- Press -

Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive Inc. appears to be eyeing a showroom in the heart of Nashville’s tourism district.

The California-based company would take over the retail space currently held by clothing store Travis Austin on the first floor of the Fifth + Broadway development, according to a newly filed permit.

It’s unclear when the retail space will open. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment on the new location.

Founded in 2009, Rivian (Nasdaq: RIVN) designs, develops, manufactures and supports electric trucks, SUVs and commercial vehicles. The company had more than $1.6 billion in revenue last year.

In March, another electric vehicle company, Polestar, filed a permit for a retail space in the Gulch at 1222 Demonbreun St.

The arrival of the showrooms is another sign of the prominence of electric vehicles in Middle Tennessee — where two automakers are producing electric vehicles and others are plowing billions of dollars into battery factories and other supply-chain plants.

Statewide, electric vehicles are surging: There were 16,300 registered in Tennessee as ofmid-2022, a leap of 10,000 in two years.