odanny
Diamond Member
I know a few people who work here, one of them was a coworker of mine for over 10 years. He told me he'd get me a job there if I wanted it, but it would be a pay cut for me. Plus I'm retiring soon.
Mitsubishi made cars here for around thirty years, but sales weren't enough to keep the plant open, and it closed around 5 years ago, but now it's back.
Nestled among the cornfields of Normal, Illinois, a long-fallow stretch of land is preparing for a bumper crop this summer.
Rivian, the startup electric vehicle maker whose inaugural truck, SUV and Amazon delivery van have captured the auto world’s attention — and billions of dollars in investor seed money — is launching production in June from a converted Mitsubishi factory, and gearing up fast.
Powering through a pandemic, the first production vehicle — a $75,000 launch version of Rivian’s electric truck — will roll off the line more than a half-year behind schedule. It will be the first vehicle to be built on the site since the Mitsubishi plant closed six years ago.
“Starting a company is one thing, starting a plant is another big thing and then launching products,” said Erik Fields, 42, vice president of manufacturing at Rivian. “When you take it to the magnitude of what we’re doing here, it’s never been done before in automotive history on this scale.”
www.chicagotribune.com
Mitsubishi made cars here for around thirty years, but sales weren't enough to keep the plant open, and it closed around 5 years ago, but now it's back.
Nestled among the cornfields of Normal, Illinois, a long-fallow stretch of land is preparing for a bumper crop this summer.
Rivian, the startup electric vehicle maker whose inaugural truck, SUV and Amazon delivery van have captured the auto world’s attention — and billions of dollars in investor seed money — is launching production in June from a converted Mitsubishi factory, and gearing up fast.
Powering through a pandemic, the first production vehicle — a $75,000 launch version of Rivian’s electric truck — will roll off the line more than a half-year behind schedule. It will be the first vehicle to be built on the site since the Mitsubishi plant closed six years ago.
“Starting a company is one thing, starting a plant is another big thing and then launching products,” said Erik Fields, 42, vice president of manufacturing at Rivian. “When you take it to the magnitude of what we’re doing here, it’s never been done before in automotive history on this scale.”

Rivian plant gearing up for June launch, the return of automaking to Normal and the dawn of the electric vehicle age
Nestled among the cornfields of Normal, Illinois, a long-fallow stretch of land is preparing for a bumper crop this summer. Rivian, the startup electric vehicle maker whose inaugural truck, SUV and…
