Rivian is one of a rapidly growing number of new all-electric automakers to sell cars in the United States, but with many of these companies being based in China, as well as a lot of legacy manufacturers producing their own EVs to try to catch up, who exactly owns Rivian?
It is a self-proclaimed American manufacturer, best known for producing two fast, innovative adventure vehicles, the R1T pickup truck and its R1S SUV sibling. Both models have received widespread acclaim from journalists since they first launched a few years ago and Rivian is seen by many as potentially being the new Tesla - the most well-recognized EV manufacturer in the world.
However, we know how the ownership of car manufacturers can be complicated. It might seem that an automaker has its own factory and makes its own parts, but is actually owned by another, bigger company, like Volvo for example. We will, therefore, be answering the question about Rivian ownership and any others you may have about this intriguing company.
Who Founded Rivian?
We will do this by first going back to the company’s very beginnings. It was founded in Florida by RJ Scaringe, pictured above, who is also currently the CEO of the company. It was first called Mainstream Motors and then Avera Automotive before the name Rivian was eventually settled on, it being a word play of the Indian River where Scaringe grew up. It now has its headquarters in Irvine, California, the home state of the American EV, and a manufacturing plant in Normal, Illinois.
This is probably the part where you are expecting the Rivian parent company to be revealed, or maybe the mention of its acquisition by a larger company to have happened at some point to bring it into the mainstream. This is not the case, however. What Rivian has had over the years is several big financial backers whose investments have significantly contributed to its growth.
The biggest and most notable backer of Rivian has been Amazon, both before and after the company was publicly listed in 2021. It was well documented that Amazon ordered 100,000 trucks from Rivian to be used as Amazon Prime delivery vehicles and Amazon still holds around 17% of the company’s shares in 2025. Ford was another one of the big investors early on, as it flirted with the possibility of using Rivian’s technology for its Lincoln vehicles before going its own way. Other big shareholders include Volkswagen Group, who see Rivian as an important EV ally, and Saudi Arabian conglomerate Global Oryx. Rather than Rivian being owned by another company, just being answerable to these different shareholders means Rivian can be relatively flexible with how it does things.
What Vehicles Does Rivian Make?
Rivian currently sells two vehicles in the United States. We were all made to sit up and take notice when it unveiled what would eventually be called the R1T truck and R1S SUV at the Los Angeles Auto show back in 2017.
The R1T, a five-seat electric pickup, was launched first, in time for the 2022 model year, and was an instant hit. This is partly thanks to it beating rivals like the Ford F-150 Lightning and GMC Hummer EV to the market. It showed the many benefits of electric power when making a pickup truck, a staple American vehicle.
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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
