The Volkswagen Group sold more cars in Poland in just five months this year than Rivian sold globally throughout the whole of 2023.

The American EV start-up lost the equivalent of £1.16 billion in the first quarter, while the German giant made a profit of £3.9bn.

Rivian’s stumbles to create a credible car company have already knocked out one prominent investor in Ford, but that hasn’t stopped Volkswagen agreeing to invest $5 billion.