Tesla loses Cybercab assembly lead to Rivian R2 weeks after launch

Jody Kerns, Tesla's Senior Manager of Cybercab General Assembly at Gigafactory Texas, is leaving to become Rivian's Director of General Assembly for the R2 in Normal, Illinois. He is the second Cybercab launch leader to depart Tesla this year, after NPI head Michael So left in April 2026.

• Kerns ran Cybercab final assembly from February 2026 through commercial launch
• He spent 14 years at Volkswagen of America, managing about 1,200 people
• Rivian built 19,751 vehicles in Q3 and keeps 2026 guidance at 65,000–70,000
• Commercial Cybercab rides began in Austin on September 3; NHTSA demanded safety proof