- Mercedes-Benz and Rivian are planning a joint venture to build electric commercial vans.
- The vans will be different designs, but built on the same assembly line.
- Production is expected to start in "a few years" at an existing Mercedes site in Central or Eastern Europe.
Mercedes-Benz and Rivian said Thursday they are planning a joint venture to build large, electric commercial vans for both brands.
The companies plan to manufacture two different EV vans – one for each automaker – on a shared assembly line, they said. The idea is to reduce costs for both companies by sharing investments, technology and suppliers.
They plan to build a new EV-only production facility at an existing Mercedes-Benz factory site in Central or Eastern Europe, with production starting in "a few years," the two companies said in a statement.
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"Mercedes‑Benz Vans has gained broad experience in producing and launching eVans since 2010. Now we are accelerating the transformation to a fully electric product portfolio," said Mathias Geisen, head of Mercedes' commercial van unit. "We are sharing investments and technology [with Rivian] because we also share the same strategic ambition: accelerating the electrification of the van market with sustainable and superior products for our customers."
While Mercedes-Benz has been building commercial vehicles for many years, and electric vans for more than a decade, Rivian is a newcomer to the segment. The California-based EV startup began manufacturing EV delivery vans for Amazon earlier this year, just a few months after it started production of its own upscale electric pickups and SUVs in its Illinois factory.
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Although the vans Mercedes and Rivian will ultimately build will likely be similar, they'll be different designs: Mercedes' will be based on its upcoming new EV van architecture, set to debut in 2025; Rivian's on the next-generation version of the light van platform it developed for Amazon.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct that Rivian is based in California.