Photo: Rivian
In August 2021, we told our readers that Rivian wanted to have a factory in Europe and was studying offers from the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. A recent rumor suggests that the decision was probably made, even if things will start more modestly. According to them, the Dutch may soon begin assembling CKD (completely knocked-down) vehicles.
It is not clear if the company will have its own assembly plant or if it will use the services of VDL Nedcar, a manufacturing contractor that used to build cars for BMW and Mini. With production moving to China, the Dutch company now has room for assembling cars for other carmakers.
From the evidence collected by FD.nl, it seems that Rivian will not hire anyone to put its cars together in the Netherlands. The American EV maker is currently hiring a warehouse supervisor and an inventory manager for a distribution center in that country.
By assembling its cars in the Netherlands instead of importing them as finished vehicles from the U.S., Rivian may dodge import taxes and make its products more competitive. With the only electric pickup truck currently for sale in the U.S. – the R1T – it would probably not have any relevant competitor in Europe, making their price tags irrelevant. However, Rivian knows it has to prepare for other vehicles and be more consistent with pricing.
If this distribution center and the CKD plant are confirmed, we’ll have a strong sign that Rivian may be more inclined to accept the Dutch government offer for its European factory. It may also be the case that only the distribution center will be in the Netherlands, and production can happen in another country.
Whatever Rivian is planning, it is now clear that it intends to sell its vehicles in Europe as soon as possible. Considering that it is still scaling up production in its Normal factory in Illinois, that may mean that the company will soon deliver all reserved cars and is already preparing to offer its vehicles to a wider variety of customers.
From the evidence collected by FD.nl, it seems that Rivian will not hire anyone to put its cars together in the Netherlands. The American EV maker is currently hiring a warehouse supervisor and an inventory manager for a distribution center in that country.
By assembling its cars in the Netherlands instead of importing them as finished vehicles from the U.S., Rivian may dodge import taxes and make its products more competitive. With the only electric pickup truck currently for sale in the U.S. – the R1T – it would probably not have any relevant competitor in Europe, making their price tags irrelevant. However, Rivian knows it has to prepare for other vehicles and be more consistent with pricing.
If this distribution center and the CKD plant are confirmed, we’ll have a strong sign that Rivian may be more inclined to accept the Dutch government offer for its European factory. It may also be the case that only the distribution center will be in the Netherlands, and production can happen in another country.
Whatever Rivian is planning, it is now clear that it intends to sell its vehicles in Europe as soon as possible. Considering that it is still scaling up production in its Normal factory in Illinois, that may mean that the company will soon deliver all reserved cars and is already preparing to offer its vehicles to a wider variety of customers.
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