Audi Ready To Challenge Defender! Scout-Based Luxury SUV To Be Produced In The US

JAKARTA - Germany's luxury auto giant, Audi, is reportedly taking significant steps to strengthen its position in the North American market. For the first time, Audi plans to produce a vehicle in the United States (US), a large, tough, and luxurious SUV that will directly become a new rival for Land Rover Defender.

This step was taken by Audi to reduce pressure from import rates that have been hitting the brand. Over the years, Audi has lagged behind rivals from countries, BMW and Mercedes, due to its dependence on imports from Europe and Mexico.

For this purpose, reported by Carscoops, Tuesday, November 18, Audi will reportedly use its brother's brand-owned facility under the umbrella of Volkswagen Group, Scout Motors.

According to a report from the German Automobilewoche website, the Defender-sized SUV will be produced at the Blythewood plant, South Carolina, which is currently being built by Scout. Scout, the legendary utility brand that VW revived in 2022, is expected to start launching its own trucks and SUVs by the end of 2027.

This decision allowed Audi to cut import costs and take advantage of existing technology within the VW Group family.

The Audi luxury SUV is designed specifically for the American market and will come as a hybrid range-extender variant.

Most interestingly, this vehicle will use a Scout platform. This means the Audi SUV is likely to adopt a ladder-frame chassis (ladder frame) a new technology for Audi, complete with a four-wheel drive system (4WD) and a qualified differential locking for real off-road capabilities.

The decision to use the range-extender is in line with Scout market demand. Scout CEO Scott Keogh recently revealed that more than 80 percent of Scout bookings are for the range-extender model, which offers a total range of up to 500 miles (about 800 km), much larger than the pure electricity version (EV) Scout which only offers about 350 miles.

Although no official images have yet been released, Audi has signaled interest in the offroad segment through the Q6 e-tron Offroad Concept which was launched earlier this year.

The upcoming SUV, which is expected to launch in 2028, is predicted to be much larger and have a more boxy design than Q6, to match the Land Rover Defender segment. By leveraging the tough offroad Scout DNA, the new SUV is expected to combine Audi's signature luxury with the real terrain in America.