How the Scout became a Volkswagen brand through the diesel scandal

On Thursday, the Volkswagen Group announced the development and marketing of electric SUVs and pick-ups in the United States under the Scout brand. The name Scout was a household name in the United States in the 60s, 70s and 80s. This is a popular off-roader from the International Harvester Company. Of course, Volkswagen cannot use that name alone because it requires trademark rights. He acquired it by acquiring Navister International, which owns the Scout name.

Navister was formed in 1986 from the International Harvester, or rather, the International Harvester, later renamed the Navister International Corporation. International Harvester also sold its own brand name in sales of various business units. So the name of the remaining company had to be changed. The trademark rights of the scouts were in possession. However, they are still on the shelf until now. They may have stayed there, as Navister went through a very turbulent period and now it belongs to Volkswagen.

Autopian Mentions that (Of all peopleVolkswagen in a way gave the diesel scandal the name Scout. It follows. As a truck manufacturer, Navistar faced severe emissions requirements for its larger diesel trucks earlier this century. There were approximately three ways to reduce nitrogen and particle emissions. Navistar can choose to reduce urea injection (with AdBlue), nitrogen absorption or EGR (exhaust gas recirculation). Navister chose the latter option. It was Himself Not a bad choice, but then things will go wrong here.

Cheating

Until 2010, emissions requirements were further tightened, and it became clear that Navistar’s EGR solution was not sufficient to bring emissions to the required levels. The urea infusion worked well, but Navister did not deliberately choose this to protect its customers. After all, with such an engine you have to fill urea in addition to diesel, which Navistor does not think is the best. However, it wanted to follow the same path of exhaust gas recirculation and thereby began to push the limits. Or rather, it went beyond borders. Navistar used so-called ‘compliance points’, the well-known CO2 receivables it generated over the years to compensate for excess emissions. So far nothing insane, but until 2010 the requirements were so severe that the company reached a very vague ‘solution’. The engines were later recorded as ‘built in 2009’, which was only on paper because the base only came from 2009, after which the engine was built. In fact, they are 2010 power units that do not have to meet new requirements due to their ‘year of production’.

Navistar was later confronted by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), which eventually imposed a fine of about $ 3,700 for each motorcycle that did not meet the requirements and got a lawsuit over that. Navister later settled for $ 52 million, but was fined $ 7.5 million by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) for misleading investors. As if that weren’t enough, Navistar’s engines have also deteriorated. EGRs have malfunctioned all the time or caused problems at the power source. This led to several lawsuits by disgruntled customers against Navistar, resulting in millions of losses to the company.

Acquisition by Volkswagen Group

The most dramatic twist of events, of course, is that Navister does not sit in cool clothes. A sick company is a cheap company to put money into and Volkswagen Group did just that. It started with a big share, and eventually Volkswagen’s truck division Troton captured the entire pub on July 1, 2021. Navister not only came under German concern, but also acquired the right to the Scout name.

Now the Volkswagen Schout brand is breathing new life – hence the Germans believe – that it will once again become a household name in the United States. Paradoxically, with full electric cars, but in a way ‘thank you’ for the two diesel scandals that started this process. After all, Volkswagen’s own diesel scandal led to the damage to the much-needed image in the United States, but the group could get a somewhat better name on the other side of the Atlantic by scouting.