Rivian plans to increase production to 200 units per week and deliver a total of 920 units in 2021

After being a little closer to achieving the initial goal of more than 1,200 electric vehicles (three models) in 2021, foreign media broke the news that Rivian is increasing production.

According to automotive news' unofficial sources, the company has noticed manufacturing issues, as well as supply bottlenecks and outbreaks. It influenced new car launches and led to Rivian producing only 1,015 electric vehicles (R1T pickups, R1S SUVs and EDV vans) last year, delivering 920 (almost all R1T) to customers.

This month, Rivian will suspend production for about a week to fix the issue, the article said. "The Amazon-backed pickup manufacturer (Rivian) has suspended production at its Normal, Illinois plant for about a week around the beginning of this month for repairs and process improvements," the people said. "After starting limited production of R1T pickup trucks in August, by the end of December, Rivian was producing an average of about 50 units per week." Rivian can ramp up to 200 units per week, which is still less than its goal of 1,000 units per month, but it's already a big step forward.

While Rivian's sales are still low, it's worth mentioning that the company is a tougher task than the typical new manufacturer, as it launches three cars at the same time.

On the demand side, as of December 15, 2021, the number of R1T and R1S (in the U.S. and Canada) was approximately 71,000 units. In addition to this, Rivian has also signed a contract with Amazon for 100,000 EDV vans, including 10,000 this year.

Rivian's Normal plant in Illinois is expected to produce 200,000 electric vehicles per year after upgrading from the current potential level of 150,000 vehicles per year. Rivian's second plant, which will produce 400,000 electric vehicles per year, will be located in Georgia (scheduled to start production in 2024).