By Greg Halbleib
NORMAL – An automotive industry writer said he’s learned that the thousands of cars parked in lots at Rivian Automotive are Volkwagen models caught up in an emissions scandal.
Christian Prenzler of Teslarati.com said a logistics company is leasing the Rivian lots to store many of the vehicles returned to VW. Prenzler estimates 14,000 vehicles are in the Rivian lots currently.
“VW has initiated a program over the past four or five months to buy back some of these vehicles either until they can find a solution to fix them or eventually scrap them for parts and other materials and find a way to responsibly recycle them,” Prenzler told WJBC’s Sam Wood.
PODCAST: Listen here to WJBC’s Sam Wood’s interview with Prenzler.
Prenzler commissioned a photographer to use a drone to take pictures and video of the lots for Teslarati.com. Prenzler says storing the vehicles is a way for Rivian to utilize the property while preparing for their own production of electric vehicles.
“It’s a really interesting thing to see that Rivian is really starting to utilize the factory in Normal, which of course is going to be good for Bloomington-Normal’s economy,” Prenzler said.
Prenzler said he’s not sure of future plans.
“It’s really unknown how many cars are going in and out and how many they plan to store there, but I’d say they’re at about 60 percent of capacity out there based on my observation,” Prenzler noted.
View Prenzler’s story on Teslarati.com here.
