Rivian begins expansion of Normal plant for R2 production
11/12/2024 01:09 PM
Rivian has confirmed that the expansion of its Normal, Illinois factory, which will make way for the new R2 platform to be produced, has officially started.
Crews on sight of the expansion have officially broken ground, Chief Operations Officer for Rivian, Javier Varela, said.
In a post on LinkedIn, Varela wrote:
“Rivian R2 is one step closer to coming to market! We broke ground in Normal (Illinois) to begin expanding the plant to build R2, in addition to our current products. R2 is our new fully electric midsize SUV coming in 2026 with a range of more than 300 miles and a starting price around $45,000 (U.S.).”
It appears the groundbreaking occurred just a few days ago on November 8, as CEO RJ Scaringe posted an image that seems to show things are moving forward:
Exciting week in Normal — construction of our expansion for R2 is underway! pic.twitter.com/HfFu7cdIwp
— RJ Scaringe (@RJScaringe) November 8, 2024
The expansion begins just a few months after the Town of Normal approved Rivian’s application to expand its factory. Currently, the Normal plant includes 2.6 million square feet of manufacturing space. The new expansion is set to add 1.14 million square feet to that total.
The R2 was unveiled back in March as Rivian aimed to get a cheaper, more accessible EV on the market to begin ramping deliveries and move toward profitability.
The R1T and R1S, its first two vehicles, have been successful in the EV space, and Rivian has gained a reputation for making great products.
However, the company is still working toward being profitable, as most EV entities are. The R2 aims to move Rivian to that point, and is a big improvement from the R1.
Rivian R2 unveiling: Features, specs, price, release date revealed
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