Alva Review-Courier -

NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — Thousands of people attended an event to see prototypes of electric vehicles a central Illinois startup plans to create, an effort that already has the backing of officials through promised tax breaks and incentives.

Rivian Automotive held a public event Sunday to show the community of Normal and elected officials three vehicles it plans to begin creating at the former Mitsubishi plant, which the startup bought in 2017 two years after it closed.

The factory, which has already hired 200 employees, is expected to have more than 1,000 by the time the startup's vehicles hit the...