US “electric adventure vehicle” manufacturer joined the ongoing Serbian investment trend by opening a new IT and technology center in Belgrade Thursday, Dec. 8, in a ceremony attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill.
“[…] Young people, who are well paid will stay to live and work here,” said Vucic, seemingly pointing to Serbia’s ability to entice young workers to remain in Serbia to benefit from an influx of new jobs.
Vucic added that the government had wooed Rivian for 18 months and that Serbian-US cooperation is continuing to grow.
The US ambassador chimed in on Twitter, with Hill saying that “the only thing better than welcoming @Rivian to Serbia today was getting to try the product!”
“Their new tech center is an exciting investment in Serbia and its people and a clear vote of confidence in Serbia’s future. And the ride is amazing!” Hill added.
Rivian stated that some 200 engineers will immediately be employed at the center, but that total employment will likely come to approximately 1,200.
The opening of the new center was also attended not only by Hill and Vucic, but also by Serbian Minister of Innovation Jelena Begovic, and Wassym Bensaid, senior vice president for Software Development at Rivian, as well Rivian Vice President for Talent Acquisition Cindy Nicola.
Founded in 2009, Rivian is known for the R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV vehicle. The company vehicles are known for a “skateboard platform” that may be adopted by other companies. Rivian began deliveries of the R1T late in 2021. Also in 2021 Rivian completed and IPO with reported net proceeds to the company of USD 13.5 bln.
In November 2021, Rivian completed its IPO with net proceeds to the firm of $13.5 billion
Rivian was founded in 2009. The company designs and manufactures electric vehicles. The first vehicle models are the R1T pickup truck with two seat rows for five passengers, pronounced the best vehicle in its category, and R1S, an SUV with three seat rows for seven passengers.
Photo credit: The first R1T coming off the assembly line by Rivian., CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
