Rivian may be experiencing more production delays. Maybe this is why it now apparently has a delivery-time estimator on its build site?
One forum user is hearing rumors that production has been delayed again, though he/she also notes that customers are being told that builds could happen in November, which is *checks notes*, this month.
The post itself is confusing, with the OP wondering if there are major delays, or its specific to certain orders, or the company is just being extra cautious in its estimates. Of course, one should always take rumors posted on a forum with a heap of salt.
If you know more, give us a shout.
[Image: Rivian]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
Before the inevitable snide comments start, a question: Prior to Tesla, when was the last time any one of us watched an automobile company start production?
On my end: Bricklin in 1976(?). DeLorean in 1982. Prior to that Kaiser (1946) is four years before me. Obviously, this is not exactly an easy field to break into.
We’ve watched many more end production.
“…In September, we declared Rivian the winner of the race to get customer electric trucks off the assembly line, but it looks like GM might win at getting Hummers into the hands of customers. So far, Rivian has only delivered trucks to employees…” elektrek
Though the company existed decades before that, Hyundai didn’t build their own cars until 1975 (after building Ford Cortinas since 1968).
In the U.S., other than Kaiser, the only post-war automotive startups I can think of were small companies like Tucker (1948) and Panoz (early ’90s).
And Saturn.
Anything Rivian is newsworthy, but production delays are commonplace now.
It’s an especially rough time to be a startup in the auto industry.
Oh good, that news should send the stock over $200 to make it the most valuable auto company of all time.
I remember that Ford had production delays on TTAC. That’s when the iconic phrase was coined. “Ford, what a disgrace” or something like that. Or ig was about Toyota?
I remember that Ford had production delays on TTAC. That’s when the iconic phrase was coined. “Ford, what a disgrace” or something like that. Or ig was about Toyota?
Is this post solely based on that 4 month old forum thread, or did you hear something more recent?
The forum post referenced is from FOUR months ago. There are delays from November to next March, with emails going out to launch edition holders yesterday.
They’ve only built, what, a couple of hundred trucks? If so, they are not in regular production and they do not have inventory of parts to build are a normal rate. Surely they weren’t planning to build 100 trucks a month. That would be a hobby, not a business.
This is typical business behavior to pump the stock price.
How does a production delay pump the stock price?
If they said they exceeded quota, that would pump the stock price.
The delay doesn’t pump the stock, the delay is in response to their previous statements with regard to production schedules. So the “delay” is probably fake, they simply lied. I’m quite certain they understand their production capabilities – to assume otherwise would make them appear to be incompetent. This is not some mom and pop bakery and oops, they ran out of flour so no cupcakes this week. Supply is orchestrated well in advance, this isn’t a surprise, they understand their business better than that. If they’ve really built less than 1000 cars then they have NOT entered regular production. They “delayed” announcing this “delay” as a way to “delay” bad news. And the “delay” might be followed by another “delay” that they also know about now but don’t want to talk about until later.
@Imagefont: Yeah, you’re right. It was a friend’s and family production run. They were called out for it at the time, but it didn’t make the press. I m might have posted something on TTAC at the time. The SEC should take a close look at this.
If DeLorean had 14 billion $$ and if he did not betray original engineering team and did not twit every 5 minutes and built car in California, then may be he would succeed and even went with IPO and become $100 billion company.