CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Scout Motors has selected Charlotte as its new U.S. corporate headquarters. The car manufacturer and subsidiary of German automaker Volkswagen plans to invest about $206 million within the local economy and to bring about 1,200 new jobs to the trade area.
Scout Motors plans to fill these jobs over the next five years and will pay average annual wages of $172,000, which the company says is nearly double the average annual wage in Mecklenburg County. Scout Motors will locate its headquarters within Commonwealth, a mixed-use development in Charlotte’s Plaza Midwood neighborhood that is co-developed by Crosland Southeast and Nuveen Real Estate.
The announcement builds on previous U.S. real estate activity by Scout Motors. The company is currently under construction on a 1,100-acre car manufacturing facility roughly 75 miles south of Charlotte in Blythewood, S.C., a project that is expected to be operational by 2027. The company also operates an “innovation center” in Novi, Mich.
According to The Center Square, a watchdog publication that covers activities of state and local governments, Scout Motors received roughly $72 million in economic incentives for the deal. These included about $51.3 million from the State of North Carolina, $12.8 million from Mecklenburg County and $7.3 million from the City of Charlotte.
“With a thriving talent pool, world-class universities and a deserved reputation as a launchpad for bold ideas, Charlotte offers the momentum we need to scale quickly and sustainably,” says Scott Keogh, president and CEO of Scout Motors. “We’ll build a headquarters that reflects our culture, empowers our teams and connects us to a region that’s fast becoming a national hub for mobility and manufacturing.”
Volkswagen acquired the Scout trademark in 2021. In 2022, the German automaker announced plans to revive the brand through the founding of Scout Motors. The company’s lineup includes both electric and hybrid-powered vehicles.
North Carolina has seen 23 percent growth rate in the automotive sector since 2014 and annually confers over 1,300 degrees in automotive engineering through its dozens of colleges and universities. Twenty of the Top 100 automotive suppliers in the world have a presence in North Carolina, including Toyota, which began production earlier this week at its $13.9 billion battery plant in N.C.
— Taylor Williams