By Jessica Holdman
SCDailyGazette.com
BLYTHEWOOD — Dump trucks rumbled across red dirt and cranes towered in the distance, signaling work was well underway at the future site of the $2 billion Scout Motors electric vehicle assembly plant north of Columbia.
To mark the occasion, executives of the Volkswagen subsidiary had taken a three-day, 650-mile road trip from Fort Wayne, Ind. — where the original Scout factory was located — to Blythewood, where the all-electric reboot of the nostalgic brand will take place. They rode in a caravan of vintage Scouts. The company even recruited the former general manager of the Indiana Scout plant to transport a brick from the original factory.
When Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh placed that brick on the podium Thursday, Feb. 15, an animation of the new plant flashed across the video screen.
Scout expects to begin automotive production at the end of 2026 or in early 2027. When operating at full capacity, the company will employ upwards of 4,000 people at the Blythewood plant making 200,000 vehicles a year.
Scout is promising wages ranging from $58,000 to $100,000, depending on the position.
For now, construction crews are at work leveling out the site. On the south end, workers are drilling 300,000 deep holes and filling them with stone to create underground pillars that will stabilize the soil and hold the weight of the factory. The buildings are expected to be constructed and ready for equipment installation in early 2025.
At the peak of the factory’s construction, about 2,500 workers will be on site at one time, according to Scout officials. Between 5,000 and 6,000 people total will work there over the entire course of the project.
Jessica Holdman writes about the economy, workforce and higher education. Before joining the S.C. Daily Gazette, she was a business reporter for The Post and Courier.
