Rivian said Friday it expects to begin delivering a battery-electric pickup and battery-electric SUV to customers starting next summer.
The R1T pickup will arrive first, in June; the R1S utility vehicle is scheduled to roll off the line in August 2021.
The timing puts the company about six months behind original launch plans. But Rivian, like all other automakers, has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rivian, backed by Ford Motor Co., Cox Automotive, Amazon and others, began assembling vehicles on a pilot production line this week.
Building high-quality vehicles will be a challenge on multiple fronts for the upstart. The company is manufacturing in a retooled Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Ill., with new equipment and a work force that has never assembled EVs before.
Pricing has not been released.
Rivian said it will soon release information on vehicle features, the company's charging network and when customers can configure vehicles.
