Michigan-based auto seat maker Adient will open a new factory in Normal, Illinois, as it prepares to supply the EV maker Rivian, the company announced on Monday.
Two months ago, Rivian had disclosed it was receiving $16 million in state incentives to help fund a new supplier park adjacent to its manufacturing plant.
The seat maker will invest $8 million to open a factory where Rivian‘s manufacturing plant is based, and will receive an estimated $4 million in credits for payroll taxes under the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles program (REV Illinois).
In the new location, which repurposes a 85,000-square-foot warehouse, Adient will assemble front and rear set assemblies for the Irvine-based automaker.
It is set to create 75 new jobs. Adient employs over 70,000 people and has over 200 manufacturing and assembly plants in 29 countries worldwide, of which 30 are in the US.
The manufacturer designs and develops components and seating systems for major companies, including Detroit automakers General Motors and Ford, Stellantis Group and the German automakers BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.
According to Rivian‘s VP of manufacturing operations Carlo Materazzo, “having suppliers like Adient located near our plant in Normal will be a key enabler when we increase production next year to build R2,” as integrating suppliers on site “reduces costs and improves manufacturing efficiency.”
The Irvine-based automaker’s manufacturing plant in Illinois is being expanded to accommodate the production of the upcoming R2 SUV — which will cost about $45,000.
The automaker is expected to open orders for its more affordable model in early 2026.
JB Pritzker, the Governor of Illinois, also noted Adient’s “critical investment” in the state’s “growing EV ecosystem and supply chain.”
“With more suppliers calling Illinois home due to our unmatched workforce, infrastructure and competitive incentives, we are growing our reputation as a global leader in the electric vehicle sector,” Pritzker added.
In May 2024, the Illinois government announced a new incentive package under the REV Illinois program, supporting Rivian‘s $1.5 billion investment in the state.
It was estimated to help “create more than 550 full-time jobs within the next five years alone” and to “enable the company to produce its highly anticipated R2 model” at its Normal facility — expanding “the total capacity for the site to 215,000 units per year.”
Under the program, the State of Illinois has also granted Rivian $634 million in tax credits — which are “tied to the creation of good-paying jobs,” the EV maker said.
Earlier this month, a researcher from the Heritage Foundation criticized Rivian for its hiring practices, with allegations of “mass labor recruitment” of foreign workers while receiving state incentives.
Last week, Rivian said it will establish a new East Coast headquarter in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of its broader investment in the state, where the electric vehicle maker is also building a its second manufacturing plant.
The new office will open in late 2025 and expand further in 2026 alongside construction progress at Rivian’s planned factory in Social Circle, east of Atlanta.
