EV Maker Rivian Halts Production of Amazon Delivery Vans amid Parts Shortage

An Amazon EV van powered by Rivian is parked at the Amazon Logistics Facility in Chicago, Illinois, US, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
An Amazon EV van powered by Rivian is parked at the Amazon Logistics Facility in Chicago, Illinois, US, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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EV Maker Rivian Halts Production of Amazon Delivery Vans amid Parts Shortage

An Amazon EV van powered by Rivian is parked at the Amazon Logistics Facility in Chicago, Illinois, US, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
An Amazon EV van powered by Rivian is parked at the Amazon Logistics Facility in Chicago, Illinois, US, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Rivian has temporarily suspended production of its commercial delivery vans used by retail giant Amazon.com due to a shortage of parts, a spokesperson for the electric vehicle manufacturer said on Friday.

Shares of the Irvine, California-based company were down 1.7% in premarket trading.

The production halt is the latest in a series of supply chain challenges for Rivian, which, like other EV makers, has grappled with significant production issues over the past two years due to supplier shortages, according to Reuters.

Amazon, Rivian's largest investor with a 16% stake, has ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans to be deployed by 2030. Last year, sales to Amazon represented approximately 19% of Rivian's revenue.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

"A part shortage has temporarily impacted our Electric Delivery Van (EDV) production. We expect to recover all missed production," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The company did not disclose any information about the specific part and supplier in question, and also declined to comment on when the production stoppage began and if it has resumed.

The part shortage would not affect the production of other Rivian vehicles, including its R1S SUV and R1T pickup models.

Earlier this month, Rivian had maintained its production forecast and said that deliveries would be slightly lower in the current quarter after it shut down its factory in April for retooling and modifications.



Lenovo Q1 Revenue Jumps 20%, Beats Estimates as PC Market Recovers

An employee gestures next to a Lenovo logo at Lenovo Tech World in Beijing, China November 15, 2019. (Reuters)
An employee gestures next to a Lenovo logo at Lenovo Tech World in Beijing, China November 15, 2019. (Reuters)
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Lenovo Q1 Revenue Jumps 20%, Beats Estimates as PC Market Recovers

An employee gestures next to a Lenovo logo at Lenovo Tech World in Beijing, China November 15, 2019. (Reuters)
An employee gestures next to a Lenovo logo at Lenovo Tech World in Beijing, China November 15, 2019. (Reuters)

China's Lenovo Group reported a 20% rise in quarterly revenue on Thursday, as the global personal computer market showed signs of recovery after a two-year slump.

For the three months ending in June, the company's revenue rose to $15.4 billion, above the average estimate of $14.1 billion expected by analysts polled by LSEG.

This marks a third consecutive quarter of revenue growth for Lenovo after it suffered five straight quarters of revenue declines amid the post-COVID slowdown.

The global personal computer market has shown signs of recovery, with IDC data indicating a return to growth during the first quarter of this year after nearly two years of declines.

For the three months ended June, global PC shipments rose by 3% to 64.9 million units. Lenovo maintained its position as the market leader, holding a 23% market share, according to IDC.

Lenovo's shares down 0.99% in Thursday afternoon trading.

Lenovo has diversified beyond its core PC business, expanding into software and services in recent years.

The company's infrastructure solutions group, which includes servers and other hardware, grew 65% to $3 billion in revenue. Its solutions and services group grew 10% to $1.9 billion for the quarter.

Currently its non-PC business already made by 47% of its revenue mix and company chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang told Reuters in an interview that this share will grow to 50% in the near future.

Yang said a resurgence in IT spending by businesses and AI-driven demand will boost the company's business lines across the board, including PCs, servers, and enterprise software.

The PC market is being fueled by the emerging trend of "AI PCs" - computers equipped with specialized chips optimized for AI software.

Lenovo, among the first to unveil AI PCs, launched two models in May. Yang projects 10% of Lenovo's shipped PCs will be AI PCs by year-end, potentially rising to 50-60% by 2026.

The AI boom coincides with rising China-US geopolitical tensions, including restrictions on advanced AI technology exports.

Yang said Lenovo was accustomed to such challenges and complies with regulations in all operating regions, enabling it to navigate these issues.

Lenovo's net income for the quarter was $243 million, above the average estimate of $222.94 million expected by analysts polled by LSEG.