(Disclaimer: This shitpost was initially revealed final week as a result of I didn’t pay shut sufficient consideration to the small print of the embargo and thought it might be wonderful. It was not, and for that, I apologize. However now that the embargo has been lifted, it has returned as a really actual conspiracy concept that it’s best to positively imagine.)

Final Tuesday, Rivian flew me, together with numerous journalists out to Regular, Illinois, to tour its manufacturing facility. You’ll be able to learn extra on that right here, however what I actually need to speak about is one thing I noticed whereas I used to be there. As we have been ready for everybody to get there for the tour, a truck pulled into the car parking zone. If it had been an F-150 Lightning or every other truck that’s offered within the U.S., that wouldn’t have been a shock. Both Rivian was doing a little benchmark testing, or, you already know, it was only a common worker driving their very own truck to work.

However it wasn’t an everyday truck. It was a Mitsubishi Triton or L200. A truck that very a lot mustn’t have been there. If we have been in a city nearer to the Mexican border, that might have been one factor. Even in Los Angeles, it’s not fully unusual to see Mexican-market automobiles driving round. However Regular, Illinois, isn’t anyplace close to the Mexican border. Windsor, Ontario, might be a seven-hour drive away, which isn’t that far, however Mitsubishi doesn’t promote its truck in Canada, both.

You’d suppose that might be a thriller price investigating or that the one who imported it might be fairly well-known since they, you already know, personal a truck they’re not speculated to have. Absolutely, somebody would at the least need to go check out it with me, proper? Mistaken. Nobody ever tried to persuade me that I didn’t see what I clearly noticed with my very own eyes, however I by no means bought a response a lot past, “Huh, that’s fascinating.” One particular person even dismissed my query by saying a whole lot of staff drive Mitsubishis.

If the Mitsubishi in query was a automotive that’s really offered on this nation, that might be one factor. However, “I’m positive a manufacturing facility employee simply purchased it,” isn’t a lot of a proof when you’ll be able to’t simply purchase a Triton within the U.S. It needs to be right here for a cause, and there completely needs to be a narrative behind it. Sadly, I didn’t get a photograph as a result of, by the point I used to be able to snap on on my telephone’s digital camera, the Triton had been moved from its parking place. Did the proprietor merely depart for lunch? Or was it moved as a result of I observed one thing I wasn’t supposed to note?

Now, I’m prepared to just accept that maybe an worker has household in Mexico and was in a position to get a truck purchased there into the U.S. by some means if that’s really the case. However what if there’s one other rationalization? What if (and I should be clear right here, I’ve no different proof to assist this basically baseless concept) Rivian is in talks with Mitsubishi to construct the brand new Triton within the former Mitsubishi manufacturing facility that Rivian owns? I positively suppose it ought to.

There’s empty area within the facility that CEO RJ Scaringe mentioned can be used for one thing actually cool. He additionally mentioned it received’t be a side-by-side designed to slot in the mattress of an R1T. Belief me. I requested. For some cause, nobody at Rivian appeared to suppose that was a excessive precedence for the model despite the fact that it might be objectively cool. Constructing the Triton would additionally present a pleasant money infusion, which each and every startup automaker might use. And by having Rivian construct the Triton in Illinois, Mitsubishi would be capable of promote it right here with out getting hit with the Rooster Tax. So it might be a win for everybody concerned.

Now, do I actually imagine my very own wild conspiracy concept? Probably not. However I need to. Think about Rivian execs calling a gathering just a few hours from now, freaking out over the truth that some fool from Jalopnik by accident discovered their plan. But additionally, is my loopy concept that’s backed up by no precise proof actually that loopy? Is there actually no proof? I noticed that Mitsubishi truck with my very own eyes. And if this isn’t occurring, then how do you clarify a international truck within the car parking zone of a manufacturing facility that was owned by Mitsubishi? Yeah, precisely. You’ve bought nothing as a result of my concept is the one one which is sensible.