Rivian opens its seventh public space at Atlanta’s Ponce City Market.
Rivian, the American all-electric automaker that has been catching the industry’s eye, took the wraps off its newest public space at Ponce City Market in Atlanta. But this was not just another venue for car enthusiasts to fawn over. The company used the platform to share some eagerly-awaited updates on its forthcoming manufacturing facility in Georgia.
Since launching its first public space in June 2023, Rivian has been on a nationwide blitz, connecting communities with its brand and the burgeoning world of electric vehicles. The Atlanta location marks the seventh in this ambitious journey, bringing the Rivian experience right into the heart of the Peach State. This public space allows visitors to delve into the world of Rivian’s electric adventure vehicles. Not just a showroom, the space is geared to be a hub of community involvement, complete with demo drives, unique merchandise, and even off-beat programming like gardening workshops and bicycle repair events.
RJ Scaringe, the CEO and Founder of Rivian, finds the location to be particularly special. The proximity to their future R2 manufacturing campus makes Atlanta a strategic locale. It’s a way for Rivian to build rapport with the local community, essentially serving as the brand’s most public face in Georgia while the main facility is under construction.
The upcoming manufacturing unit is situated at Stanton Springs North, about 40 minutes away from Atlanta. Once fully operational, this facility will boast an annual production capacity of a staggering 400,000 units. Georgia state authorities and the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton & Walton Counties have been in cahoots with Rivian for months, prepping the site for construction. As it stands, the upper pad is 95 percent graded and nearly shovel-ready. A formal groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for early 2024, with vertical construction to follow.
Apart from this, Rivian has further anchored its presence in the state with a new office in Covington, a mere stone’s throw away from its future factory. The company also announced the appointment of Tony Sanger as Vice President of Facilities-Georgia, solidifying its commitment to a streamlined and innovative construction process.
Rivian is pulling no punches in making Georgia a focal point for its expansion. The new public space at Ponce City Market not only brings Rivian’s state-of-the-art electric vehicles closer to the public but also serves as an intriguing prelude to the company’s larger ambitions in the region. With a mammoth production facility on the horizon and community engagement at the forefront, Rivian’s latest moves show it is not just accelerating on the roads, but also in the fast lane of industry growth.
