General Motors isn’t the only one delaying future models as Rivian has announced their highly anticipated electric truck and SUV are also being impacted by the coronavirus.
Rivian didn’t go into specifics, but said “The world has changed a lot in these last few weeks” so they’ve shuttered their facilities to protect their employees and slow the spread of the coronavirus.
As a result, the “new reality is not without impact on our program timing.” Rivian went on to say they “expect some level of delay,” but are working to minimize the disruption to their launch schedule.
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Since the virus continues to spread, the company is hesitant to say how long the R1S and R1T will be delayed. However, they stated “As we better understand the extent of the impact, you will be the first to know.”
While their facilities have been shuttered, the automaker hasn’t stopped work altogether. Instead, employees are simply working from home.
In related news, Rivian released a short video highlighting construction at their plant in Normal, Illinois. The former Mitsubishi facility is being completely transformed and people had been working around the clock to get the plant ready for production.
The R1S and R1T were originally slated to be built at the plant late this year, but the delay makes that seem doubtful. Regardless, the models will have four electric motors and battery packs with capacities of 105 kWh, 135 kWh and 180 kWh.
Performance will vary by model and trim, but base versions will have 402 hp (300 kW / 407 PS) and 412 lb-ft (560 Nm) of torque. Long-range variant will be rated at 700 hp (522 kW / 709 PS) and 825 lb-ft (1,120 Nm) of torque, while performance models will have 754 hp (562 kW / 764 PS) and 825 lb-ft (1,120 Nm) of torque.