Tesla’s Elon Musk questions Volkswagen’s Rivian investment

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is questioning Volkswagen’s Rivian investment, asking about the German company’s financials after it committed to funneling up to $5 billion into the EV startup earlier this year.

Volkswagen said it would start with a $1 billion investment that could eventually swell into $5 billion as Rivian continues to work toward profitability.

After Ford and Amazon both started with investments in Rivian and either eliminated their stake (in Ford’s case) or lost exclusivity (in Amazon’s), VW stepped in and propped Rivian up with a major investment.

But there are questions surrounding Volkswagen’s stability. Earlier this week, reports circulated that the German automaker was considering closing factories in its home country for the first time as it is struggling to fend off pressure in Europe from Asian automakers.

The company’s works council said it vowed “fierce resistance” as Volkswagen considered two of its plants, one for vehicles and one for components, to be obsolete.

Volkswagen to invest up to $5 billion in Rivian

The company cut a job security program that has been enforced for the last 30 years. It also has its VW brand undergoing an $11 billion cost-cutting drive to save money by 2026, Reuters said.

That begs the question, if it is doing anything it can to cut expenditures, how is it planning to invest in Rivian.

Musk asked the same question:

Where will they get the money?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 2, 2024

Ideally speaking, Rivian is on the right track and is working toward profitability, which will make Volkswagen’s investment a good one. Rivian is continuing to grow in terms of vehicle deliveries and production, is working toward the release of its next platform, known as the R2, which will be more affordable and will, in theory, increase sales.

Still, Musk brings up a valid question: if Volkswagen is undergoing a major cost-cutting strategy and considering shutting down factories in its home country, would it truly be ideal to invest up to $5 billion?

Perhaps. According to Volkswagen, it had an operating profit of just over $25 billion last year, up 2.11 percent from 2022. Its revenue was $356.8 billion.

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