INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Rivian, the adventure-minded electric automaker that plans to produce a pickup truck and SUV, has raised $350 million from global automotive
However, a statement from Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe suggests the partnership will help the EV startup provide services to its
Automotive has a number of specialties, such as logistics, fleet management and service and digital retailing, which is the back-end retail
support that a company selling and servicing vehicles will need
For instance, Cox Automotive launched in January a fleet services brand called Pivet that handles the task management, including everything
from in-fleeting, de-fleeting, cleaning, detailing, fueling and charging, to maintenance, storage, parking and logistics.While Rivian has
never explicitly announced plans to have a subscription service to its vehicles, this type of service would come in handy if the automaker
pursued that as a business model.Cox Automotive has also been building out parts of its business to take advantage of the rise in
Enterprises, has the reach Rivian is looking for
Cox Enterprises owns nearly 30 automotive brands, including Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Pivet, RideKleen and Manheim, which transports,
services and auctions vehicles across more than 150 global locations.The Cox Automotive partnership follows two other eye-popping
In February, Rivian raised $700 million in a round led by Amazon
Two months later, the company announced a $500 million investment from Ford Motor.Despite all of these big-name investors, Rivian says it
will remain an independent company, a desire repeated to TechCrunch on several occasions over the past year by Scaringe
Automotive Mobility Group said in a statement
all-electric R1T pickup and R1S SUV at the LA Auto Show
Scaringe launched the company as Mainstream Motors in 2009
By 2011, the name changed to Rivian and moved out of Florida
Today, the company has more than 1,000 employees split between four development locations in the U.S
The bulk of its employees are in Michigan to be close to an expansive automotive supply chain.The company also has operations in San Jose
and Irvine, Calif., where engineers are working on autonomous vehicle technology
Rivian also owns a factory in Normal, Ill
that was once owned by Mitsubishi in a joint venture with Chrysler Corporation called Diamond-Star Motors.Deliveries of these vehicles to
customers in the U.S., which use a flexible skateboard platform, are expected to begin in late 2020.
