Susan Bromley
Hometown Life
Dec. 13, 2023
NOVI – The city is set to get a big charge from a multi-million dollar electric vehicle investment.
Scout Motors Inc. announced Tuesday that it will establish an 80,000-square-foot research and development facility at 29293 Haggerty Road, creating up to 200 jobs paying an average of $3,714 per week, plus benefits.
The company is investing $11 million, with support from the Michigan Strategic Fund and is expected to see leasehold construction begin at the end of December. A $10 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant helped seal the deal for Scout Motors to locate the research and development facility in Novi.
“Yesterday’s approval further adds to the state’s influence in innovating the latest automotive technologies with the announcement of a new research and development facility in Novi from Volkswagen-backed Scout Motors,” said Otie McKinley, media and communications manager for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
According to the company’s website, Scout Motors Inc. was founded in 2022 to design and manufacture all-electric trucks and SUVs, modeled after the Scout “originally produced by International Harvester from 1960 to 1980, the world’s first utility vehicle capable of both off-road adventure and family duty.”
The company, backed by Volkswagen, plans to begin manufacturing 200,000 electric vehicles per year by the end of 2026 at a South Carolina factory.
Scout Motors considered Columbia, South Carolina, as well as Charlotte, North Carolina, as locations for the research and development facility due to their proximity to the EV assembly plant, as well as lower upfront capital costs and significant incentives.
However, they were drawn to Michigan because of the automotive engineering talent in the state, according to an MEDC memo, much like Our Next Energy, a Novi EV battery startup.
The MBDP funds are expected to help offset the cost of improvements to the facility and provide support for recruitment. Oakland County also is providing a $150,000 grant in support of the project.
“This investment is the result of Michigan leading the way in the transition to electric vehicles, and Novi is a premier destination for the future mobility sector,” said state Rep. Kelly Breen, D-Novi. “Michigan is open for business, and this announcement is further proof. Thank you to Gov. (Gretchen) Whitmer and Scout Motors for bringing these new, high-paying jobs to Novi.”
More information on Scout Motors careers is available on the company’s website.