Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive is experimenting with an unusual tactic to sell its excess stock.
The company announced earlier this week it will let consumers shop for trucks in the parking lot just outside its downstate Normal, Ill., factory on Saturday.
Like a regular dealership, prospective buyers can browse between different versions of its R1T. The can take a truck for a test drive, offered on a limited basis; buy a truck right then and there; and either order a delivery or drive off the lot with their new vehicle.
The one-day event is a break from Rivian’s mostly online sales strategy. Since 2021, the California-based startup has gone from having a long backlog of orders to sales lagging production. Reliant on the direct sales model and unable to sell trucks right out of the factory to a network of dealers, Rivian has an excess stock of electric trucks to deal with.
At the same time, Rivian is rapidly ramping up production of its electric SUV, which the company’s CFO says is on track to overtake output of the R1T pickup this quarter.
The company expects to build some 50,000 vehicles this year, double its production volume in 2022.
