Scout Motors announced investments Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, by seven South Carolina companies that will expand to supply parts for electric and hybrid-like models of the Traveler SUV and the Terra pickup to be made at its $2 billion electric vehicle assembly plant near Columbia. (Provided by Scout Motors)
Seven Upstate auto parts makers pledge to hire 200 South Carolinians as they expand production to meet the needs of Scout Motors.
The companies — Spartanburg Steel, Magna DRIVE, KV Final, Röchling Automotive, Magna Mirrors, Cooper Standard and Bant Boru — announced Wednesday they would invest a total of $82 million in their existing facilities across Spartanburg, Duncan and Piedmont.
“Building Scout vehicles in South Carolina means building more of our supply chain here, too,” Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh, said in a statement. “These supplier expansions are another step toward reshoring American manufacturing, creating good jobs, and developing the domestic capabilities needed to support production for decades to come.”
Hands-on training begins for first assembly workers at Scout Motor’s SC assembly plant
The companies, which already supply parts to other South Carolina-based automakers, such as BMW, also will manufacture for and deliver to the Volkswagen subsidiary’s electric vehicle assembly plant under construction in Blythewood.
It is unclear whether any of the companies plan to seek state tax credits as part of their expansions.
“The Upstate has spent decades building a world-class manufacturing base, and Scout Motors took notice,” Allen Smith, president of OneSpartanburg, Inc., the city’s chamber of commerce organization, said in a statement. “These supplier expansions reflect the talent, infrastructure, and momentum driving our region’s growth. We are proud to see Spartanburg County companies play an important role in the next chapter of automotive manufacturing in South Carolina.”
The Upstate expansions follow an announcement last year by Sodecia Aapico for a $120 million Orangeburg County plant to build vehicle frames for use in electric SUVs and trucks assembled at the Scout campus.
All of this is in addition to the $2 billion investment and 4,000 workers Scout has pledged to hire directly.
Auto suppliers for Scout Motors to jointly open $120M Orangeburg factory
The electric vehicle maker is on schedule to roll its first round of test vehicles off the line by the end of the year. Testing will continue in phases throughout 2027. Vehicles are now expected to hit the market in 2028.
At full capacity, Scout plans to produce 200,000 vehicles annually. That will include a mix of fully electric and hybrid-like models.
State Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey touted this latest round of investments as a byproduct of “the powerful momentum created by Scout Motors and the transformational impact already taking place across South Carolina.”
“And the reality is that we are witnessing only the beginning,” he added.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.
Courtesy of South Carolina Daily Gazette
