Rivian Delays Launch Of R1T Pickup Truck Until 2021 Due To COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Rivian Automotive, the Plymouth, Michigan-based electric truck startup, to delay launch of its R1T pickup truck until 2021, a company spokesman said earlier this week.

Rivian had planned to begin production of the truck later this year at the former Mitsubishi assembly plant in Normal, Illinois. But the company has stopped retooling that plant because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Buoyed by more than $2.8 billion of investments from Ford, Amazon and Cox Automotive, Rivian is regarded a leader in the effort to electrify pickup trucks and SUVs, which now account for the majority of personal use vehicles sold in the U.S. Amazon alone has ordered 100,000 custom-designed electric delivery vehicles from Rivian.

Company spokeswoman Amy Mast said Rivian employees continue to work from home and will be paid during the stay-at-home orders in the states where it has operations: Michigan, Illinois and California.

Rivian notified customers by email that it will detail a new production schedule when the company has a clearer view of the timetable for retooling the Illinois plant.

There is a small crew of people working there, but Rivian expects to hire more than 1,000 workers eventually.

Rivian also has development and engineering facilities in Plymouth, Michigan, as well as Irvine and San Jose, California.