Rivian will not be building electric vans with Mercedes for the time being

Rivian and Mercedes will not be entering into a partnership for the time being. The two companies were initially going to set up a joint venture to make electric vans, but Rivian indicated on Tuesday that it wanted to focus on its own projects first.

In a joint press statement of Rivian and Mercedes, Rivian says it is suspending plans to focus on its own activities. “At this time, we believe that focusing on our consumer businesses and our existing commercial businesses is the best short-term choice to drive value for Rivian.” The company says it will not continue the joint venture with Mercedes-Benz now, but that it remains open to a partnership with the German automaker in the future.

The joint venture was announced in September. Two types of vans would initially be built: one on Mercedes’ MB Vans Electric Architecture platform and the other on the second-generation Rivian Light platform.