Rivian shares jump on backing 2022 production target

Shares of Rivian Automotive Inc rose nearly 8 per cent in premarket trading on Tuesday after the company delivered a record number of vehicles in the third quarter and backed its target of producing 25,000 vehicles this year.

Rivian’s positive update came after bigger rival Tesla Inc blamed logistical hurdles for missing market expectations for the number of cars it handed over to customers in the third quarter.

Tesla shares closed down 8.6 per cent on Monday, wiping out more than $71 billion from the company’s market value in one session, or over $5 billion more than what Rivian has lost this year.

With a total of 14,317 vehicles produced so far this year, Rivian has to make more than 10,500 units in the last three months of the year to meet its production target.

“We view the reiterated FY22 production target as the most important component of the release, providing incremental comfort in the company’s ability to increasingly navigate the challenging supply chain backdrop,” Truist Securities analyst Jordan Levy said.

Irvine, California-based Rivian halved its annual production target from 50,000 units in March, as it battled supply chain snarls.

Last week, a court rejected a joint proposal to secure local incentives for Rivian’s $5-billion manufacturing plant in Georgia, where the company proposes to produce 400,000 vehicles annually.