• Rivian has begun construction on its Montreal store.
EV maker Rivian has begun construction on a new service centre to serve the greater Montreal area. The new store will strengthen Rivian's presence in Canada, where the company is slowly establishing itself in the market.
Company officials joined Montoni Group executives and local authorities to inaugurate the construction site, which is located in Laval, north of Montreal.
According to Nick Harterre, Rivian's policy manager, the 2,600-square-metre service centre will support current Rivian vehicle owners in Quebec and introduce the brand to a larger number of potential buyers in the province.
Rivian has been present in the Canadian market since 2022. Initially, the company targeted the British Columbia market. Last year, the company added Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta to its list.
In Quebec, the company served customers from a temporary location in Montreal's Mont-Royal neighborhood. With a permanent centre, Rivian will be able to better serve its current and future customers. The centre is scheduled to open sometime in 2026.
Interestingly, this should coincide with the arrival of the R2 SUV, a smaller and more affordable model that will allow the company to reach another level of growth.
Like other manufacturers, Rivian would like to see a permanent solution to customs duties because the impact of the Canadian government's retaliatory tariffs is being felt on its products.
At the end of February, Rivian was forced to increase the prices of its R1S and R1T models by around 25 percent in Canada. Both vehicles are built exclusively in the U.S. The base price of the R1S SUV is now $140,990 CAD, up from $111,900 in December 2023.
The R1T pickup truck starts at $129,990, up from $102,900 in December.
Rivian expects sales to decline this year due to U.S. tariffs and Canadian counter tariffs.