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As Rivian ramps up production of its new R2, the company plans to introduce a second shift at its Normal, Illinois manufacturing facility by the end of September. Production is expected to expand further once the company’s second manufacturing facility in Georgia comes online.

Some are calling the R2 Rivian’s “breakout vehicle”—the model that will lift it out of the Valley of Death and into the sunshine of profitability. The company is following what conventional wisdom regards as the best strategy for an auto startup: start with high-end, low-volume models, then use the lessons learned to produce smaller, more affordable offerings. (Rivian has added a step to this process, sidestepping the fashion-driven passenger car market to produce a commercial vehicle in high volume for Amazon.)

Deliveries of the R2 began in June with the top-of-the-line Performance trim, which starts at $59,485. This model offers dual-motor 656 hp all-wheel drive, an EPA-estimated 330 miles of range and a NACS charging port. More affordable trims are scheduled to arrive over the coming months, culminating in the Standard Rear-Wheel Drive, an entry-level model that’s scheduled to launch in summer 2027 at a starting price of $46,495. (Read John Voelcker’s hands-on review of the R2 in the next print issue of Charged.)

Ramping up production of a new model is a complex dance, particularly for a young company that doesn’t have spare capital lying around.

Rivian launched production of the R2 on a single shift, in order to get the supply chain humming before hiring more production line workers. CEO RJ Scaringe told investors that the company is working with hundreds of suppliers to ensure they can increase their own production to support a smooth R2 ramp-up.

As the Rivian-watchers at RivianTrackr explain, supplier coordination is an important part of a ramp-up strategy, because the entire production line can only move at the speed of the slowest supplier. Rivian’s supply chain team will be working closely on-site with suppliers to help manage the ramp-up over the next couple of years.

Rivian has raised its full-year delivery target to between 65,000 and 70,000 vehicles, including the R1 and R2 models and the commercial vans. The Normal plant is designed to produce 215,000 units per year when operating at full three-shift capacity, and up to 155,000 of those units are expected to be R2s. A third shift is planned for 2027, and production at the new Georgia plant will begin some time after that.

Scaringe said a “significant number” of R2 buyers are first-time EV owners. “The US automotive marketplace is starved for high-quality EV choice, and I believe R2 is an attractively priced option for everyday adventures that will resonate with a broad set of consumers.”

"Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has confirmed that Europe is the company's next market, with the UK central to its plan for the continent. In an interview with Auto Express, Scaringe said the first model to arrive will be the R2, the mid-size electric SUV built to take on the Tesla Model Y.

The Rivian R2 was engineered with European buyers in mind, Scaringe said, in anticipation of the brand's arrival in the region within the next few years. It is designed to handle on- and off-road, with practicality touches aimed at Rivian's outdoor-focused audience, including a torch hidden in the driver's door. Scaringe noted that many American customers already assume Rivian is a European brand.

Beyond the R2, Rivian plans to bring the R3 crossover hatchback to Europe, along with a tri-motor, rally-inspired R3X developed by RAD, the Rivian Adventure Department. Scaringe hinted at an even more affordable "R4" further down the line."

Gov. Gavin Newsom, while at Rivian Automotive, signs Senate Bill 168 that allows for a rebate program for electric vehicles within the state’s 2026-27 budget. California will spend $95.2 million to build more electric-vehicle charging stations and hydrogen refueling sites across the state after seeing sales rebound in the first six months despite federal funding cuts. (California Governor’s Office)

"Rivian Automotive Inc. (RIVN, Financials) is closing the gap with Tesla in advanced driver-assistance technologies, making software a bigger part of its growth strategy.

CNBC testing over hundreds of miles indicated Rivian's Autonomy+ technology was better than historical systems such as General Motors' Super Cruise, but Tesla's FSD was still more capable overall.

That gap may be closing soon. Rivian plans to launch point-to-point driving later this year, moving Autonomy+ closer to what Tesla already offers today.

The technology also offers a recurring-revenue possibility. Rivian's Autonomy+ subscription is priced at $49.99 per month, compared to Tesla's FSD subscription at $99 a month.

The question for investors is no longer whether Rivian can produce competitive driving software. It's can the company fill that last gap and convert that software into real high-margin income soon."

"Legacy automakers have been promising to match the Tesla Model Y for almost a decade. Rivian actually did it.

Rivian had me in its sights. When it set out to make a mass-market software-defined EV that’s as capable off-road as it is fun on-road, the company had me dead to rights. Equal parts EV enthusiast and off-roading hooligan, I’ve been waiting for something like this for a long, long time. But after plunking down $100 for a reservation on the R2, I was mostly just worried. I wasn’t sure if Rivian would hit its target.

But it did. The company struck me right through the heart. With an unparalleled blend of incredible performance, cutting-edge software, and off-road chops, the R2 is the do-everything machine I’ve always dreamed of. I want one, badly."

CoreWeave Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV) remains confident it can rapidly expand its AI infrastructure despite a growing wave of data center moratoriums, grid concerns and community opposition across the U.S.

CEO Mike Intrator said the company remains confident.

"Moratoriums, they are not going to impact the demand for this infrastructure. They are going to impact where this infrastructure gets built," Intrator said.

He said CoreWeave plans to work closely with local governments, utilities and policymakers, while ensuring communities benefit from data center development through grid investments, construction jobs, long-term employment and tax revenue.

CoreWeave (NASDAQ:CRWV) CEO Mike Intrator explained on a CNBC Squawk on the Street interview on Wednesday, August 12, that the AI infrastructure market is sending a powerful message about demand: even older NVIDIA GPUs that investors feared would rapidly depreciate are being contracted years into the future at full pricing.

Massively bullish!

"CoreWeave expands its European AI cloud infrastructure with a renewable energy data center deployment across two Conapto campuses in Stockholm, Sweden.

CoreWeave has signed a co-location agreement with Swedish data centre operator Conapto to establish two new campuses in Stockholm.

The deployment provides additional immediate AI cloud capacity for the European market and aligns with the region's focus on sustainable digital infrastructure.

Initial capacity is already operational at the Stockholm 4 South facility, marking a significant milestone in regional data processing capabilities."

Nio Group booked roughly 100,000 firm orders across its three brands in the four weeks to mid-June 2026, according to Goldman Sachs’ research. The same data put the group's two-week total above 47,000 units, signaling that demand held up after the initial launch spike for its flagship ES9 SUV.

Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) sells through three brands: the premium Nio marque, the family-focused Onvo, and the compact Firefly. The surge reset the company's standing in a market it had trailed for much of the past year.

In Goldman's week-22 reading (May 25–31), Nio's weekly firm orders reached 38,810 units, ahead of Geely's Galaxy and Zeekr lines combined at 22,100, Li Auto at 8,700, and Xiaomi at 8,600.

The order strength lands as Nio works to consolidate a financial turnaround. The company reported its second consecutive profitable quarter in the first quarter of 2026 and has reaffirmed a full-year profitability target."

"On June 18, J.D. Power, a globally leading consumer insights and market research firm, officially released its '2026 China Purchase Experience Index (PXI) Study.' Nio (09866) secured the top spot in both the premium new energy and domestic new energy segments, establishing itself as the benchmark for customer purchase experience among domestic new energy brands through its original products and service system.

In this survey, competition among leading brands in the domestic new energy segment was intense, with clear score stratification. Nio ranked first with a score of 827, followed by Li Auto at second place with 816 points. Aito, Deepal, and XPeng all scored 814 points, tying for third. Nio outperformed Li Auto, the runner-up, by 11 points and led the third-place brands by 13 points, achieving a significant margin of victory.

This study also revealed that Nio’s overall customer experience score surpassed that of Land Rover—the top-ranked brand in the premium traditional-energy segment—with 815 points, making Nio the highest-scoring luxury brand regardless of powertrain type. Historically, the discourse on premium customer experience has been dominated by overseas luxury brands. Now, original domestic brands like Nio are redefining industry experience standards through their independently developed, high-performance products and service capabilities."

"Chinese EV maker Nio began rolling out a new version of its Nio World Model (NWM) assisted-driving software on Thursday, delivering a simultaneous upgrade across three distinct software platforms to more than 700,000 vehicles in China."

"Firefly, Nio's first right-hand drive model, was showcased at the ongoing Hong Kong Auto Show.

Nio is expected to adopt an asset-light distributor model to sell cars in the Hong Kong market."

"The XPENG X9 recorded the largest positive deviation from its WLTP range — 11.4%, covering 401 miles (646 km) — and the fastest charging time among all 24 vehicles in the summer edition of El Prix 2026, the independent electric vehicle test organized by the Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF) and Motor magazine. XPENG reports the seven-seater also went from 10% to 80% charge in 12 minutes and 55 seconds, the fastest charging performance of the test. NAF said the X9 “clearly stood out” in this year’s range evaluation."

"Alongside the newly launched X9 electric MPV, Xpeng has also unveiled another exciting model at the 2026 Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show: the next-gen P7. It is an electric sport sedan that features a bold, futuristic aesthetic and cutting-edge technology.

The Xpeng P7 is an electric sports sedan that combines sleek fastback styling with cutting-edge technology features.

The top-spec Xpeng P7 AWD variant can accelerate from zero to 100 kmph in 3.7 seconds, making it one of the fastest sedans in its segment."

"Fresh from its Malaysian market launch earlier this week, the Xpeng X9 facelift will be on public display at the 2026 Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show (KLIMS 2026) at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur, from June 12 to 21, 2026.

In Malaysia, three variants of the X9 facelift are available from the outset. The line-up starts with the X9 2WD Standard Range at RM281,073, joined by the X9 2WD Long Range at RM299,073, before topping out at the X9 AWD Performance at RM335,573; all prices are on-the-road without insurance.

All three variants are offered with optional home chargers; either a 7 kW AC charger (single-phase with installation) at RM4,300, or an 11 kW AC charger (three-phase with installation) at RM5,000."

"Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng is discussing the possibility of acquiring production facilities in Europe, including from German automaker Volkswagen, according to the Financial Times, citing Elvis Chen, the company's managing director for northeastern Europe.

Xpeng currently produces cars in Europe through contract manufacturing with the Austrian company Magna Steyr, but these facilities are already operating at capacity.

According to Cheng, Xpeng is considering various options for locating its own production in the region, as existing facilities don't fully meet the company's needs. Specifically, he noted that Volkswagen's plants are "a bit outdated." Volkswagen did not respond to the publication's request for comment."