Electrical car maker Rivian halves 2022 manufacturing outlook
Shares in Amazon-backed electrical car maker Rivian slid late on Thursday after the corporate warned provide chain issues would halve its manufacturing functionality to 25,000 items this yr.
Rivian instructed traders the provision chain can be a “basic limiting issue” and predicted its manufacturing potential had dropped from what may have been 50,000 automobiles in 2022.
The corporate, based in 2009, has produced 1,410 automobiles from the beginning of the yr till March 8. Rivian has 83,000 pre-orders for its pick-up and SUV fashions.
In 2021’s fourth quarter, its first as a public firm, the corporate booked income of $54mn from the supply of 909 automobiles. Analysts had been hoping for income of $60mn, in line with consensus knowledge from S&P Capital IQ. Rivian’s web loss for the interval was $2.5bn, whereas it had $18.4bn money readily available.
Within the present quarter, chief govt RJ Scaringe mentioned the corporate had suffered “a number of headwinds” in manufacturing. They included: “a deliberate 10-day shutdown to fine-tune our manufacturing traces, vital provide chain limitations, a big spike in Covid-19 instances seemingly attributable to the Omicron variant, and extreme winter climate in central Illinois,” the place Rivian has its first manufacturing facility.
Trying forward, Scaringe mentioned that getting battery modules was a problem, in addition to a “small variety of elements for which the provider isn’t ramping on the similar price as our manufacturing traces”.
In buying and selling after markets had closed, Rivian’s inventory worth fell by virtually 13 per cent to $35.87, down by greater than half from the $78 worth at its preliminary public providing in November.
The corporate’s shares first faltered in January when Amazon introduced it could buy electrical vehicles for its fleet from Stellantis, the proprietor of Chrysler.
Whereas the complete measurement of the order was not disclosed, Stellantis chief govt Carlos Tavares instructed the Monetary Occasions that estimates of “tens of hundreds” was “extraordinarily conservative” — suggesting the order was on par with Rivian’s present deal to offer the ecommerce large with 100,000 automobiles. Amazon holds an virtually 18 per cent stake in Rivian.
In a name with traders on Thursday, Scaringe mentioned the corporate was growing manufacturing of Amazon’s vans, however he didn’t count on a “vital” variety of automobiles to be a part of the fleet till this yr’s second quarter on the earliest.
Traders have been additional shaken earlier this month when Rivian introduced a worth improve for its flagship electrical pick-up truck and SUV, one which might have affected lots of its pre-orders, blaming rising provide chain prices.
The rise diversified relying on car configuration, however represented an roughly 17 per cent rise for its pick-up truck and 20 per cent for its SUV.
“I’ve made a whole lot of errors since beginning Rivian greater than 12 years in the past, however this one has been probably the most painful,” wrote Scaringe in a follow-up letter asserting that the corporate wouldn’t impose the value improve on prospects who had pre-ordered automobiles. “I’m actually sorry and dedicated to rebuilding your belief.”
The episode has prompted a shareholder lawsuit, filed Monday, which accused the corporate of withholding details about the value improve.
