Two new electric cars planned for Europe

Like many other foreign electric car manufacturers, Rivian should also enter the European market. But in the face of some difficulties, the American firm should not be exported for at least three years with a new model adapted to our market.

Do European manufacturers have anything to worry about? Undoubtedly. Because recently many young brands are developing and starting to strengthen in the Old Continent. Mainly Chinese, like BYD, Nio or even Xpeng, not to mention MG, which increasingly worries specialists who fear that Europe will become more than a simple importer. But other American manufacturers, such as Lucid with the Air sedan, are slowly coming to us.

Arrival, but not immediately

Some brands take longer than others to cross the Atlantic, even if they don’t want to. This is especially true of Rivian, which was founded in 2009 under the name Mainstream Motors before becoming Avera Automotive a little later. But it wasn’t until 2020 that it unveiled its first model, the R1T, an electric pickup that was unveiled as a concept in 2018.

A rival to the Tesla Cybertruck and other Ford F-150 Lightning, it is accompanied by the Rivian R1S from early 2021. It’s a more traditional electric SUV, hunting in the lands of the new GMC Hummer EV, among other things. Two very similar models that should be supported by newcomers soon.

The latter, called the R1X, could enter the catalog late next year. But like the others, it must be sold only in the United States, the only market where the brand is present. However, Rivia has no desire to export itself to us. And for good reason, the manufacturer even signed a partnership with Mercedes last September.

The goal? Develop electric vehicles a little like Ford and Volkswagen, who have also teamed up to share their skills. The future electric SUV of the blue oval brand will be based on the MEB platform of the Wolfsburg company. Yes, but now, Rivian and the brand’s alliance with the star will not last long, because the divorce was announced last December.

New model

The situation of the American company, which is developing its own network of charging stations, does not look good for good reason. This is stated in the article of the American agency ReutersRivian missed its target of selling 25,000 vehicles in 2022. In general, 24337 units were produced in his factory Located in Illinois, a total of 20,332 vehicles were delivered.

So the arrival in Europe will wait a little longer, the health of the brand is still fragile. As the site explains CarScoopIn order not to take risks, Rivian should come up with a model that is more suitable for our market. These will be the future R2S and R2Tit would take the form of an SUV and a pickup, respectively.

But we have to be patient before we discover these two vehicles on our roads. And for good reason, if their launch is scheduled for 2025. as a result, it was postponed to 2026. So at least we shouldn’t see anything happen before that year. These machines will be assembled at the new Rivian plant in Georgia, which should be commissioned in 2024.

It will also be responsible for the production of the R1X, which will compete with the Mercedes EQG, Jeep Wrangler and other Ford Broncos. The manufacturer coming to Europe will then have to find its place especially against Tesla and the Chinese brands that started marketing here. And to General Motors, which is preparing its big return to our territory with electricity.

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