“Given the current environment, Lincoln and Rivian have opted to discontinue the development of an all-electric vehicle based on Rivian’s skateboard platform. Our commitment to Lincoln, Rivian, and electrification remains steadfast, and Lincoln’s future plans will include an electric vehicle,” mentioned a Lincoln official to The Verge.
The announcement of the project’s cancellation coincided with a Car and Driver report naming the vehicle as the Lincoln Mark E. (Mast remarked, “The C/D story was a welcome coincidence.”)
About a year ago, Ford and Rivian forged a $500 million partnership to create vehicles utilizing Rivian’s innovative EV “skateboard” platform. This collaboration, separate from Ford’s upcoming all-electric F-150 pickup truck, aimed to introduce the electric Lincoln SUV. As reported by Car and Driver, the SUV was speculated to have an electric motor at each wheel producing over 700 horsepower.
In January, Scaringe, CEO of Rivian, mentioned that the development of the Lincoln SUV had already been completed, with its release timeline remaining ambiguous. Given its advanced development stage, there is a possibility that some of its technologies could be integrated into other future vehicles.
This turn of events is unfortunate for Lincoln, Ford’s luxury brand, and potentially places it behind other luxury automakers advancing in electrification. A representative from General Motors recently indicated to The Drive that their EV development remains unaffected by the economic downturn.
Considering Ford’s financial constraints and its ventures in the electric vehicle realm with the new F-150 and Mustang Mach E, it’s not surprising that the Lincoln SUV project was the casualty in these circumstances.
