Electric truck startup Rivian has been up to a ton lately as they work on ramping up production. Their new R1T pickup and R1S SUV are starting to hit the streets more, and they’ve got big plans for new models coming soon.
Rivian’s Sales Are Picking Up Speed
Rivian just had a killer quarter for deliveries! From January to July they registered over 18,000 new R1T and R1S trucks, making up almost 3% of the total EV market in the US. Over 10,000 of those were the R1S SUV, showing that’s the more popular model so far.
The R1T did get beat by the Ford F-150 Lightning in sales, but that’s cause Ford dropped prices by up to $10k. Even so, Rivian is crushing other startups like Lucid and VinFast in deliveries this year. Things are looking good as their production gets more efficient too!
An Affordable Rivian SUV Is Coming in 2024
Rivian’s got a new SUV called the R2 in the works that will be smaller and more affordable than their current R1 models. CEO RJ Scaringe said it’ll launch in 2024 with a price between $40k – $60k.
They’re redesigning it to cut costs while keeping the cool tech and styling Rivians are known for. It’ll likely have around 300 miles of range and hopefully faster charging. It might even qualify for the full $7,500 tax credit unlike the R1s and R1t.
Overall it sounds like the R2 will be Rivian’s Model 3, aiming at higher volume sales. It could be a real turning point to make them more mainstream. Exciting times ahead!
Other Updates: Leasing, Dual Motors, and More
Beyond the new R2, Rivian has some other big stuff in the pipeline:
- They might offer leasing soon, which would make the tax credit way more usable
- Next-gen R2 details are coming in early 2023
- Their last OTA update even improved ride quality out of the blue!
- New dual motor options still perform great and cost less
- The troublesome powered tonneau cover could finally be fixed in 2024
Rivian’s got a ton going on as they work to ramp up. The R1 trucks are selling well, new models are in the works, and constant software updates make the vehicles better over time. Exciting times for sure! I can’t wait to see Rivians become more common on the roads.
