A joint venture between Rivian and the Volkswagen Group is attracting interest from other automakers as Rivian looks to roll out more advanced driver-assist systems.
Announced last June and formally created in November, the joint venture calls for Volkswagen to take a $5.8 billion stake in Rivian in exchange for access to the U.S. automaker’s electrical architecture and software development expertise. Now other automakers are reportedly looking to join in.
2025 Rivian R1T
“I’d say that many other OEMs are knocking on our door,” Wassym Bensaid, who serves as both Rivian’s chief software officer and CEO of the joint venture, said in an interview with Reuters published Thursday. Bensaid declined to provide the names of the interested automakers.
Rivian’s electrical architecture, as used in the current R1S SUV and R1T pickup truck, requires fewer electronic control units and wiring, making it attractive to other automakers looking to cut weight, cost, and complexity from their vehicles, Reuters reported. But for now, Rivian’s priority is to get the more affordable R2 electric SUV into production and then integrate its tech with VW Group vehicles, Bensaid emphasized.
Rivian R2
“Obviously other OEMs are talking to us and we’re trying to figure out how to support that in the future,” Bensaid told Reuters. “Any other OEM who wants to make a leap from a technology standpoint, the joint venture today becomes one of the key partners with whom they can make that collaboration.”
In a separate Reuters interview also published Thursday, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said the automaker also aims to launch a hands-free driver assist system in 2025 and an “eyes-off” system in 2026. Hands-free systems like Ford’s Blue Cruise and General Motors’ Super Cruise are already available, while Mercedes-Benz is the only automaker to offer a true eyes-off system in the U.S., albeit on a limited basis.