SAN FRANCISCO: Rivian's head of manufacturing is leaving the electric vehicle startup to join Stellantis at a time when the maker of Jeep SUVs and Ram pickups is preparing to launch a number of battery powered cars.
Tim Fallon will join Stellantis as its head of manufacturing in North America effective Sept 2, Stellantis said in a statement.
Rivian, known for its R1S SUVs and R1T pickups, appointed its head of logistics Carlo Materazzo, a former Stellantis executive, to oversee production in the interim, CEO RJ Scaringe said in an internal email seen by Reuters.
Fallon's exit comes at a crucial time for Rivian, which is expanding its only facility in Normal, Illinois to produce the smaller and less expensive R2 SUV that many analysts see as critical to the startup's success amid a slowdown in demand for EVs.
Fallon, a former Nissan executive, oversaw a manufacturing plant overhaul this year at Rivian, which included a three-week shutdown of the Normal plant, meant to simplify production and slash costs. His move also comes weeks after Volvo veteran Javier Varela joined Rivian as its operations chief.
"We've had different leaders as we approach different levels of scaling our business," a Rivian spokesperson said, confirming Fallon's exit. "We're positioning the organisation structure for the future."
Fallon joins Stellantis "as we enter this critical stage of our transformation ... with this year marking the start of our electric vehicle offensive," Carlos Zarlenga, its chief operating officer for North America, said.
The American-French-Italian automaker aims to roll-out 25 EV models in the US by 2030. The company plans to soon launch a Jeep EV model, in the US costing less than US$25,000 (RM110,000), its CEO said this year.
Separately, Uber Technologies has hired former Tesla executive Rebecca Tinucci to oversee the ride-hailing platform's shift to electric vehicles, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Tuesday.
Uber has a plan to completely electrify its vehicle fleet by 2040 and vowed to invest US$800 million (RM3.5bil) through 2025 to help reach its goal.
Tinucci will start on Sept 16 as Uber's global head of sustainability to help oversee the company's transition to a zero-emission platform. She will report to Andrew Macdonald, head of Uber's mobility business.
The former Tesla charging head will also oversee sustainable packaging partnerships and help end unnecessary plastic waste from restaurant deliveries.
