Malcolm Owen
Apple CEO Tim Cook allegedly took time out from the annual Sun Valley conference to take a trip in a Rivian Automotive electric vehicle.
A repeat visitor to the Allen & Co Sun Valley media retreat, Tim Cook takes time to speak to the chiefs of other major companies in attendance, with the event used to share ideas and to broker deals. In one excursion, Cook seemingly checked out a product by a potential competitor in the automotive space.
According to people familiar with the event speaking to Bloomberg, Cook was seen taking a ride in a green Rivian electric pickup truck in downtown Sun Valley on Thursday. Cook's use of the vehicle allegedly ferried the Apple CEO from the Sun Valley Resort to a downtown location for dinner.
Rivian CEO and founder R.J. Scaringe attended the retreat, and brought along two electric vehicles with him. Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone was reportedly one of the dozens of attendees who inspected the vehicles over the course of the event.
It is likely that Cook used the opportunity to check out a major rival to Apple's own automotive plans, as the company has been working on its own Apple Car project for quite some time.
Apple has repeatedly been tipped to have worked on its own electric vehicle, and has looked into partnering with an existing car producer, as well as expanding its own supply chain into the industry. It has also been the subject of speculation about whether Apple is still actively planning a launch, with claims of the team being dissolved, as well as various high-profile departures.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
39 Comments
Rivian is a gorgeous EV. It looks refreshing and modern.
Looks like ass tbh....
We don’t know where Apple is with their car. They did just patent a steering mechanism, so it looks as though they’re moving forward.
Rivan has gotten some excellent reviews of their vehicles. They are expected to produce between 25,000 to 28,000 this year. Nevertheless their stock has been pounded, as some investors aren’t happy with the numbers. Some think that Rivan will run out of money. It would be an interesting move if Apple invested in the company, or even bought it outright. I would be for that. Unlike a number of other possible competitors who have produced one or two cars, but nothing else, Rivan is actually producing. It’s easy to forget how many years it took Tesla to get to 40,000 cars a year - a lot longer than it’s taking Rivan to ramp up. With Apple’s money, the doubts about the company’s survival would end.
Apple could, and no doubt would, revamp the designs and add their own work. This might be the best solution Apple has.
I hope you're right Melgross. I think Rivian has a lot of interesting ideas that break the mold. Since I saw them on "Long Way Up" I've really been intrigued. I'm still on the fence between a Rivian and a Lightning as my first EV... but leaning towards Rivian if I know they'll be around for support.