Rivian filed trademarks for 6 new model names after $2.5 billion investment round
Reportedly looking to build a second U.S. plant
Rivian looks ready to rev up its lineup.
The American electric vehicle startup filed trademark applications for six new model names on the same day it announced the closing of a $2.5 billion funding round led by existing stakeholders Amazon, Ford and T. Rowe Price.
The marks cover the names R3T, R3S, R4T, R4S, R5T and R5S in the same style as the Brands R1T pickup and R1T SUV that are set to launch this year. It previously registered R2T and R2S.
The R1T is set to be Rivian's first model. (Rivian)
Rivian recently delayed the first deliveries the R1 models from summer to fall, due to the ongoing semiconductor shortage, but Reuters reported this week that it has started looking for a site to build a second factory that it's prepared to commit $5 billion toward.
The automaker's existing plant is in Normal, Ill., while a location near Mesa, Ariz., is under consideration for the new one, according to the report.
Rivian has declined to comment on the plant search and trademark applications, however CEO R.J. Scaringe in 2019 told Bloomberg that the company was aiming to launch six models globally by 2025.
The midsize R1T has a starting price of $67,500 and the R1S lists at $70,000. It's unclear exactly how the new model names would be used in an expanding lineup. Rivian also has an order to build 100,000 electric delivery vans for the Amazon Prime service.
Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin spaceflight company used an R1S prototype to shuttle him and his fellow astronauts to the launch pad for the maiden flight of its New Glenn rocket.