Volkswagen names new president, CEO of Americas Group

Volkswagen is shaking up leadership in the Americas as it launches a new company focusing on electric pickups and sport utility vehicles after acquiring the iconic Scout ATV brand.

Scott Keogh, who has led Herndon-based Volkswagen Group of America as president and CEO and the Volkswagen North American Region since 2018, will become president and CEO of Scout, Volkswagen announced in a press release Tuesday. He will be replaced by Pablo Di Si, who currently serves as executive chair of Volkswagen’s South America region.

The leadership changes take effect Sept. 1. Di Si will be based in Herndon, said Cameron Batten, a Volkswagen spokesperson. Batten said he could not confirm where Scout’s headquarters will be located.

The shift comes as part of Volkswagen’s strategy to grow its portfolio of electric vehicles in the U.S., with more than 25 models planned by 2030.

Scout was an all-terrain vehicle manufactured by International Harvester from 1961 until 1980. Keogh came across a restored Scout during a beach trip and began advocating for a new electric truck line after realizing the rights were available, Axios reported Tuesday. Volkswagen acquired the rights to the Scout name in 2021 when its commercial truck subsidiary, the Traton Group, bought truck manufacturer Navistar International, which succeeded International Harvester, for $3.7 billion in 2021. International Harvester went out of business in 1985.

Production of Scout will begin in 2026, with a goal of dealing up to 250,000 vehicles annually.

Keogh joined Volkswagen from Audi of America, where he served as president from 2012 to 2018 and as chief marketing officer for six years before serving in that role. He previously worked for Mercedes Benz USA.

Di Si joined Volkswagen in 2014 as president and CEO of Volkswagen Argentina and became president and CEO of Volkswagen Brazil and Latin America in 2017. He was appointed to his current position in January. He previously worked in finance and business development in the U.S. and Brazil with the Fiat Chrysler Group, Kimberly-Clark and Monsanto. He graduated from Harvard Business School and has an MBA in international management and an accounting degree from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s from Loyola University of Chicago.

“Scott and Pablo have played key roles in turning around the businesses in North America and South America, respectively,” Herbert Diess, Volkswagen Group CEO and chairman of the Volkswagen AG board, said in a statement. “In their future positions, they will be pivotal in seizing the historic market opportunities in the U.S., taking our growth strategy in the region to the next level.”