Mercedes, one of the most reputable vehicle manufacturers in the world, which this year expects to sell more than 2.3 million units, intends to create a joint project with Rivian, one of the most recent specialized electric vehicle manufacturers on the market, which only started production in 2021 and expects to reach 25,000 units this year. Once an agreement is signed and the necessary authorizations are obtained, the project will have legs to walk.
Mercedes and Rivian have published a joint statement announcing their intention to manufacture two electric vans in a factory that will be installed in Europe, possibly in Poland, Hungary or Romania. These manufacturing facilities will be optimized for the production of electric models with specific platforms, to maximize the advantages, a solution that the German brand has avoided until now, opting to design its electric cars on multi-energy platforms, which can support mechanical or electrical combustion. . Rivian, for its part, has exclusively electric vehicles in its portfolio and only three, two with the same base, the R1T pick-up already in production and the R1S, an SUV that will be marketed soon, to which a van will be added. of distribution.
Current Mercedes electric vans
The vans that will be produced will have two bases, one based on the VAN.EA platform that Mercedes is developing, while the second van will use the North American brand’s platform used in the Rivian Light Van. This will also be the basis of the van that Rivian will build by the thousands for Amazon, a company that invested in this manufacturer to design electric commercial vehicles to deliver its orders.
The R1T pick-up and the soon-to-be-marketed SUV, the R1S
The way both builders will participate in the joint project it is evident in the communication made public by the two parties. The head of Mercedes commercials, Mathias Geisen, assured that “all commercials launched from 2025 on the VAN.EA platform will be exclusively electric.” He also highlighted the satisfaction associated with this partnership: “We are pleased to join forces with Rivian, a highly dynamic and inspiring partner with a strong technology component.”
For his part, the CEO of Rivian, RJ Scaringe, declared that “Rivian was created to encourage the world to move away from the consumption of fossil fuels” and was enthusiastic “with the alliance with Mercedes, one of the best known and manufacturers of respected cars. “We believe that together we will produce spectacular electric trucks that will not only benefit our customers, but the planet,” Scaringe concluded.
Source: Observadora
