Less than 2 years after Charlotte expansion, UK manufacturer details layoff plans
Electric vehicle maker Arrival is laying off several dozen workers in Charlotte.
They layoffs are part of company-wide restructuring, Arrival spokeswoman Rana Khatun told The Charlotte Observer in a statement Thursday. Layoffs are for 35 people, Khatun said, bringing the total number of Arrival employees in the city down to 60.
Khatun did not specify when the layoffs would take effect in Charlotte.
Arrival said in a news release last month that a “challenging economic environment” could result in cutting up to 30% of its global workforce, among other changes. In its second quarter earnings presentation, officials cited supply chain issues and rising costs as economic headwinds.
Founded in 2015, Arrival manufactures electric buses and vans. The London-based company had announced it was expanding to the Charlotte area in 2020, when it also picked the city for its North American headquarters.
In March 2021, the company announced another local expansion with plans for a microfactory in West Charlotte, ultimately creating 250 jobs.
And last December, Arrival announced its third location here, a battery module production facility off Yorkmont Road, with plans to add 150 more jobs.
At the time, it meant that when the expansion was complete in all four locations, Arrival would have more than 800 employees in the region.
Arrival is still committed to launching and producing its vehicles in the area, according to Khatun. “We do also want to reiterate that the US and Charlotte remain a key market to us,” she said.
