TechCrunch Mobility: Rivian’s R2 gambit

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for all things “The Future of Transportation.” To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free – just click TechCrunch Mobility!

I’ve been out for a few days last week and have a bit of catching up to do! I won’t repeat too much, but I expect some bigger news — ahem, Wayve’s $1.2 billion raise — will make it here.

Another housekeeping note: I’ll be in Austin next week SXSWthe annual tech, music, film and culture event that always attracts an interesting group of tech founders, creatives, politicians and other industry insiders. I plan to attend Rivian’s event, where the company is expected to reveal full details of its upcoming R2 line. I will also be running a committee called Innovation and Impact: Women Leaders Transforming Old Industriesside by side Rivian CFO Claire McDonough, Madison Reed CEO and Founder Amy Errett, W Spotify Chief Public Affairs Officer Dusty Jenkins. If you are there, please reach out!

Speaking of Rivian, the company is planning one of the fastest new all-electric vehicle launches in the United States with its upcoming R2 SUV. And the risks couldn’t be higher.

Chief correspondent Sean O’Kane looked at historical sales data as well as Rivian’s own forecasts for 2026. Rivian said it expects to sell between 20,000 and 25,000 R2s this year, the first of which will head to customers in June once production begins.

This means she has six months to reach this goal. Even if Rivian achieves the minimum of that goal, its sales rate would outpace every other comparable electric vehicle at or below $60,000 except the Tesla Model Y, O’Kane wrote. Read the full story here

My question is what tactical move does Rivian plan to use to reach this goal? It will not be enough to simply say: “Pent-up demand, you idiot.” This is not easy. I expect Rivian to try a variety of methods to spread the word and turn interest in its electric vehicles into actual sales. What do you think the company will do? Send me an email!

birdie

No little birds this week – or at least those we can share. Remember, if you have a tip for us, you can either email me at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or reach me via Signal at kkorosec.07. Sean Okane’s email is sean.okane@techcrunch.com

Offers!

This is from last week, but it’s worth commenting on. I’m talking about him WIFI and its $1.2 billion raise (up to $1.5 billion if it can unlock a $300 million milestone-based investment from Uber). As I mentioned in my article, everyone seems to want a piece of this UK startup, which is now valued at $8.6 billion.

Wayve takes a different approach to automated driving. He doesn’t want to be the operator. Instead, it wants to license its software — whether a fully automated driving product or a less capable product intended for advanced driver assistance systems — to automakers and robotaxi operators. Wayve has followed a self-learning approach in its software. The company has developed a software layer using a comprehensive neural network that does not require high-definition maps and only uses data to teach the car how to drive. It’s device agnostic, which may be attractive to Wayve supporters Mercedes Benz, Apriland excellent.

Other deals that caught my attention…

DensoToyota Motor’s auto parts supplier has made an offer to acquire Kyoto-based chipmaker Rohm. The Wall Street Journal reported.

Final drivethe Swedish startup known for building both electric trucks and autonomous pods designed to transport goods, has secured a $113 million PIPE (private investment in public equity) ahead of its debut public offering, which is expected in the first half of 2026.

Harbinger It acquired self-driving software company Phantom AI. The conditions were not disclosed.

HolyvoltThe Volvo-backed Swedish battery technology company has acquired battery materials company Wildcat Discovery Technologies in a deal valued at… 73 million dollars.

MomentumThe Chinese self-driving car developer backed by General Motors and Tencent Holdings has filed confidentially for an initial public offering in Hong Kong. Bloomberg reported. The company may seek to raise at least $1 billion in an IPO.

nominala software startup that helps defense, aerospace, energy, and automotive companies test their manufacturing processes, has raised $80 million in a Series B extension round at a $1 billion valuation, led by Founders Fund.

Toyota Increase the bid price Supplier Toyota Industries to $30 billion.

Zenoan African startup, has raised $25 million in a seed round to expand its app-controlled battery swapping network and produce more of its Emara motorcycles. About $20.5 million of that was an equity fundraising campaign led by Congruent Ventures with participation from Active Impact and Lowercarbon Capital. The remaining $4.5 million is debt facilities from Camber Road and Trifecta Capital.

Notable Readings and Other Stories

Chinese car maker BYD It has unveiled a new battery pack that it says is capable of charging from 10% to 70% in five minutes. This is certainly a game-changer, but there is an important caveat to this claim: it requires an EV-specific charger.

Hyundai, ToyotaAnd Chinese automakers such as Cherry Iran will likely face the greatest impact from the US-Israel war with Iran, with the Middle East accounting for a large proportion of its deliveries, according to an analysis from Bernstein. CNBC reported.

Volkswagen Group It crossed the EV mark this week. The company said it delivered 4 million fully electric cars Since it launched its first model in 2013. Half of it came from the Volkswagen brand. The remaining sales came from Skoda, Seat/Cupra, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Porsche.

A video A appears Waymo A robo-taxi intercepts an ambulance as it responds to the scene of a mass shooting in Austin over the weekend. A spokesman for Austin-Travis County EMS Axios said One of the officers followed established protocol to address the situation and was able to move the vehicle quickly. Waymo did not provide a statement to the outlets at the time. The incident is the latest in which a first responder has been used to move Waymo and raises questions about the readiness of the technology.

Another thing…

the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration A forum on autonomous vehicle safety is scheduled for Tuesday. AV leaders are expected to attend, including Aurora Co-Founder and CEO Chris Urmson, Waymo Co-CEO Tekdra Mawakana, W Zoox CEO Aisha Evans.