Volkswagen AG is reviving its rugged Scout line of SUVs and pickup trucks — originally conceived as pure electric vehicles — as a brand of primarily gasoline-electric hybrids.

More than eight out of 10 consumers who put down a $100 reservation on a Scout have selected plug-in hybrid versions over EVs, according to the brand’s top executive. As EV demand waned in the United States last year, Scout added extended-range electric versions, or EREVs, which feature a gas-fueled internal combustion engine that automatically recharges the battery as the vehicle rolls down the road.

“The market clearly has spoken, without a doubt, and they like the EREV technology full stop,” Scott Keogh, Scout’s chief executive officer, said in an interview, noting that the hybrid can travel 500 miles on a tank

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