empty
17.01.2022 01:00 PM
Ford Motor Company and Rivian's joint cooperation led to a split

This image is no longer relevant

Ford Motor Company invested $500 million for the production of electric trucks startup Rivian Automotive. In connection with the investment, Ford has announced plans to build an electric vehicle (EV) based on the Rivian automotive platform.

As a financial investment, Rivian's share generated huge profits for Ford. However, the strategic aspect of the investment has fallen apart as the two companies no longer plan to collaborate on vehicle development. Since Rivian shares are trading at a very high price, even after a sharp pullback from their November peak, Ford should try to sell its Rivian shares in 2022.

Before the pandemic, Ford planned to build a Lincoln-branded crossover on the Rivian platform, complementing electric vehicles that were supposed to be developed entirely in-house. However, this project was canceled in April 2020. But then, both companies announced that they would develop another Ford car on the Rivian platform.

Unfortunately, Ford and Rivian acknowledged last November shortly after Rivian's IPO, that they no longer had plans to collaborate on vehicle development or platform sharing. Instead, companies will focus on their individual EV product roadmaps. The change removes the strategic aspect of Ford's investment in Rivian shares.

Following the cancellation of Ford's plans to collaborate with Rivian on electric vehicle development, CEO Jim Farley said that Ford remains optimistic about Rivian's future and wants to keep investing in its budding competitor.

This image is no longer relevant

Rivian's sole plant has an annual production capacity of 150,000 units, but the company is currently expanding it to 200,000. Last December, Rivian selected a site in Georgia to build a second plant with an annual production capacity of 400,000 vehicles. However, production there will not begin until 2024. Until both plants are operating at almost full capacity, Rivian will probably spend money year after year.

As for the future prospects, Rivian's founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said that the company aims to achieve an annual production of at least 1 million units by 2030. That's not much by automotive industry standards. The fierce competition in the EV market is likely to limit Rivian's free cash flow potential unless it can go well beyond the 1 million vehicles per year level.

While it will take years for Rivian to scale up its production, Ford aims to produce 600,000 electric vehicles annually by the end of 2023. The in-demand Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning will account for more than half of that production. From there, production will continue to grow.

Ford is on its way to building a large-scale electric vehicle business much earlier than Rivian. The legendary automaker's historic business continues to generate cash. Last year, free cash flow was approximately $4 billion to $5 billion.

This image is no longer relevant

It is entirely possible that Rivian's market capitalization will exceed $70 billion over the next decade, and this is more likely than two months ago when Rivian's market capitalization exceeded $150 billion. But the company has to struggle from time to time, and there is no guarantee that Rivian will be able to achieve great success in the pickup truck market, where brand loyalty remains extremely strong.

Irina Yanina,
Analytical expert of InstaForex
© 2007-2025
Select timeframe
5
min
15
min
30
min
1
hour
4
hours
1
day
1
week
Earn on cryptocurrency rate changes with InstaForex
Download MetaTrader 4 and open your first trade
  • Grand Choice
    Contest by
    InstaForex
    InstaForex always strives to help you
    fulfill your biggest dreams.
    JOIN CONTEST

Recommended Stories

Traders Didn't Believe the Japanese Regulator

The Japanese yen lost some ground against the US dollar after Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda hinted today that the central bank may continue to slow the pace

Jakub Novak 11:16 2025-06-03 UTC+2

Market startles monster

Over time, we get used to everything — the good and the bad. Investors have finally come to terms with the fact that they will have to build businesses under

Marek Petkovich 10:44 2025-06-03 UTC+2

Deteriorating U.S. Economic Conditions Bring Fed Rate Cuts Closer (Potential for Continued Decline in #USDX and EUR/JPY Pair)

Although the market has largely stopped reacting to incoming economic data—especially from the U.S.—and is more focused on the geopolitical and economic moves of Donald Trump, who is steering

Pati Gani 09:52 2025-06-03 UTC+2

Everything Is Still Working Against the U.S. Dollar

Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to secure more trade agreements, the U.S. dollar continues to decline sharply against several other assets as negotiations with China and Europe falter

Jakub Novak 09:09 2025-06-03 UTC+2

What to Pay Attention to on June 3? A Breakdown of Fundamental Events for Beginners

There are only two macroeconomic reports scheduled for Tuesday. Although the first report looks significant on its own and the second one is directly related to the U.S. labor market

Paolo Greco 06:53 2025-06-03 UTC+2

GBP/USD Overview – June 3: Trump Deals Another Slap to the Dollar

The GBP/USD currency pair surged upward again on Monday. Just as the British pound had started a correction and even consolidated below the moving average line, Trump once again announced

Paolo Greco 04:38 2025-06-03 UTC+2

EUR/USD Overview – June 3: A New Round of Escalation in the Global Trade War

As we predicted, the EUR/USD currency pair collapsed on Monday. However, the collapse was not of the pair but rather of the U.S. dollar. Recall that over the weekend

Paolo Greco 04:35 2025-06-03 UTC+2

Trump: Tariffs Cannot Be Canceled

Donald Trump is prepared to fight for "his tariffs" until the end—or until victory. It's important to remember that court battles are nothing new for the current U.S. president. During

Chin Zhao 00:38 2025-06-03 UTC+2

EUR/USD. The Dollar Falls Out of Favor Again

The euro-dollar pair is once again attempting to breach the 1.14 figure. This is far from the first attempt by EUR/USD buyers over the past two months

Irina Manzenko 00:38 2025-06-03 UTC+2

The Euro Nears the Finish Line

Everything eventually comes to an end—both good and bad. One can debate endlessly whether the European Central Bank's deposit rate cut is positive or negative for the euro. However

Marek Petkovich 00:38 2025-06-03 UTC+2
Can't speak right now?
Ask your question in the chat.
Widget callback
 

Dear visitor,

Your IP address shows that you are currently located in the USA. If you are a resident of the United States, you are prohibited from using the services of InstaFintech Group including online trading, online transfers, deposit/withdrawal of funds, etc.

If you think you are seeing this message by mistake and your location is not the US, kindly proceed to the website. Otherwise, you must leave the website in order to comply with government restrictions.

Why does your IP address show your location as the USA?

  • - you are using a VPN provided by a hosting company based in the United States;
  • - your IP does not have proper WHOIS records;
  • - an error occurred in the WHOIS geolocation database.

Please confirm whether you are a US resident or not by clicking the relevant button below. If you choose the wrong option, being a US resident, you will not be able to open an account with InstaForex anyway.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this message.