Auto HQ to bring 1,200 jobs to Plaza Midwood
The project carries a $207M investment.
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EV manufacturer Scout Motors’ decision will bring a new industry to Charlotte
By Ashley Fahey and Tony Mecia
Scout Motors is planting its headquarters in Charlotte, bringing 1,200 jobs and an expected investment of $207M to the Plaza Midwood neighborhood.
The N.C. Department of Commerce’s Economic Investment Committee on Wednesday afternoon voted to approve a Job Development Investment Grant for Scout’s local expansion. An announcement that includes Gov. Josh Stein, the city, the county and the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance is scheduled for 2 p.m. today at the Commonwealth development in Plaza Midwood. Local incentives of about $20M are expected to be offered by the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.
The investment is expected to run through Dec. 31, 2029. The positions are expected to pay an average wage of $172,000. Scout also considered sites in South Carolina and Virginia for its headquarters.
The project is a significant one for Charlotte, in terms of job count, investment and industry diversification.
Who is Scout Motors?
In starting to manufacture cars and trucks, Scout Motors is reviving a brand from the 1960s and 1970s that is thought of as helping create the SUV segment. Scout off-road vehicles were made by International Harvester from the 1960s until 1980.
The new Scout Motors is a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group that was founded in 2022. It plans to make off-road capable electric trucks and SUVs at a manufacturing facility in Blythewood, S.C., just north of Columbia, which is under construction.
Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh said in a May interview that the company is going to “restore an American icon for this American moment.”
The company does not currently have vehicles available for sale, though it is accepting reservations for its first two models: the Scout Traveler SUV and the Scout Terra pickup truck. Production is expected to begin in 2027, and analysts estimate the first models will be available in 2028. The company says entry-level models will start at “under $60,000.”
Since Scout selected the site for its $2B plant in South Carolina in 2023 — which is expected to employ as many as 4,000 workers — it has been searching for a headquarters location to consolidate its operations. Scout has said it preferred a spot close to the plant. Blythewood is about 1 hour, 15 minutes south of Charlotte, off I-77.
Keogh said in May that the company was searching for a site that is “a great place to live, and that’s a big spectrum. Can our employees afford it? Do they get good health care? Do they want to move here? We’re going to have to convince an awful lot of people to say this is a great place to raise your family and build a home and all of that.”
The announcement also represents a continued shift of automotive jobs to the South. For years, North Carolina had been bypassed for other states, but that is starting to change — especially with electric vehicle-related projects. Toyota announced a battery manufacturing plant near Greensboro in 2021, and Vietnamese automaker VinFast announced a battery plant west of Raleigh in 2022 (though construction has been delayed).
South Carolina has been stronger at attracting automotive investments, with BMW opening a plant near Spartanburg in 1994 and Volvo opening one outside of Charleston in 2018. Isuzu said this year it would open a plant near Greenville, S.C.
Both states have quietly nurtured the growth of automotive suppliers as well.
Scout’s unique choice in HQ location
The arrival of Scout is also distinctive in that it chose to locate its headquarters in Plaza Midwood, a neighborhood east of uptown that is not known as an office employment hub.
Scout’s future home at the Commonwealth project, spearheaded by Charlotte developer Crosland Southeast and Nuveen, is part of a 12-acre redevelopment at Central and Pecan avenues that was once home to a Family Dollar-anchored strip center. Crosland and Nuveen have built hundreds of apartments, and a substantial amount of retail space — more than 100,000 sq. ft., for both existing and new businesses — is entitled for the property. Already, several ground-floor retail tenants, including Van Leeuwen, Yonder Yoga, Solidcore and bootmaker Lucchese, have opened. Several more, including Japanese restaurant Uchi, have been announced.
The project’s six-story, 145,000 sq. ft. office building finished construction in the second quarter. An undeveloped portion of the site — the side closest to Independence Boulevard, at the intersection of Commonwealth and Pecan avenues — could accommodate a future phase of development.
The Commonwealth project is perhaps the most visible example of the change Plaza Midwood has undergone in recent years, as more developers and new businesses have moved in, and longtime neighborhood staples have relocated to more affordable areas of Charlotte.
The Commonwealth development in Plaza Midwood has revamped a 12-acre site at the corner of Pecan and Central avenues. (Photos: Kevin Young/The 5 and 2 Project)
Related Ledger articles:
“Is Scout Motors about to sign a massive lease in Charlotte? An auto HQ for Plaza Midwood?” (Real Estate Whispers, Sept. 24, 2025)
“Big jobs announcement for Charlotte expected today in Plaza Midwood: New automotive HQ?” (Nov. 12)
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Job well done by CLT Ledger team. You were first to report the news in September!