Kjell Gruner Leaves Porsche North America Unexpectedly
Porsche Cars North America’s now-former CEO, Kjell Gruner, is allegedly associated with an undisclosed situation at electric vehicle start-up Rivian, as found out by Automotive News Europe, following hints from confided sources.
Just last week, Gruner departed Porsche USA after being employed there for beneath three years, of his own volition. While he was in charge, the German extravagant auto manufacturing company weathered the COVID-19 storm and arranged to shatter sales records this year with dealers predicted to move 80,000 vehicles going into 2021 – a rise of roughly 15 percent over 2022.
Prior to his appointment as CEO in the US, Gruner had served as Vice President of Marketing from 2010 at parent firm Porsche AG, and previously held the role of Director of Strategy at Mercedes-Benz Cars.
It is improbable that the former head of Porsche USA will take the place of Rivian founder and Chief Executive Officer RJ Scaringe, but getting someone from an esteemed name like Porsche would give the American EV manufacturer status. Presently, they are selling both the zero-emissions R1S SUV and R1T all-electric truck at prices starting above $70,000 each, positioning them in the upper echelon of the market.
Kjell Gruner recently divulged in a LinkedIn post that, even though he was part of a great team, brand and array of offerings whilst employed at Porsche, he felt the urge to attempt more challenging pursuits. He expressed that sometimes you need climb to a new mountain peak, alluding to the impetus of pursuing an even tougher career trail.
If the prophecies are correct, the ex-supremo of Porsche USA can expect a lot on his plate at Rivian, what with the California-based EV construction firm consuming billions to prepare for their R2 automobile platform launch and fortifying the second production center by Atlanta to combine with the current plant in Normal, Illinois.
The developer of the R1T, R1S, and Amazon Electric Delivery Van (EDV) experienced a setback of $1.35 billion during the first three months of 2021, at the same time as earnings totaled $661 million.
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Source: Automotive News Europe
