Rivian is marching ahead with the production of the R1S and R1T. Now, they have the R2 to raise the production and, soon, sales numbers. The Californian startup just hit the 100,000-example milestone with the R1 pickup and SUV.
One hundred thousand Rivian R1T and R1S units. That is how many rolled off the assembly line of the Rivian factory in Normal, Illinois, in almost three and a half years after the first model was produced. Vehicle number 100,000 is an SUV painted in white.
CEO and founder RJ Scaringe took to social media to brag about the milestone, also showing a photo of the R1S, without offering any details on the trim and specs.
It looks like Rivian is going through a very effective period. The automaker has just been informed that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) credited the 2024 Rivian R1T with the Top Safety Pick+. That is the highest score that a vehicle can receive right now in terms of safety, placed above the earlier rating as a Top Safety Pick.
The first electric pickup to hit the American market back in September 2021, the Rivian R1T is the only large pickup to get the Top Safety Pick+ in 2024. Rivian also builds the R1S, with room for up to seven occupants. The SUV has been in production since August 2022.
Photo: Rivian
The company is planning to shut down production at its plant in Illinois between April 5 and 30, 2024, in order to retool the facility. The retooling is expected to reduce costs for the production of each vehicle while increasing the production rate by approximately 30 percent.
The Rivian plant in Georgia has been put on hold
Rivian is targeting a production run of 57,000 units in 2024, eventually extending it to over 200,000 per year. Last year, the automaker delivered 57,232 R1 examples.
The all-new R2 and R3 have also been unveiled last month. The R2 will go into production in the first half of 2026, which will allow it to hit the market faster. Rivian was planning to build the models at a future plant in Georgia, a project based on a massive $5 billion investment.
Photo: Rivian
However, the facility in Georgia, which the company refers to as the “Rivian Parkway,” is subject to delay. The construction has been put on hold, and the project won't resume until Rivian secures a more stable financial situation, which might take a few years.
The automaker is chasing profitability and hopes that the R2, which will be the most affordable model in the lineup, is going to help it reach its target. Right now, with the not-so-cheap R1S and R1T, customers are not exactly queuing to order a model.
The Rivian R1S starts at $74,900, while the R1T kicks off at $69,900. The price of the Rivian R2 is expected to be around $45,000.
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