NEW YORK (Agefi-Dow Jones)--Amazon et Rivian négocient la fin de
leur partenariat exclusif dans les fourgons électriques à la suite
des commandes passées par le géant du commerce électronique pour
2023, selon des personnes proches du dossier.
Dans le cadre d'un accord conclu en 2019, Rivian est tenu de vendre
tous les fourgons qu'il produit à Amazon. Ces derniers mois, le
distributeur a informé Rivian qu'il n'achèterait qu'environ 10.000
de ces véhicules cette année, ce qui correspondait au bas de la
fourchette prévu dans le contrat initial, selon les personnes
interrogées.
En réaction, Rivian cherche à s'affranchir de l'accord
d'exclusivité pour pouvoir vendre librement sa production à
d'autres acheteurs. Des pourparlers entre les deux sociétés sont
toujours en cours.
Une porte-parole d'Amazon a déclaré que l'entreprise s'engageait
toujours à acheter 100.000 fourgons à Rivian d'ici ç 2030, comme le
prévoyait l'accord initial. "Rivian reste un partenaire important
pour Amazon et nous sommes enthousiastes pour l'avenir", a-t-elle
indiqué.
Une porte-parole de Rivian a affirmé de son côté que la "relation
avec Amazon a toujours été positive. Nous continuons à travailler
en étroite collaboration et nous naviguons dans un climat
économique évolutif, comme beaucoup d'autres entreprises".
L'action Rivian chute de 3%, à 13,71 dollars, mardi à Wall Street,
après avoir touché un nouveau plus bas historique en séance.
-Sean McLain et Dana Mattioli, The Wall Street Journal (Version
française Jérôme Batteau) ed : TVA
Agefi-Dow Jones The financial newswire
-0-
Amazon.com Inc. and Rivian Automotive Inc. are in talks to scrap
the exclusivity part of their electric-van deal, allowing the auto
maker to sell to others, after the technology giant's order for
2023, according to people familiar with the matter.
Under terms of a 2019 agreement, Rivian is required to sell all of
the vans it makes to Amazon. In recent months, Amazon notified
Rivian that it wanted to buy about 10,000 vans this year, which was
at the low end of a range it previously provided the auto maker,
the people said.
In response, Rivian sought to remove the exclusivity terms, the
people said. Talks are ongoing, they said.
An Amazon spokeswoman said the company remains committed to buying
100,000 vans from Rivian by 2030, which were the terms outlined in
the original agreement. "Rivian remains an important partner for
Amazon, and we're excited about the future," she said.
A Rivian spokeswoman said: "Our relationship with Amazon has always
been a positive one. We continue to work closely together and are
navigating a changing economic climate, similar to many
companies."
Executives at both companies have touted the deal, which gave
Rivian an anchor customer and Amazon a key component of its pledge
to slash carbon emissions. Amazon is Rivian's largest shareholder,
with a 17% stake in the company, according to FactSet, and Amazon
is on Rivian's board of directors.
Amazon has initiated cost-saving measures over the past year amid a
slowdown in e-commerce sales, following a surge during the
pandemic. The online retailer has said it is pausing construction
on its second headquarters in the D.C. area and laying off more
than 18,000 workers, one of the largest reductions among technology
companies.
For Rivian, the Amazon contract has provided steady demand for one
of the three vehicles the auto maker builds at its Normal, Ill.,
factory. If Amazon agrees to end the exclusivity arrangement,
Rivian would need to find new commercial customers for the
vans.
The Amazon deal has been viewed favorably by investors as an
important stabilizing factor for the startup auto maker and an
endorsement of its technology.
"Amazon represents such a large customer, or such a large pool of
demand for us," said Rivian Chief Executive RJ Scaringe in late
2021, soon after the company's initial public offering.
Amazon and Rivian worked together closely on the development of the
electric van. A change in the Amazon relationship would mark the
latest challenge for Rivian, which is under pressure to cut costs
and boost factory output. The company also makes the R1T pickup
truck and the R1S SUV for retail customers.
Last month, Rivian's shares fell after the company said it aimed to
make 50,000 vehicles this year, below the estimates of Wall Street
analysts.
Rivian is among the more prominent electric-vehicle startups to
emerge in recent years, following the rise of EV leader Tesla Inc.
Like other young EV companies, Rivian has been strained by rising
costs and supply-chain disruptions. The company's shares have
dropped about 90% since their post-IPO highs in late 2021.
The Irvine, Calif.-based EV maker burned through $6.6 billion in
2022, after starting the year with more than $18 billion -- much of
it raised in the well-received IPO in November 2021. During an
earnings call last month, Rivian executives said they have enough
cash to last through 2025.
Last week, Rivian said it would raise $1.3 billion through the sale
of green convertible bonds. Shares tumbled about 15% the following
day.
To conserve cash, Rivian has conducted two rounds of layoffs and
pushed back plans for future business lines, such as its
more-affordable R2 line of vehicles. Mr. Scaringe has said the
workforce cuts are a response to rising commodity costs, a changing
economy and tightening capital markets.
He has emphasized that the EV maker needs to focus on vehicles and
projects that are critical in the near term for helping it turn a
profit. Several top executives departed in recent months, including
the head of supply chain and the vice president overseeing body
engineering.
Write to Sean McLain at sean.mclain@wsj.com, Dana Mattioli at
dana.mattioli@wsj.com and Nora Eckert at nora.eckert@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 13, 2023 14:23 ET (18:23 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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