These are the first R1 vehicles in Canada
They were destined for Rivian staff members.
The bright side here is that Rivian’s actually on time, in a way. Plagued with numerous delays, applicable to the entire industry, the Californian EV builder announced last July that the first R1 vehicles were going to land in Canada in November.
Rivian Delayed the Introduction of the Larger Battery Until 2024 in Some Models
And they have although the celebration is mildly anti-climactic. One R1T pickup and one R1S SUV were handed over to a pair of Rivian employees based in Vancouver, and not one of the many thousands of pre-order holders.
“Those have gone to internal employee customers and allow us to continue to put the final test on our processes through the beginning of the ownership experience,” said Tony Caravano, Rivian’s senior director of customer experience, in an interview with Automotive News Canada.
Rivian currently employs more than 160 people in Canada. Many are based in a former Mini store in trendy downtown Yaletown, in Vancouver while others work at an in-house service centre in suburban Richmond. The automaker plans to increase its workforce in the next year as they expand into Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.
