 70 sites nationwide before choosing Blythewood.

Richland County Councilwoman Jesica Mackey noted plans to provide child care and attainable housing for future Scout employees, and described how the project emerged on “a large wooded tract owned by local farming families” that was purchased by Richland County. Margaret Swygert, one of the original owners of the site, was present with son Wayne Swygert.

“Today we can look back at years of work packed into 14 short months to bring Scout here,” Mackey said. “We are committed to work with Scout to make sure this is a collaborative success for Blythewood, Richland County and the region as a whole.”

Besides Keogh, company officials on hand included Christian Vollmer, a member of the extended executive committee for production and logistics at Volkswagen, and Jan Spies, chief production officer for Scout Motors.

Scout vehicles were originally produced by International Harvester from 1960 to 1980, and were the world’s first utility vehicles suitable for both off-road and standard road travel. The brand is owned now by Volkswagen.

Spies noted that the new facility will “not be one of our grandfather’s factories,” but instead is planned to feature cutting-edge technology in all facets of production, from the assembly line to the body and paint shops. He also described plans to make the plant as environmentally friendly as possible, including efforts to work toward carbon neutrality and the use of efficient energy.

He also described collaboration with local and state officials to construct a new exit off Interstate 77 which will enable employees and suppliers to access the plant without adding extra traffic to Blythewood Road, and plans to build a new railroad spur that will allow supplies and finished vehicles to travel by rail in order to cut down on over-the-road truck traffic.

“There is nothing more exciting than building a new factory brick by brick,” Spies said.

Spies said officials predict that when the plant eventually reaches peak production, it will produce 200,000 electric SUVs and pickup trucks annually.