Audi Wants to Build a Rugged SUV. It Might Look to Scout for Help

• Audi is considering launching a body-on-frame SUV to sit at the top of its lineup.
• Chief executive Gernot Döllner says the model is "in the framework that we are thinking about," but a final decision has not been made.
• If approved, the SUV would likely use Scout Motors' platform.

— Marrakesh, Morocco

Audi is seriously considering a rugged body-on-frame SUV to sit at the top of its lineup — and it might not have to build the underpinnings from scratch. Speaking with Edmunds at an event in Morocco last week, Audi chief executive officer Gernot Döllner confirmed that a ladder-frame four-wheel drive model is under consideration, and that it could look to Volkswagen Group brand Scout Motors for this SUV's architecture.

"We are thinking about something like that. No decision has been taken yet, but it is definitely in the framework that we are thinking about," Döllner said, adding that it would be commercially critical to utilize a preexisting architecture.

"If we do something like that, it is only thinkable to do it on a platform that is already there."

Audi has strong all-wheel-drive roots

Audi has long been associated with all-wheel-drive vehicles, and the historical roots of the company's Quattro-branded AWD systems can be found in rally motorsport. However, the modern brand is associated with unibody crossovers like the Q5 and Q7 rather than out-and-out separate-chassis SUVs. A body-on-frame vehicle would push Audi into premium off-roader territory currently dominated by the Land Rover Defender, Mercedes-Benz G-Class and, in pure-electric form, the Rivian R1S.

Those vehicles prioritize durability, towing, and serious off-roading capability in excess of what the Q7 crossover delivers. The formula typically involves a ladder-frame chassis, locking differentials and high ground clearance — hardware Audi does not currently have.

However, an appropriate platform has been in development for several years by Audi's corporate cousin, Scout Motors. And if the plan to develop a four-ringed off-roader is approved, the most commercially sensible foundation would be to co-opt Scout's architecture.

Scout Motors vehicles offer hybrid and EV options

Scout revealed its Traveler SUV and Terra truck in late 2024 with both models riding on an all-new body-on-frame platform with front and rear lockers and dual electric motors providing standard four-wheel drive.

The Scouts will be offered with either a fully electric powertrain with up to an anticipated 350 miles of range or a Harvester range-extender hybrid setup, in which a four-cylinder gasoline engine generates electricity for a downsized battery while the dual motors drive the vehicle to push total range out to an estimated 500 miles.

Audi would be working with credible specifications, should it harness the Scout platform, with the revived manufacturer projecting specifications squarely in serious off-road territory with more than 12 inches of ground clearance, nearly 3 feet of fording capability, and the ability to tow up to an estimated 7,000 pounds with the EV version of the Traveler SUV.

With Traveler launch pricing set to start under $60,000, there could be headroom for Audi to further amp up the luxury and dynamic edge of the platform without blowing past the pricing of rivals. The Rivian R1S is now priced from $78,885; the quad-motor Mercedes-Benz G 580 EV is far loftier, kicking off at $164,550.

Audi wants to develop new models more quickly, so Scout makes sense

Brand chief Döllner said that kind of baked-in authenticity would be critical.

"If you do something like that ... you need a platform that is authentic in this segment; otherwise it does not make sense," he said.

For Audi, the other major benefit of co-opting Scout's preexisting work is speed to market.

While rumors have suggested Scout's launch may have slipped to 2028, the brand continues to target a 2027 start of production at its new Blythewood, South Carolina, plant. By leveraging that architecture, Audi could skip years of costly and time-consuming vehicle development, compliance and validation.

Döllner told Edmunds that the brand is seeking to shrink new model development time from as long as seven years to as little as two or three years by hastening approval processes and making smarter use of existing platforms. 

"To deliver in that time, you need some sort of platform to build on," he said.

Based on Audi’s product development timeframe targets, if the ladder-frame 4WD is approved, it could realistically launch in 2028 or 2029. A contingency is capacity at the South Carolina plant, which can produce 200,000 vehicles per year. Scout reported last month that it had received 150,000 refundable reservations.

Would buyers accept a rugged Audi?

Döllner thinks so. "The positive about the Audi brand is that almost every segment is thinkable. The spread from an entry, low-floor A-segment to a D-segment or an off-road car — that is all possible with the Audi brand," he commented. "We are able to act in so many segments."

While the electrified nature of the Scout platform would make it possible to sell a related Audi off-roader in Europe, despite that continent's climate regulations, the North American market would likely be the key focus of a rugged Audi model. Audi's U.S. sales have faced headwinds in recent years, and a halo off-road model could serve as both a brand statement and volume contributor locally.