Electric automaker Rivian started producing its R2 model in June, and company leadership said on an earnings call Thursday it's already the best-selling Rivian vehicle, outselling both the R1 and delivery vans in the third quarter.
The company produced 19,751 vehicles at its plant in Normal during the third quarter, by far its highest era of production yet.
CEO RJ Scaringe said Rivian is "laying the foundations for a future that we believe will be fully electric, autonomous and AI defined."
Scaringe is excited about the lower "cognitive load" needed to drive an autonomous Rivian and thinks it can drive "huge changes in market share" in the automobile industry.
To help build up its AI capabilities, Rivian acquired Third Dimension AI this month.