Rivian follows Tesla in underperforming sales expectations

Rivian Automotive reported disappointing 2025 delivery figures on Friday, delivering 42,247 electric vehicles throughout the year. This represents an 18% decline from the previous year and falls short of analyst expectations of 42,500 deliveries. 

The autonomous driving industry is experiencing a decline in consumer interest due to high costs. Automakers are reporting low sales after the $7,500 federal EV tax credit expired in September last year.

How was Rivian Automotive’s 2025 performance?

Rivian delivered 42,247 EVs in 2025, down 18% from 2024 and missing analyst expectations of 42,500 units. The California-based automaker delivered 9,745 vehicles in the fourth quarter alone, narrowly missing Wall Street’s prediction of 10,050 units. During the same period, Rivian produced 10,974 vehicles at its Normal, Illinois, manufacturing facility.

Elon Musk’s Tesla also had a rough year as Cryptopolitan reported that the EV maker posted disappointing delivery numbers for 2025. The situation for American EV makers is compounded by the expiration of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit at the end of September 2025 effectively increased prices for consumers and choked off demand across the industry.

The premium vehicles such as the R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV that Rivian sells at high prices are usually the first to go when economic volatility hit consumers.

Rivian implemented efficiency measures at its Illinois manufacturing facility, attempting to streamline its production processes and reduce costs. The company is also simplifying vehicle components

Rivian needs to demonstrate that it can achieve sustainable profitability, as investors are no longer as patient with unprofitable EV startups as they were during the EV boom in 2020-2021.

Will Rivian launch more products?

Investor attention is increasingly focused on Rivian’s upcoming R2 SUV that is scheduled to begin deliveries in the first half of 2026. The vehicle is expected to target a lower price point than the company’s current vehicles.

This smaller SUV is expected to compete directly with Tesla’s Model Y, which is currently one of the best-selling EVs globally. The R2 could significantly expand Rivian’s customer base by appealing to consumers who want the brand but cannot afford the R1 series vehicles.

Rivian plans to release its complete fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results on February 12, after market close. The company’s CEO RJ Scaringe announced that point-to-point automated driving would come to Rivian vehicles sometime in 2026.

Rivian launched Universal Hands-Free in December, which is part of Rivian Autonomy+ that begins charging $49.99 per month or a one-time $2,500 purchase in February 2026. The company held an AI and Autonomy Day in early December, where it showcased its hands-free highway assist and navigation technology.

In the United States, November 2025 new EV sales totaled 70,255 units, down 41.2% from a year earlier, with EV share of total sales falling to 5.4%, the lowest since April 2022.

Despite these short-term headwinds, analysts project that U.S. EV sales could reach 2.25 million by the end of 2025.EVs are expected to account for 11.8% of sales in 2026.

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