Volkswagen-Rivian deal: How VW’s $5 billion bet on EV maker came about

SAN FRANCISCO/BERLIN, June 27 (Reuters) – A few camouflaged Audis arrived secretly from Germany early this year at a facility of electric-vehicle maker Rivian (RIVN.O), opens new tab in California, where some 30 engineers stripped the electronics and fitted them with the U.S. startup’s harnesses and modules.

Intense testing followed at the Palo Alto, California, facility. The tests concerned how the U.S. startup’s architecture and software – which control virtually every function – would work in the German cars.