Rivian beats quarterly revenue estimates on higher-priced EV sales

By Akash Sriram

(Reuters) -Rivian Automotive Inc on Tuesday beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly revenue as it sold more higher-priced electric vehicles, and stood by its annual production forecast of 50,000 cars.

Shares in Rivian, which also cut costs during the January-March period, rose about 6% in extended trading as investors cheered its results that followed Lucid Group Inc and Fisker Inc trimming their production targets.

Tesla (NASDAQ:) Inc has cut prices globally this year as part of its recession playbook to increase sales volumes, pressuring smaller EV players that started deliveries just about a year ago.

Rivian expects production ramp up of its in-house Enduro powertrains to help offset parts supply issues in the second half of the year, enabling it to meet its annual production target.

The company did not provide details of its pre-orders at the end of the quarter amid demand concerns aggravated by higher borrowing costs and industry leader Tesla’s aggressive price cuts.

Rivian’s R1T pickup trucks start at $73,000, while the R1S SUV is priced at $78,000.

Amazon-backed Rivian said in March it would sell $1.3 billion in convertible green bonds due in 2029 to shore up its cash balance. Analysts view it as a temporary fix.

Revenue for the quarter ended March 31 stood at $661 million, compared with Wall Street estimates of $652.1 million, according to Refinitiv data.

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the first quarter were $11.24 billion, compared with $11.57 billion, in the preceding three-month period.

Rivian’s quarterly net loss narrowed to $1.35 billion from $1.59 billion a year earlier.