Rivian Deliveries Tanked in Q4: What Investors Should Know

• Rivian's Q4 deliveries fell sharply arsenic immoderate request was apt pulled from Q4 into Q3 up of a national inducement deadline.

• The institution is pushing toward the motorboat of its caller R2 conveyance successful the archetypal fractional of 2026.

• Rivian continues to pain done its currency arsenic it remains unprofitable.

• 10 stocks we similar amended than Rivian Automotive ›

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN) reported that it delivered 9,745 vehicles successful the 4th fourth of 2025, down 31% twelvemonth implicit twelvemonth from 14,183 deliveries successful the year-ago quarter. The diminution was adjacent worse than Tesla's 16% year-over-year diminution for the aforesaid period.

But the unsmooth 4th was "in enactment with Rivian's expectations," absorption said successful its Jan. 2 property merchandise astir the deliveries. So, what gives? Why were the electrical conveyance company's fourth-quarter deliveries truthful weak, and should investors beryllium worried?

Some discourse is successful order. Rivian's 4th fourth should beryllium viewed alongside the company's third-quarter results, erstwhile deliveries jumped 32% twelvemonth implicit year. The crushed the 2 quarters should beryllium viewed unneurotic is due to the fact that the national clean-vehicle recognition was nary longer disposable for vehicles acquired aft Sept. 30, 2025, efficaciously putting a deadline astatine the extremity of the 3rd 4th and urging immoderate customers to unreserved their orders. This undoubtedly pulled immoderate request from Q4 into Q3.

This discourse helps explicate wherefore some electrical conveyance companies, Tesla and Rivian, had large 3rd quarters followed by atrocious 4th quarters.

Notably, Rivian's accumulation really accrued sequentially. Rivian produced 10,720 vehicles successful Q3 and 10,974 vehicles successful Q4. The higher Q4 accumulation apt reflected an effort to normalize inventory aft delivering 23% much vehicles than it produced successful Q3.

For Rivian investors, the main absorption close present is the company's upcoming conveyance launch. Investors are apt hoping a caller conveyance exemplary tin assistance catalyze income and reverse Rivian's inclination of declining income successful 2025 (full-year 2025 income fell 18% twelvemonth implicit year).

Rivian's upcoming R2 is inactive connected way to statesman deliveries successful the archetypal fractional of 2026, the institution said successful its third-quarter shareholder letter. This volition unfastened up Rivian to a larger addressable market, arsenic the conveyance is expected to beryllium terms meaningfully beneath its existent lineup.

The caller vehicle, which volition beryllium a midsized, 5-passenger SUV, volition person a starting terms of $45,000, absorption said successful the company's third-quarter net call.

"The mean terms of caller vehicles sold successful the United States is astir $50,000," said Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe during the call. "So we're truly bullish, truly assured connected R2 and what that represents for america arsenic a business."