A tornado struck Rivian’s electric vehicle factory in Normal, Illinois, last Friday, temporarily halting operations at a newer section of the facility. CEO RJ Scaringe explained in a letter to employees that the severe weather damaged Building 2, which will remain offline while the company assesses the impact.
A Rivian spokesperson confirmed to Manufacturing.net that the affected area primarily handles logistics for the R2, the company’s upcoming electric SUV slated to begin deliveries this spring. The automaker reported no injuries.
Scaringe added that Rivian expects Building 2 to resume operations this week and that activity at other facilities continued as planned. He said the company will share more information as it becomes available.
The disruption comes at a critical time, as Rivian is counting on the R2 launch to move closer to profitability. The automaker achieved a consolidated gross profit of $144 million in 2025 but still posted a net loss of $3.6 billion—an improvement from a $4.75 billion loss in 2024. Scaringe told CNBC in February that he expects the R2 to account for the “majority of the volume” of the business by the end of 2027.
Rivian mentioned in its latest full-year earnings report that it completed its first R2 manufacturing validation builds at the Normal plant. The automaker also broke ground on a new factory near Atlanta last September, where it plans to manufacture the R2 and R3 starting in 2028.
