Automakers Mercedes-Benz and Rivian have shut down their joint enterprise mere three months after signing the incorporation agreement. Talking with Automotive News, Rivian CEO Robert ‘RJ’ Scaringe said his company would be better off focusing on its own business for the moment. Mercedes said it would continue to develop the project on its own.
With the deal broken off, Rivian intends to focus on its R1 electric vehicle lineup so far consisting of an SUV and a pickup truck. It will also work on delivering its commercial van, which Amazon had placed a large-scale order for. The company had run into numerous supply chain issues before, forcing it to postpone the launch of an affordable R2 EV lineup to 2026.
The U.S. company and its German partner had planned to build a factory in the town of Jawor, Poland, to produce electric commercial transports. Commenting on the divorce, a Mercedes-Benz representative said the company was still determined to proceed with the construction – although the factory would have to be smaller. It would assemble vans of different configurations based on a new architecture known as Van.EA. He added that the platform was still in development and declined comment when asked about any specific launch dates.
Both companies stressed that they never severed ties completely and simply decided to put their cooperation on hold for the foreseeable future.
