Orange County’s largest electric vehicle company has added a pair of notable car executives to its team.
Irvine-based Rivian Automotive Inc. (Nasdaq: RIVN) hired Kjell Gruner, previously the CEO and president of Porsche Cars North America, as its new chief commercial officer and president of the business growth division.
Gruner replaces Chief Growth Officer Jiten Behl, who stepped down from his post on Aug. 31, but will continue in an advisory capacity for the company through November 2025.
Rivian also made a big addition to its board of directors, bringing on John Krafcik last month. Krafcik was most recently the CEO of Waymo—a self-driving vehicle company—and was previously CEO of Fountain Valley-based Hyundai Motor America Inc.
The new additions come as Rivian prepares to deliver about 52,000 vehicles this year, ahead of prior production expectations.
Veteran Automotive Executive
Gruner was named CEO and president of Porsche in 2020 and left the post in July. Porsche experienced its best year in 2022, delivering a record number of 70,065 cars for the full fiscal year, exceeding its previous record set in 2021.
Prior to that, he was director of strategy at Mercedes-Benz Cars.
Gruner will report to Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe, and will be involved in the rollout of Rivian’s new R2 platform vehicles, building on the company’s current lineup that includes the R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV.
“We will rely on Kjell’s talent and experience as we position ourselves for growth domestically and internationally, the launch of a new platform in R2 at a new facility, and the continued success of our commercial vehicle line,” Scaringe said in a statement.
Rivian is working on the design of the R2 vehicle, which is expected to be a compact SUV model, and will reveal it to the public in early 2024.
The R2 will be more affordable than Rivian’s first product line with estimated pricing ranging between $40,000 and $60,000.
Rivian also makes electric delivery vans for financial backer Amazon. It has partnered with the e-commerce giant to make 100,000 vans by 2030.
Gruner’s appointment comes around the same time that prior Chief Growth Officer Behl “separated from the company,” according to regulatory filings. Behl was mentioned as part of a 2021 lawsuit from Rivian’s former Vice President of Sales and Marketing Laura Schwab, who pointed a finger at Behl for “instances of exclusion and marginalization.”
Hyundai Ties
Prior to joining Rivian, Krafcik served as CEO of Waymo, which made its start as Google’s self-driving car project. Under Krafcik, the company launched Waymo One, the first autonomous taxi service, in Phoenix.
Over a decade ago, Krafcik was CEO and president of Hyundai, which until the emergence of Rivian was ÂÂOC’s largest automaker by local employee count.
Hyundai now counts nearly 600 local employees, according to Business Journal research.
By comparison, Rivian now counts close to 2,400 OC employees, a 200% surge over the year prior.
Scaringe cited Krafcik’s background in innovative automotive technology as a beneficial addition to Rivian as the company looks toward its next generation of products.
Planned Expansion
Rivian is on track to surpass its estimated output this year.
Last month, Rivian projected to produce 52,000 vehicles for 2023, increasing its initial production target by 4% after experiencing supply chain issues in 2022.
Rivian is looking to further this momentum through a second factory in Georgia, receiving the green light in July to begin construction on the $5 billion factory.
Rivian will also open a retail center called Spaces at the former South Coast Cinemas in Laguna Beach later this year. The site will showcase both the R1T truck and R1S SUV. Rivian opened its first retail site in Venice Beach two years ago.
