VDL Nedcar recently had a bitter pill to swallow when the American Canoo withdrew from a production deal. Now, however, there is a party in the picture that has much higher expectations: Rivian.
While the deal with Canoo was in doubt, there were already rumors of a possible production deal with Rivian. VDL Nedcar has now informed its staff that there are indeed discussions with Rivian. The Limburg deputy Stephan Satijn (VVD) wrote this in a letter to the Provincial Council on Thursday. It is the first time that rumors of talks with Rivian have been confirmed. “In the coming period, both parties will further elaborate on what this collaboration will look like and whether it can contribute to the future scenarios that VDL Groep is investigating for the VDL Nedcar factory in Born. And thus to the retention of 4,200 jobs after the end of the current contract with BMW at the end of 2023,” Satijn reports in his letter to the States.
According to the deputy, the negotiations with the cutting of the Sterrebos stand or fall with Nedcar. This is necessary for the expansion of the factory, which is what interested car manufacturer(s) are asking for, according to VDL Nedcar. The hood has been approved by the province. “Making that plan irrevocable is a crucial precondition for this development,” says Satijn. The province had already allowed VDL to cut down the neighboring forest. However, the Council of State put a stop to it in a preliminary injunction. The final judgment of an appeal must first be awaited. That appeal was submitted by an action group to the Council of State.
Rivian
Unlike Canoo, Rivian is already considered quite high by connoisseurs. The American start-up is already listed on the stock exchange, raised billions from this IPO and won a mega order for electric vans from the gigantic Amazon. The first cars of the brand are currently being built in the US. It starts alongside the Amazon electric vans with the R1T, an all-electric pickup that we recently had a closer look at (AutoWeek number 50). On the same basis, Rivian is developing the R1S, an SUV. With this second model, the aim is to storm Europe in the coming year. Rivian has also already settled in the Netherlands, after which the rumors about a possible deal with VDL Nedcar swelled.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl