Rivian R1T spotted in Germany – A sign of what’s to come?

Over the weekend, a Rivian R1T model was spotted in Germany with plates registered in Graz, Austria, suggesting a possible connection to contract vehicle manufacturer Magna Steyr. Is this the sign of what we’ve all been waiting for?

Magna Steyr, an automotive manufacturer based in Graz, Austria, is known for building parts and full vehicles for automakers, such as the iconic Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV.

The manufacturing giant works with several automakers engineering EV platforms for new electric models, such as Fisker’s flagship Ocean SUV and Jaguar’s I-Pace.

Magna has also recently announced it will be making battery enclosures for the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV. The battery enclosures will be built at the Magna Electric Vehicle Structures facility, where it produces the unit for another GM electric model, the GMC Hummer EV.

With a heavy lineup of electric vehicles under its belt already, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Magna work out a deal with Rivian to build the R1T and/or the R1S for Germany and the EU market at some point.

Is the Rivian R1T coming to Germany?

In March, a new job posting for a Service Center Manager in Berlin, Germany, from Rivian sparked hope the American EV maker was expanding to bring the R1T and R1S to Europe.

However, as it turns out, as a source from Rivian tells us, the Berlin Service Center won’t be used to support Rivian consumer EVs, at least initially. The EV maker has doubled down on efforts to build its brand in the US.

That was until a recent post on Reddit from user Max3000Max showed a Rivian R1T model spotted in Stuttgart, Germany, with Austrian Manufacturer’s plates and a US Test Vehicle sticker on the back.

As the user pointed out, Stuttgart is known for its car manufacturers, auto suppliers, and other companies in the industry, so it’s not unusual to see prototypes of cars that don’t get sold in Germany or the EU.

Rivian’s CEO RJ Scaringe previously mentioned the EV maker does not plan to bring the R1 series to Europe, but rather EDVs and possibly R2 series models. The plates being registered in Graz, home of Magna, suggests the auto giant owns the R1T model.

A Rivian spokesperson tells Electrek that the automaker will occasionally send its supply partners a vehicle to test and evaluate, adding, “We have not made any decisions to manufacturing in Europe.”