Rivian has delayed the official public delivery of its R1T electric pickup truck for the second time, pushing the release date to September.
RJ Scaringe, the company’s CEO, announced the delay and also sent a letter to reservations holders.
Similar to many other companies’ woes, Rivian said the “cascading impact of the pandemic” has greatly affected the production of the innovative truck.
“Everything from facility construction to equipment installation, to vehicle component supply (especially semiconductors), has been impacted by the pandemic,” Scaringe said.
“Beyond these unforeseen challenges, launching three new vehicles while setting up a multi-vehicle manufacturing plant is a complex orchestra of coordinated and interlinked activities where small issues can translate into ramp delays.”
Rivian pickup truck delay a positive?
Scaringe said the delay also has a positive perspective for a least two reasons. The CEO said more time will now be spent testing the vehicle.
With the delay, the company, according to the CEO, will be able to establish more charging stations and service centers.
Rivian recently announced customers who made purchase deposits will be offered test drives in July. Public deliveries of the truck will follow within a few weeks.
The all-wheel-drive truck is touted with a 0-60 miles per hour acceleration of 3.0 seconds. The RT1 has a towing capacity of 11,000 pounds. The starting MSRP is $67,500.
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James Raia, a syndicated columnist in Sacramento, California, publishes a free weekly automotive podcast and electronic newsletter. Sign-ups are available on his website, www.theweeklydriver.com. He can be reached via email: james@jamesraia.com.
##RVT1009b
A page from the “Elio” playbook???
Trying to figure out what it can carry. Says it can pull 11k and that is great but is it the equivalent of a 1/2 ton? 3/4 ton? I do like the storage under and in the bed.
So, the delay is good because “The CEO said more time will now be spent testing the vehicle”. Does this mean that if there wasn’t a delay they would be selling a less tested vehicle? I’m really wondering if we will EVER see this pickup show up on a dealer floor.