Rivian’s Sales Approach

[MidnightRun]

I’ve been to the Rivian SC twice to test drive a Gen 1 R1S and most recently a Gen 2 R1S.

Maybe I’m not used to the direct to consumer model for buying a vehicle, but both times I came away thinking I wonder how many more units Rivian would sell if they had a solid sales staff and strategy.

The pros of the experience are that you get a 25 minute test drive to really drive and experience the car, which is more than most new car dealers.

The cons are pretty much everything else. You’re simply expected to know everything about the car. The only question I was asked both times is if I’ve ever driven an EV before. I wasn’t given an overview of the car I was driving.

Oddly the person who walks you to the car and hands you the keys isn’t readily available when you come back. I suspected the R1S we drove has standard audio which was poor but I was unable to confirm Rivian team on site.

My wife was trying to figure out how to get the R1S into kneel mode so she could see how much it helped her feeling like she doesn’t have to climb into the car, but with no one available to help, we gave up.

I understand some folks buy sight unseen. Others might be heavily influenced by marketing or social media influencers. Others buy based on a personal recommendation.

What role did the SC test drive play in your buying decision?

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[Hereforthesnacks]

The folks at the local SC advised folks not to get one. Lol. Bizarre to hear as a shareholder.

 

[MidnightRun]

The folks at the local SC advised folks not to get one. Lol. Bizarre to hear as a shareholder.

That happened to me when I went to test drive the Gen 1 RS at the Dallas SC. The girl literally told me, I don’t think Rivian can meet your service and reliability expectations after I asked a few questions about how Rivian handles major issues given I come from a top notch Lexus service experience for the last 15 years.

I have two decades of experience in Sales and Marketing for a Fortune 10 company, so it’s sometimes cringeworthy to see how little effort they are putting into that part of the process.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

That happened to me when I went to test drive the Gen 1 RS at the Dallas SC. The girl literally told me, I don’t think Rivian can meet your service and reliability expectations after I asked a few questions about how Rivian handles major issues given I come from a top notch Lexus service experience for the last 15 years.

I have two decades of experience in Sales and Marketing for a Fortune 10 company, so it’s sometimes cringeworthy to see how little effort they are putting into that part of the process.

Craziness man. They can be fair and transparent without telling you to go away!

 

[PaythePiper]

I was cross shopping a Lexus GX550. I can totally see what you mean. The service difference in sales is wide. However for me, I always know more about the car than my salesman. Always. And that goes back many years. And as the internet has become more prevelant, that is your salesman. The internet.

I love the no pressure model. But I can see how that can deter sales

 

[MidnightRun]

I was cross shopping a Lexus GX550. I can totally see what you mean. The service difference in sales is wide. However for me, I always know more about the car than my salesman. Always. And that goes back many years. And as the internet has become more prevelant, that is your salesman. The internet.

I love the no pressure model. But I can see how that can deter sales

I’m also cross shopping the GX550. I’m actually on the waitlist for a Luxury+.

I didn’t like the very tame and short test drive with the GX, but my salesperson was pretty knowledgeable and helpful. Like you, I’ve almost always known more about the car than the salesperson. That said, I think in most situations, the salesperson should have a list of quick hits that every potential owner should know. Even better, a list of questions to find out how the vehicle could fit into a customer’s needs.

We’ll probably end up with an R1S, Model X, or GX. My wife’s preference is:

Model X (Plaid)
R1S
GX

My Order:

R1S
Model X
GX

As much as I love the feel of EVs (we’ve never owned one), I have a feeling that if Lexus calls with our preferred spec, that’ll be the smart move for our family SUV.

I don’t know that I trust the Model X doors long term, though they seem like a great fit because we have a 1 and 3 year old.

The R1S seems like a huge gamble if it ends up in service a lot, as based on where Rivian is today, it would seriously inconvenience our family.

We’ll see what happens. My wife will just be happy when we have a new family car. lol.

 

[COdogman]

The “Spaces” they are adding in bigger cities are designed for product knowledge and a better sales experience. It’s basically a showroom and you can do test drives from there. The staff are knowledgeable and able to spend more time with you than people at a service center which end up being the delivery specialists or service advisors.

I’m glad they are being honest with people who expect the experience to be like a Lexus. If they didn’t say that and one of those people purchased a Rivian, they would fill this forum with clueless complaints because they “didn’t know” Rivian isn’t Lexus…..

 

[MidnightRun]

The “Spaces” they are adding in bigger cities are designed for product knowledge and a better sales experience. It’s basically a showroom and you can do test drives from there. The staff are knowledgeable and able to spend more time with you than people at a service center which end up being the delivery specialists or service advisors.

I’m glad they are being honest with people who expect the experience to be like a Lexus. If they didn’t say that and one of those people purchased a Rivian, they would fill this forum with clueless complaints because they “didn’t know” Rivian isn’t Lexus…..

The Spaces point is a very good one. I think that’s why my experience at Tesla and Lucid felt a step above what Rivian is currently doing at their SC.

I do think it would be in Rivian’s best interest to attempt to replicate what they can provide in their Spaces as much as possible in their markets where only SC’a exist.

 

[COdogman]

The Spaces point is a very good one. I think that’s why my experience at Tesla and Lucid felt a step above what Rivian is currently doing at their SC.

I do think it would be in Rivian’s best interest to attempt to replicate what they can provide in their Spaces as much as possible in their markets where only SC’a exist.

Totally agree. In Denver the Space is where they host events like the R2/ 3/ 3XXX in June, plus the local Rivian club meets there occasionally. It’s full of Rivian gear, product samples to help people choose colors, tires, wheels, etc. The staff are great IMO.

I do wish Rivian was improving service as fast as they are opening Spaces around the country though. We are lucky here in CO that we have a great SC in Denver and another in Colorado Springs, but there are so many people frustrated with service right now. That will chase off customers they may not get back.

 

[RivianRiverRat]

My 2 cents - I will never wait on a salesperson to “check with their manager“ and I will never have to spend all day in the dealership signing paperwork or arguing over extended warranties

 

[mkg3]

I never test drove at the SC. Rivian held what I call show and tell event nearby well before my delivery date (probably 10 months earlier than when I took delivery).

The Rivian rep who rode with us in the R1S test drive was one of the local SC techs and he was well knowledgeable about the vehicle. That said, we/I had plenty of time prior to driving it learning and finding our about the vehicle so the event basically confirmed what I'd read or learned about.

I have been buying cars on line since early 2000s using Autobytel, Cars.com and Costco auto program so ordering online direct was what attracted me to Rivian. just as Tesla - our last vehicle purchase prior to Rivian.

Today, unless there is a vehicle that I really, really, really want, I will go out of my way to not buy a vehicle from a dealer. I like the direct sales model far better than dealership model.

Additionally, I am not aware of any dealer that makes house calls - like Tesla and Rivian. My Jaguar dealer used to send a flatbed to pick up the vehicle for service but I had to go get it. Now, unless its something that cannot be done by mobile, I never have to goto the SC.

 

[MidnightRun]

My 2 cents - I will never wait on a salesperson to “check with their manager“ and I will never have to spend all day in the dealership signing paperwork or arguing over extended warranties

I’ve been blessed on my last two Lexus purchases as a fellow Lexus enthusiast worked at a local dealer. He coordinated everything for me and I just showed up, signed, and drove off. No extras. No hassle. I told him the spec I wanted to buy down to wheel and tire swapping that he accommodated for me. I told him my price based on discounts other recent owners were reporting. It was such a breeze.

i did help negotiate a Camry purchase for a family member and that was an entire day headache but I got it done. I can understand how no one looks forward to that.

 

[MidnightRun]

I never test drove at the SC. Rivian held what I call show and tell event nearby well before my delivery date (probably 10 months earlier than when I took delivery).

The Rivian rep who rode with us in the R1S test drive was one of the local SC techs and he was well knowledgeable about the vehicle. That said, we/I had plenty of time prior to driving it learning and finding our about the vehicle so the event basically confirmed what I'd read or learned about.

I have been buying cars on line since early 2000s using Autobytel, Cars.com and Costco auto program so ordering online direct was what attracted me to Rivian. just as Tesla - our last vehicle purchase prior to Rivian.

Today, unless there is a vehicle that I really, really, really want, I will go out of my way to not buy a vehicle from a dealer. I like the direct sales model far better than dealership model.

Additionally, I am not aware of any dealer that makes house calls - like Tesla and Rivian. My Jaguar dealer used to send a flatbed to pick up the vehicle for service but I had to go get it. Now, unless its something that cannot be done by mobile, I never have to goto the SC.

If you buy a car from Sewell here in Dallas, they will drive the loaner to you, pick up your car, then reverse the process when the car is ready. I have never used it, as it’s always been more convenient for me to drop it off and leave with a loaner in 5-10 minutes.

I know Rivian has much to improve. If I buy a Rivian, I need them to succeed just as much as all the other owners and investors.

I’m simply pointing out that if they need to sell more cars, they have room for improvement outside of their Spaces. That’s just my humble opinion.

 

[Bruins06]

I’ve been blessed on my last two Lexus purchases as a fellow Lexus enthusiast worked at a local dealer. He coordinated everything for me and I just showed up, signed, and drove off. No extras. No hassle. I told him the spec I wanted to buy down to wheel and tire swapping that he accommodated for me. I told him my price based on discounts other recent owners were reporting. It was such a breeze.

i did help negotiate a Camry purchase for a family member and that was an entire day headache but I got it done. I can understand how no one looks forward to that.

Your experience with your local Lexus dealer is not the norm, the latter experience helping a family member is the norm. I am so fed up with the sleezy car dealers, ( unwanted forced add ons such has carpet sealers, lo-jack, wheel locks, etc; hours of haggling, bait and switch, attempts to add extra charges when signing the paperwork) never again for me when there's a direct sales alternative.

 

[runwithscissors]

Kneel mode is useless because it's too slow to drop and everyone opens the car door handles before it's ready. It's great to get into but who knows what the wear/tear will be on that long term. Every single person who ever gets into my R1S complains about how hard it is to get in. Rivian should really consider offering SC installed running boards because a lot of people would buy them.

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