#RivianR1S
Rivian R2 Specs Surface Ahead of March 7 Reveal
Upstart automaker Rivian has had its ups and downs, but buyers have pretty consistently rated it highly for satisfaction. Though the company’s first two vehicles, the R1T pickup and R1S SUV, are expensive, high-end EVs, Rivian has announced smaller models riding on a new R2 platform. The first, a lower-cost electric SUV, is expected to be revealed on March 7, but we’re getting a sneak peek at the specs and pricing thanks to the internet sleuths on X/Twitter.
Report: Rivian to Lay Off 10 Percent of Its Workforce
Rivian customers love their vehicles and the brand, helping it achieve a top spot among premium brand owner satisfaction, but that hasn’t saved the automaker from an overall EV market that has grown less enthusiastically than hoped. The company recently announced that it would lay off 10 percent of its workforce, citing slower-than-expected sales and rising interest rates as being significant headwinds.
Consumer Reports Didn't Like the R1S But Finds Rivian As Most-Loved Auto Brand
I review cars online and on the radio, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in almost a decade of doing it is that, car reviewers are often at odds with the people who actually buy and own the vehicles. Spending a week or a few days on a first drive event are great ways to get a feel for how a car performs and get a handle on its basic features, but living with a vehicle reveals so much more.
That’s the case with Rivian, which recently landed atop Consumer Reports’ list of most-loved auto brands, despite the publication listing the R1S as one of its least favorite test vehicles of 2023.
Rivian CFO: Company Plans Simpler, Cheaper Battery Configurations
Rivian’s truck and SUV are two of the more compelling EV options on sale now, but the automaker wants to streamline its operations to increase volume and reduce costs. Company CFO Claire McDonough recently shed some light on how Rivian plans to get there.
Rumor: Rivian Readying Wheelie-Popping Performance Variant
It’s easy to complain about the rise of more boring electric SUVs and family haulers, but electrification has opened a new world of performance for even the most mundane-looking vehicles. That’s how we get pickup trucks that can run to 60 mph in under three seconds and family SUVs with similar specs. Rivian’s pickup and SUV both offer staggering acceleration and performance numbers and according to a new rumor on the Rivian Forum, it’s got more to give.
Rivian Boosts Ride Quality With New Software Update
Automakers can work wonders with over-the-air software (OTA) updates, from increasing EVs’ range to adding new infotainment features and safety tech. Rivian’s recent software update improved its vehicles’ ride quality and ride height settings, showing that OTAs can deliver meaningful hardware updates without a tech ever touching the vehicle.
Rivian to Use In-House Motors to Power Speedier Production
Rivian has seen incredible demand for its R1T pickup and R1S SUV but has struggled to keep pace with production and supply chain issues. Some of the slowdowns relate to Rivian’s use of Bosch electric motors, which require hard-to-get chips, but the automaker now has a plan to use its in-house-developed Enduro motors to speed the process.
Rivian Considering Relocating Engineering Teams to Streamline Production Efforts
All good things come to an end eventually. For many Rivian employees, their remote office locations could soon be rolled into the company’s main office in a significant reorganization effort. Automotive News reported that the automaker seeks to streamline its engineering and production operations, which could require many employees to relocate to one of its locations.
Rivian OTA Brings Better Range and Cool Winter Weather Features for R1S and R1T
Over-the-air (OTA) updates have made it relatively easy for automakers to add new vehicle features and improve or fix existing functions. The technology is especially impressive with EVs, where companies can make tweaks that impact major vehicle characteristics like range and performance. With its most recent OTA, Rivian made significant improvements to the R1S and R1T, making them more efficient and friendlier for people living where the air hurts their faces in winter.
Rivian Receiving $1.5 Billion Incentive Package from Georgia
Rivian Automotive Inc, purveyor of the all-electric R1T and R1S, will receive $1.5 billion in incentives from state and local governments to build a new manufacturing facility in Georgia. Eager to become home to the company’s planned $5 billion assembly plant, the state is offering a comprehensive incentive package that includes tax breaks. The government has a few stipulations, however.
Under the new agreement, Rivian’s factory would be required to produce 7,500 jobs and its existing investment target by 2028 to receive the full $1.5 billion. That includes a sizable battery production site and may explain why the state is offering up the largest corporate incentivization package in its history.
Rivian Confirms Production Delayed Until Next Summer
On Friday, electric vehicle startup Rivian said it expects to commence deliveries of its all-electric pickup and crossovers next summer — placing the company roughly 6 months behind schedule.
However, before we crap on the company for being another novice EV company that can’t hack it, it should be said that product delays are quickly becoming the norm within the industry. This postponement may be indicative of nothing more than Rivian confronting the same hardships experienced by practically every other automaker in operation — though cash should not be among them.
The company said in April to expect adjustments to its delivery timeline as it tackled issues stemming from the pandemic while prepping the former Diamond-Star Motors/Mitsubishi plant in Normal, IL.
Buyers Waiting on a Rivian Will Have to Wait a Little Longer
Rivian, the future builder of powerful electric pickups and SUVs (and secret parent to an upcoming Lincoln), hoped to have the first of its production models in buyers’ hands before the end of the year. Both the R1T pickup and R1S SUV were on track to roll out of the fledgling automaker’s Normal, Illinois assembly plant in the second half of 2020, reaching consumers just before New Year’s Eve (R1T) and not long after (R1S).
Well, that schedule’s seen a bit of tweaking. Care to hazard a guess why?
Rivian: Not Quite As Expensive As First Thought
Despite offering a choice of battery sizes, Rivian’s R1T pickup, scheduled for production late this year, was not revealed under a banner of affordable green motoring. Nor was the R1S SUV that followed it. The Michigan-based startup’s first vehicles instead wowed onlookers with their tech prowess and capability — four hub motors, an innovative platform, and a maximum range of 400 miles — and prices that were fairly comparable with existing high-zoot pickups and SUVs.
Carrying a starting price of $69,000 at its debut, the R1T is now said to be in line for a price drop. Same goes for the R1S.
Rivian to Go the Subscription Route?
Rivian, the Michigan-based startup that aims to get electric pickups and SUVs into the hands of consumers starting late next year, may choose a controversial avenue to ownership.
The automaker’s CEO, RJ Scaringe, claims the automaker is seriously thinking about offering a subscription service when it begins rolling out vehicles from its Normal, Illinois assembly plant in 2020. Without a dealer network, Rivian’s plan was always to send vehicles directly to buyers, no doubt earning it the ire of dealer groups country-wide.
GM-Rivian Talks Break Down, but Rivian Doesn't Seem Worried
General Motors has been negotiating with Rivian, the Michigan-based company developing some of the slickest EVs we’ve seen in a while, over the possibility of purchasing an equity stake in the promising startup. Following news that Amazon was leading a $700 million round of funding in Rivian in February, reports came streaming in that the biggest of The Big Three would likely become the startup’s next backer.
The rumored deal was expected to result in GM bringing an electric pickup to market sooner than anticipated, with Rivian seeing a boost to its funds and manufacturing capabilities. However, talks don’t appear to have progressed as expected.
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