Electric vehicle maker Rivian will open its latest Spaces location at University Village in Seattle on Aug. 18, giving current and prospective customers a place to connect with the brand.
The location in a former Amazon Books store was first announced in June. Previously described as a “pop-up,” Rivian said the Space will be a “shorter-term activation” as a permanent home is solidified in the market. The Space will employ about 10 people.
Rivian launched its first Space in Venice Beach, Calif., in October 2021, and the University Village location will be its fourth. A Space opened in New York’s Meatpacking District earlier this summer and there is another in Vancouver, B.C.
The Spaces are designed to showcase Rivian’s trucks and SUVs, educate people about brand products and values, and engage the community with speaker events and other activities.
Rivian already operates a service center in Bellevue, Wash., one of over two dozen such locations across the U.S. and Canada.
The company makes electric delivery vans for Amazon, and first partnered with the tech giant in 2019 in a deal for 100,000 vans. Amazon said earlier this month that it now has 5,000 of the vans in operation. Amazon has continued to pour money into the EV maker through its Climate Pledge Fund, and was among the lead investors in a $2.5 billion financing round in Rivian.
Rivian, which plans to further expand its retail footprint though this year and next, joins Tesla and Lucid with showrooms at U. Village, a shopping mall located near the University of Washington. Lucid arrived last June with a space to show off its Air Grand Touring luxury sedan.
