The division of Mercedes-benz vans Together with Rivian, they have just announced a new partnership agreement that will link both companies in order to establish a strategic partnership and joint production of electric vans that will be marketed under both brands.
For now, the deal is subject to both parties entering into final binding agreements and being granted regulatory approvals, but once that is done, both companies intend to create a new company that will establish a factory in Europe dedicated exclusively to the production of Large segment electric vans which in the coming years will be marketed by both the star's brand and the American brand.
The plan of both parties includes that although each brand will offer a specific design for its models, they will be produced on common assembly lines to simplify and reduce the cost of the process by taking advantage of the operational synergies.
Two models of the large segment
Pending further details, the agreement shows that the objective begins with the production of two different large vans. One of them will be based on the platform VAN.EA (MB Vans Electric Architecture), the new electric platform of the Mercedes-Benz van division, and the other, will be based on the platform of the Rivian Light Van (RLV), the peculiar van intended for commercial use.
Mathias Geisen, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, wanted to highlight the brand's plans to produce only electric vans on the VAN.EA architecture from now on. 2025 and stated the importance of this partnership with Rivian, a solid brand with which they will share investments and technology with the clear objective of “accelerating the electrification of the van market with sustainable and superior products for customers.”
With all this, Mercedes-Benz Vans currently offers in its range the eVito van, the eSprinter, the eVito Tourer and the EQV, although with the upcoming arrival of the new eCitan and the EQT, the brand will be able to boast a range of vans fully electrified.
Similarly, Rivian is developing its product range with the aim of achieving carbon-neutral transport. Its portfolio currently includes two pick-up models (the R1T and the R1S) and the aforementioned EDV, designed and developed in collaboration with Amazon.