State and local leaders are gathering in downtown Spartanburg this morning for a 10 a.m. economic development announcement expected to reveal new suppliers tied to Scout Motors' electric truck and SUV plant in Blythewood. The reveal is expected to spotlight companies making fresh investments and adding jobs across the Upstate, though the full list of suppliers and any accompanying job totals had not been released ahead of the event.
According to FOX Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster, U.S. Rep. William Timmons, the state's commerce secretary and Scout Motors executives are all expected to attend. The station reports that details on job numbers tied to Wednesday's announcement have not yet been released. Scout is building its manufacturing plant in Blythewood to produce trucks and SUVs under the classic Scout name, with first customer deliveries expected to begin in 2028, the station notes.
A $2 Billion Bet on Blythewood
The scale of what's driving Wednesday's gathering is already well documented. Scout's Blythewood Production Center spans more than 1,100 acres and is expected to create more than 4,000 permanent jobs, with capacity to build up to 200,000 vehicles annually at full output, according to a Scout Motors production update. The company also announced an additional $300 million investment in South Carolina to build a Supplier Park, which the update says is expected to support approximately 1,000 additional supplier jobs. Separately, Scout has said it plans to employ 4,000 workers and roll out roughly 200,000 battery-powered pickups and SUVs annually once production ramps up in late 2027, per the Post and Courier.
Suppliers Already Moving Into the State
Supplier activity tied to Scout has been building for months. The South Carolina Department of Commerce says a joint venture called SODECIA AAPICO has selected Orangeburg County for its first South Carolina operation, a project meant to support Scout Motors. The $120 million investment is expected to create up to 392 new jobs, according to the department, and the facility will manufacture advanced ladder frames as a parts supplier for the automaker. Construction on that plant is expected to be completed during 2027, the commerce department notes, and Sodecia has said the project should attract additional suppliers and advance workforce development in Orangeburg County and surrounding communities.
Why the Upstate Keeps Betting on Auto Jobs
South Carolina's automotive sector was already sizable before Scout arrived on the scene. The industry's economic impact tops $27 billion statewide, and the state is home to more than 500 automotive companies, the commerce department reports. In 2023 alone, the sector accounted for $4.3 billion in announced capital investment, per the same state data. Supplier activity tied to Scout began almost immediately after the company first announced its South Carolina manufacturing plans, according to Assembly Magazine, which reported that industry observer Annie Caggiano expects Scout's long-term impact to resemble the economic influence BMW has had on the Upstate for decades.
The comparison isn't without precedent elsewhere in the state's auto corridor. Volvo Cars of North America has said an expansion brought its total South Carolina investment to more than $1 billion and added nearly 2,000 jobs, according to the commerce department. Whether Wednesday's Spartanburg announcement delivers similarly concrete figures for Scout's supplier network remains to be seen once the event gets underway this morning.
