Rivian has announced it will soon be pausing production at its manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois for retooling and improvements. At the same time, the company has now set a deadline for customers to benefit from pre-order pricing, and extended pre-order pricing to the new R1T with Standard Pack.
The announcements were made in two separate emails to customers on Friday.
Rivian Pausing Production
According to the first email, which you can read below, Rivian says it is no longer allowing orders with a custom configuration in anticipation of an upcoming factory shutdown. The email explains the shutdown is for “some retooling and improvements”, without going into details about what will be changing, although it is expected to be for new battery packs and other internal upgrades to the R1T and R1S to simplify production and reduce costs.
Late last year Claire McDonough, Rivian’s Chief Financial Officer, announced a new battery pack coming in 2024, separate from the Standard pack announced last month, that will feature a simplified structure, resulting in a lighter, cost-effective, and easier-to-produce design.
While the factory is undergoing upgrades, customers will only be able to purchase R1T and R1S from existing inventory in the R1 Shop.
Pre-Order Pricing
In another email, Rivian also announced it was setting an expiry date for customers with special pre-order pricing. You might recall that in early 2022 Rivian announced it was increasing prices of their vehicles by as much as $20,000. The price increases even affected those with pre-orders, but the backlash from customers was so large that Rivian reversed course two days later, reinstating original pricing for existing reservation holders.
If those customers haven’t already placed their order, they will now have to do so before September 30, 2024, at which time their special pre-order pricing will expire.
To entice them to place an order, Rivian is also extending pre-order pricing levels to the newly announced R1T with the Standard Pack. This configuration is normally priced at US$69,900, but according to the email, can be purchased for just US$55,920. We haven’t heard if a similar discount is being offered to Canadian customers. In Canada the R1T Standard Pack costs C$105,000. If you received this email in Canada, let us know in the comments below or reach out to us at tips@driveteslacanada.ca.
