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Rivian Will Delay Production to September Due to Component Supply Shortage

Rivian is not new to postponing production. First, the international health crisis made it delay the R1T manufacturing from the end of 2020 to the summer of 2021. In May, it announced production would not start in June but only a month later. Now that we are in July, the company warned its customers again that they will have to wait a bit longer. The new deadline for the first vehicles to reach their owners will be September.
Rivian R1T and Rivian R1S 10 photos
Photo: Rivian
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According to Edward Ludlow, from Bloomberg, Rivian warned its customers by letter that the R1T electric pickup truck will take more time to arrive due to component supply shortages. It is unclear which parts the truck is missing, but it would not surprise us if it had to do with semiconductors. In the letter to customers, RJ Scaringe highlights that they are an issue affecting multiple industries.

Apart from the R1T, the R1S will also be postponed. Previously predicted to arrive in August, it will now start deliveries in the fall. Still, Rivian preferred not to disclose a precise month for the electric crossover to make its production debut.

Anyone following Scaringe on Twitter would get the impression that things were running smoothly. His latest tweet shows an R1T body-in-white being painted in Compass Yellow.


In his letter to customers, the Rivian CEO said that putting three vehicles in production all at once was a difficult task. He was referring to the Amazon delivery van, which still lacks an official name. Amazon is one of the leading investors in the company with Ford and Cox Automotive. Amazon alone ordered 100,000 units of the electric delivery van.

The COVID-19 international health crisis and component shortages are plaguing all companies, but Rivian should have learned by now that postponing promises is not something that customers accept in a light mood. It would better establish a much later date in which it could deliver its vehicles beyond doubt and try to surprise customers with an “early delivery” after it had to delay production for the first time. For R1T and R1S buyers, let’s hope this is the last time it happens.
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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
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Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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