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Delayed Rivian On Track to Deliver Electric Trucks and SUVs

August 1, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian has yet to roll out a production-ready model, but the company remains on track to produce a truck and a utility vehicle. The Plymouth, Michigan-based automaker with a manufacturing plant in Normal, Illinois, was expected to introduce its first model by the end of this calendar year. Instead, delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed that timeframe to next summer with the arrival of its R1T electric truck followed two months later by its R1S electric SUV.



Billions Raised; Fleet Orders In

That Rivian is still moving forward with its plans demonstrates its resiliency as well as its strong financial backing. Founded in 2009, the company operated mostly behind the scenes until recently when it revealed prototypes of its upcoming vehicles. Further, Rivian has raised more than $5 billion in capital investments from companies such as Amazon, the Ford Motor Company, Cox Automotive, T. Rowe Price, and BlackRock. It remains a privately-held enterprise although it does count outsiders such as a Ford executive as a board member.

Amazon has ordered more than 100,000 vans, a third model apparently designed with this Internet delivery company in mind. Also, the Ford Motor Company is developing an electric truck based on the skateboard chassis underpinning Rivian vehicles. However, a second model, a Lincoln SUV, was canceled because of the pandemic.

Incidentally, the flexible Rivian platform includes electric motors, controls, batteries, and a suspension system. Likely, it will underpin other models for Rivian as well as for varying manufacturers who develop their own shell and interior. This means manufacturers will enjoy a vehicle with four independent electric motors sending up to 200 horsepower to each wheel. The company claims the platform’s torque management system allows for everything from high-speed cornering to low-speed rock crawling.

Poached Employees; Ordering Details

Rivian hasn’t been without controversy as Tesla alleges the company has poached employees who brought trade secrets with them. Rivian has 2,300 employees and Tesla claims 178 once worked for them. Moreover, the company identified four Tesla-turned-Rivian employees for taking confidential documents with them. Tesla filed suit against Rivian; the case is pending.

Customers may “pre-order” a Rivian truck or SUV by supplying the company with a $1,000 deposit. The deposit automatically places the customer on a waiting list, but it doesn’t obligate them to follow through on their purchase decision. Indeed, the deposit is fully refundable. That’s a typical practice for these kinds of ground-breaking models from upstart manufacturers.

Profile: RJ Scaringe

Rivian is headed by RJ Scaringe, a 37-year-old engineer from Florida. Scaringe has a doctorate in mechanical engineering from MIT’s Sloan Automotive Lab.

Since its inception, the company now known as Rivian has undergone several changes, including its name and mission. Once called Avera Motors, the company changed its name following a lawsuit from Hyundai, which claimed “Avera” sounded too much like “Azera,” the name of its large sedan. The new name pays homage to the Indian River in Brevard County, Florida, where Avera was located.

Its mission has changed too as the company originally sought to build a small commuter car similar in scope to the Toyota Prius. Its new plans were originally kept under wrap for several years before its skateboard architecture emerged. What we see coming is based entirely on the new vision.

As of this writing, Rivian has more than 2,300 people on its payroll in locations such as Canada, the United Kingdom, California, Michigan, and Illinois. Eventually, the company will begin hiring workers for its Normal facility, which it acquired from Mitsubishi Motors in 2018. State and local incentives to the tune of $249 million made that acquisition possible.


See Also — About the 2021 Lordstown Endurance

Logo copyright Rivian. All rights by the manufacturer reserved.

Filed Under: Automotive News Tagged With: Avera Motors, ELECTRIC VEHICLES, ILLINOIS, Normal, PICKUP TRUCK, Rivian, Rivian R1S, Rivian R1T, RJ Scaringe, SUV

Jeep Patriot, Compass Gain a Temporary Reprieve

June 21, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Two compact Jeeps will be replaced by one new model in 2017.

Is this the future Jeep pickup truck?
Is this the future Jeep pickup truck?

The Jeep brand’s two smallest models slotted above the Renegade may reach the 2017 model year after all. The Jeep Compass and Patriot, compact SUVs introduced in 2007, will be built until Dec. 23, 2016. A Brazilian-manufactured replacement vehicle bearing one of the two model names will launch in 2017, according to Automotive News.

Plant and Product Shuffling

The reprieve comes as Fiat Chrysler realigns its manufacturing base to build more SUVs. Both the Compass and the Patriot as well as the Dodge Dart are assembled in Belvidere, Illinois. All three models will be canceled or moved out to make way for the Jeep Cherokee.

The Cherokee is currently built in Toledo, Ohio, but will be moved to Illinois in an effort to provide additional capacity for the next-generation Jeep Wrangler and a much anticipated Jeep pickup truck. Following extensive retooling, Cherokee production is due to begin in May.

Jeep Cherokee

Jeep Cherokee.

The plant shuffling also extends to Sterling Heights, Michigan, where the Chrysler 200 midsize sedan is being built, but in modest numbers. FCA plans to lay off an entire shift of workers as it realigns Chrysler 200 production with demand. Sales of the 200 are down sharply over last year as consumers shift to pickup trucks and SUVs.

By 2018, the Sterling Heights plant will begin making the next-generation Ram 1500 pickup truck. FCA is still looking for a partner to build the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart, models it says it no longer have priority in its portfolio. So far, no manufacturer has been identified as a potential partner.

Lengthy Model Run

Eleven years is a long time for a model run and both the Compass and Patriot are showing their age. The two models were extensively updated in 2011 as part of a massive product overhaul conducted by the then Chrysler Group in advance of its merger with Fiat.

Strong incentives coupled with increased interest by consumers in all matters of SUV have helped Patriot and Compass sales stay strong. However, with new models above (Cherokee) and under (Renegade), customers have much better choices.

Jeep Renegade

Jeep Renegade.

Future Jeep Product

FCA has two significant moneymakers in its Jeep and Ram brands. However, unlike Ram, Jeep is now a global brand and will continue to provide the most significant growth and drive the greatest profits for the automaker going forward.

FCA is also holding down costs by building Jeep’s two smallest models overseas. Besides the Brazilian-built replacement for the Compass and Patriot, the entry-level Renegade is built in Italy. All other Jeep models are built in the US.

Slotted above the Cherokee is the Grand Cherokee and in its own special category is the Jeep Wrangler, the only body-on-frame Jeep model presently built.

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Jeep Grand Wagoneer Reprise

In a Jan. 2016 update to FCA’s 2014-2018 business plan, the automaker noted that future “white-space” products are planned – Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Jeep pickup truck.

The Grand Wagoneer name was last used in 1991, a model based on the Jeep Wagoneer, itself introduced in 1963. The original Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer was based on Jeep’s full-size truck platform. Later Grand Wagoneer models incorporated features common to today’s SUVs, including a roof rack with rails, power bucket seats, leather surfaces, and upgraded sound systems.

As for the new Grand Wagoneer we know it will be a three-row luxury model, based on the next-generation Grand Cherokee platform. Further, FCA has promised the grandest of all Jeeps will compete with Land Rover for luxury SUV shoppers. FCA will introduce the Grand Wagoneer to dealers only this August. As for the rest of us, expect the luxury Jeep’s global unveiling to take place in a major US auto show by early next year.


Recent News — Limited Edition Mopar ’16 Ram Rebel Revealed

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Filed Under: Automotive News Tagged With: BRAZIL, Chrysler 200, DODGE DART, ILLINOIS, ITALY, JEEP CHEROKEE, JEEP COMPASS, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Grand Wagoneer, JEEP PATRIOT, JEEP RENEGADE, JEEP WRANGLER, OHIO, PICKUP TRUCK, SUV

Mitsubishi: We’re Staying

November 8, 2012 by admin 1 Comment

Following on the heels of Suzuki’s announced exit from the U.S. market, speculation has turned to the fortunes of Mitsubishi, another Japanese automaker that has been experiencing declining sales. Like Suzuki, Mitsubishi is a shell of its former self, but unlike its competitor it has vowed to stay in the U.S. market. At least for now.

Falling Sales

Earlier this week, Automotive News contacted Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko about the possibility of an exit, but the chairman reiterated his commitment to the U.S. market. Mitsubishi’s sales peaked at about 345,000 units in 2002 — this year, the automaker has sold just 50,000 cars and sales are down by nearly 29 percent. Through Oct. 2012, U.S. auto sales are up 14 percent overall.

Mitsubishi LancerUnlike Suzuki, Mitsubishi has long had an operating plant in the United States. Its Normal, Ill., manufacturing facility can be used to expand its car-building capacity especially as new models are brought to the market. That plant also helps Mitsubishi offset the cost of shipping models from Japan and suffering a currency exchange penalty in the process.

For years, the yen has performed strong against the U.S. dollar, eroding manufacturer profits. To counter this disadvantage, automakers have been moving manufacturing abroad, including to North America. Suzuki is the lone Asian car company without a North American plant, however Mitsubishi’s Illinois plant is underutilized.

Mitsubishi Outlook

What Mitsubishi has going for it is a handful of new or upcoming models that could help stabilize the company. The all-new 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander crossover will be revealed at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show this month and go on sale next summer. Mitsubishi has plans to increase its U.S. production and may ship its excess capacity abroad. The automaker has been touting its low-volume i-MiEV electric vehicle, what basically amounts to a halo model. Its Lancer (pictured) is its best seller and the next generation modelis due out in 2014. Still, the company has retired four models in the past two years, with unclear plans as to what other models may be in the offing.

As much as this writer would love to see Mitsubishi grow and prosper, the changing fortunes of the global car industry may make short work of its revival plans. To survive long-term, smaller manufacturers must hook up with larger car companies, what Subaru has done with Toyota, and what Chrysler has with Fiat. Ultimately, consumers will vote with their wallets and with an aged and limited product line on hand, time is certainly not on Mitsubishi’s side.


See Also — Seeing is Believing: 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage

Filed Under: Automotive News Tagged With: ILLINOIS, MITSUBISHI, MITSUBISHI LANCER, MITSUBISHI OUTLOOK, SUZUKI, UNITED STATES, YEN

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