The news is hot for Rivsky. Now the young American startup is fully preparing for expansion in Europe. The manufacturer of neo-electric pickups and SUVs is looking to expand on the Old Continent in the coming months. Following the path of its competitors Lucid, Fisker and Faraday Future (among others). Founded in Florida in 2009, Rivian entered the automotive industry relatively late, only in 2018. That year, two concepts were presented at the Los Angeles Auto Show: R1T Concept and R1S Concept. In 2021, serial versions of these prototypes finally appeared. They are currently sold exclusively in the United States. The R1T is a large full-size electric pickup, while the R1S is its SUV derivative. In the same philosophy as the Jeep Gladiator/Wrangler or Toyota Tundra/Tacoma for example.

Growing development

In the USA, Rivian, despite its youth, has some success. Thus, in 2022, the R1T became the best-selling electric pickup truck in the country 11,900 sales were recorded. But, arrival in 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning, Chevrolet Silverado EV and RAM 1500 REV should quickly cause it to lose that top spot, as these models are owned by three major American manufacturers (the “big three”). Not to mention Tesla and its Cybertruck, which just started production. In order to remain competitive, Rivian plans to differentiate itself through the offering more compact model. It will always be an SUV, but this time located on segment D. This new orientation will put it in direct competition with manufacturers that are also well positioned. Volvo EX90, BMW iX, Kia EV9 and Hyundai IONIQ 7, among others. It is also a more active segment in Europe than the full-size (F), which is particularly popular in the United States.

First Germany, then France

But before all this, it is with another model that Rivian will land in Europe. EDV (electric van) is electric van which was designed specifically for the American company Amazon. Her boss, Jeff Bezos, invested heavily in Rivian, to the point where he is today the majority shareholder. More than 100,000 EDVs have been ordered, and a very large number of them are already crossing American roads and cities. It is currently being exported to Germany, from where 300 models will be delivered to Munich, Berlin and Dusseldorf.. In fact, the EDV 500 will be more compact and better suited to European body styles than the EDV 700 and 900 found in the United States. France will come after Germany ! The 6.3m long EDV 500 we will have at home will have a useful volume 14m3. Rivian must now clarify his arrival in France by clarifying in which cities its first EDV 500 will be deployed…

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