Sandy Monroe and Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe Talk R1T

[ja_kub_sz]

What Sandy does, is definitely better then how Sandy comes across in videos like these. I see the value of that more then I enjoy watching him and his initial commentary.

He's in line with a lot of other car review/YouTube personalities, but unlike most he actually does significant work regarding the vehicles he's interested in.

Overall I enjoyed it... Good, but not great.

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[crashmtb]

What Sandy does, is definitely better then how Sandy comes across in videos like these. I see the value of that more then I enjoy watching him and his initial commentary.

He's in line with a lot of other car review/YouTube personalities, but unlike most he actually does significant work regarding the vehicles he's interested in.

Overall I enjoyed it... Good, but not great.

The YouTube thing is a promotional tool for them. People who complain about his delivery probably also complain that the owner of the local Hyundai/Buick/mahindra multi franchise dealership sounds like they’re reading straight from the script in their tv spots.

 

[RWerksman]

Sandy is always boring. Test drives and demos are not his forte. The best thing he does with every vehicle is a complete tear down giving us so much info about how they are made and how they work. I’m no engineer but I am always interested in that.

Concur. The main draw isn't the man and his charisma it's what he does and tremendous amount of experience and thoughtfulness behind it. He and his team are tearing down a Plaid right now and their analysis about it is really, really fascinating.

Additionally, past videos about stuff as simple (objectively) as the materials used in the battery box and how Chinese companies are investing so heavily in this are almost much watch for anyone who is into EVs.

 

[DuckTruck]

Probably the very new weatherstripping keeping it from an easy close. I think it is supposed to be watertight.

From my recollection, as long as you're using two hands, it works fine. One-handed, firmly, might work from the center, but not from one side. It was nice to get clarification about the one-way drain plugs front and rear. I thought someone would pointed out that the if the gate is up and locked, the spare-well can't be opened, but maybe it was obvious to Sandy.

 

[DuckTruck]

j

I don't recall hearing that the gear guard could tell the difference between human and non-human things to activate. Hope you can disable that as an option, because I spend a lot of time in places where I would love to capture a vid of any wildlife that strolls by my truck. Then again, it also gives me an idea for how I can "borrow" one of your trucks so I don't have to wait another year for my max pack. I promise I'll return it just as soon as mine arrives.

Sweet Jesus! Please tell me you get to be in the front half of that outfit! ?

 

[Engi_Nerd]

Sandy is way past his prime and his "expert commentary" is painful. Lost his last shred of credibility when he got out of the truck and lamented the lack of yoke. Give me a break! Also as much fun as it is to watch the awkwardness, him directly talking about competing products to the CEO of a company that's trying to claw it's way into existence is about as far from business proper as you can get. Would have been better to just discuss features instead. His coverage focuses nearly entirely on how manufacturers can reduce costs and optimize for DFM, which is why he is such a Tesla shill. Guy needs to retire.

 

[electruck]

His coverage focuses nearly entirely on how manufacturers can reduce costs and optimize for DFM

You do realize that is precisely the mission statement of Sandy's company, Munro & Associates, right? His intent isn't to provide Doug DeMuro style car reviews.

Munro & Associates

Sandy Munro
Chief Executive Officer

Sandy Munro is a hands-on, self-made American businessman and owner of Munro & Associates, Inc. He is known as an extraordinary innovator and famous for his Lean Design® methodology, which has helped many major OEM’s catapult their products to market domination.
Following the advice of his mentor, Dr. Edward Deming, Sandy left Ford and founded Munro & Associates, Inc. in 1988. He then began traveling the globe proclaiming the fundamental importance of “design-first” thinking. In his 50+ years of experience as a blunt and honest critic of product design, he has impacted products in different industries around the world.
His first major success came while still working with Ford Motor Company on the Ford Taurus. Sandy was given the opportunity to deploy his new design methodologies on the Ford Taurus, which was transformed into a high value, high return on investment vehicle. So impressed with the results, Ford deployed the process on all new vehicle development programs. In five short years, Ford closed the market share gap to rival General Motors by a whopping 50 percent.
Upon leaving Ford, Sandy continued this momentum. He branched out on his own working with FMC Corporation and Ingersoll Rand, where he regularly delivered 30 to 50 percent product cost reductions while improving Quality and Customer Value. Coaxed back into automotive by GM, Sandy and his Team helped turn around the Camaro / Firebird. After two years of intensive top management coaching and product design team workshops, the Munro Team saved the F-car from extinction while helping GM move toward higher quality at less cost.
On the other side of the pond, BMW’s Rover Group President hired Munro to interject lean principles and cost discipline into the Range Rover Discovery and Defender. The first leg of improvements saw the Range Rover 4×4 jump from 53rd to 8th position in the J.D. Power comparison publication. This remarkable accomplishment was achieved in 16 months. The BMW Mini was no exception. It too was in trouble, running late to market and over budget. Munro led the charge and when completed, Rover VP Nick Stephenson praised Munro’s input as “invaluable” for getting the Mini into production with high value and quality.
The same was true for Club Car’s new golf car called the “Precedent.” This was a Munro turnkey project from concept to full production. Sandy and the Munro team developed the new Club Car Precedent into a vehicle loaded with innovation and performance. The golf car was so popular, and the demand so significant that customers willingly paid over the list price. In its launch year, Club Car captured a dominating 80 percent of the market share.
Sandy has a voracious appetite for technology, as he knows all too well how new technology can send the competition back to “zero.” In the world of product design, matching the competition is survival, not leadership. When helping his clients, Sandy is laser-focused on eclipsing the competition with a market-dominating product. Whether it be carbon fiber, micro-machines, electric motors or batteries, high-speed machining, pultrusions, etc. Sandy has always led the way. Electric vehicles, whether they have four, three, or two wheels, are no exception.
When Ken Baker started the GM’s EV1, Sandy and the Munro Team were there to help GM hit all their targets. Since the early ’90s, Sandy has assessed and analyzed every EV with potential; the BMWi3, Toyota Prius, Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt and Bolt, and the Tesla Model S, X, 3, and Y. Sandy and his Team have dissected them all. His wealth of EV knowledge is unmatched, as evidenced by his YouTube channel, MunroLive. Sandy speaks openly about products and technologies and renders his opinions of what is ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong.’ His entertaining yet informative approach has landed him 100,000 subscribers and millions of impressions in only eight months. Even Elon Musk has praised Sandy’s candid but even-handed criticism.
Munro’s reach extends well beyond automotive into medical, heavy industry, defense, commercial goods, ships, and aircraft. Simply put, there is not an industry or technology “from a Barbie to the Space Station” that did not or cannot benefit from Sandy’s Lean Design® philosophies. Whether it is medical cabinets, hospital beds, infusion pumps, or aircraft like the Boeing 777 and 787, the Munro process repeatedly delivers an innovative, high-quality product at a lower cost not previously achievable.
Known as a straight-shooting product design prognosticator, Sandy is not a “good news Consultant.” Evangelical in spreading the gospel of paradigm shifts, concurrent engineering, and innovation, he is a frequent speaker, advisor, and influencer to some of the worlds’ top executives on implementing cultural change. He has chaired and spoken at numerous engineering conferences and symposia across North America and the World.
Sandy has lectured at Stanford, Purdue, University of Michigan, University of Rhode Island, LTU, and other universities in the USA, England, Japan, Korea, and China. He was selected as a Leader and Innovator Honoree from Lawrence Technological University and is the NASA Chairman of the Michigan Small Aircraft Transportation System (MI SATS), a board member for NCAM (National Council for Air Mobility), a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, Society of Manufacturing Engineers and the Engineering Society of Detroit.

 

[AdamsFan1983]

Sandy is way past his prime and his "expert commentary" is a painful. Lost his last shred of credibility when he got out of the truck and lamented the lack of yoke. Give me a break! Also as much fun as it is to watch the awkwardness, him directly talking about competing products to the CEO of a company that's trying to claw it's way into existence is about as far from business proper as you can get. Would have been better to just discuss features instead. His coverage focuses nearly entirely on how manufacturers can reduce costs and optimize for DFM, which is why he is such a Tesla shill. Guy needs to retire.

FORUM LAST 8 MONTHS: "Woe is us, they're probably going to increase the price and production is soooo slow. Where's my truck?"

FORUM NOW: "This is so awkward, look at this Tesla shill that only talks about reducing costs and optimizing production."


Sigh.............

 

[Engi_Nerd]

You do realize that is precisely the mission statement of Sandy's company, Munro & Associates, right? His intent isn't to provide Doug DeMuro style car reviews.

Munro & Associates

Uh....yeah? I think it's pretty obvious that Munro is in the business of pulling things apart and selling the findings and their observations to competitors. This is not amazingly hard or inspired work. It's easy to take pot shots when you are ignorant to all the pressures engineers at OEMs face, such as supplier lead time, integration with other IPTs, bean-counter backlash, etc.

My general frustration with his Youtube channel is that CONSUMERS are watching these videos and thinking Sandy's praise in any way translates to a better product for them. It doesn't. It is simply maximizing the manufacturer's profit. Sandy holds Tesla's heat pump implementation up as the gold standard because it VASTLY simplifies part count, however it has been a pretty problematic system for a large number of owners since it's release. People on Tesla forums are similarly super excited about getting giant cast components in upcoming models but it doesn't actually provide any ownership benefit. Tesla has yet to pass any cost savings on to the customer and if anything, there is some degree of inherent long term risk getting a vehicle that uses these new super castable alloys.

 

[electruck]

Uh....yeah? I think it's pretty obvious that Munro is in the business of pulling things apart and selling the findings and their observations to competitors. This is not amazingly hard or inspired work. It's easy to take pot shots when you are ignorant to all the pressures engineers at OEMs face, such as supplier lead time, integration with other IPTs, bean-counter backlash, etc.

My general frustration with his Youtube channel is that CONSUMERS are watching these videos and thinking Sandy's praise in any way translates to a better product for them. It doesn't. It is simply maximizing the manufacturer's profit. Sandy holds Tesla's heat pump implementation up as the gold standard because it VASTLY simplifies part count, however it has been a pretty problematic system for a large number of owners since it's release. People on Tesla forums are similarly super excited about getting giant cast components in upcoming models but it doesn't actually provide any ownership benefit. Tesla has yet to pass any cost savings on to the customer and if anything, there is some degree of inherent long term risk getting a vehicle that uses these new super castable alloys.

Fair enough. Your previous post seemed to suggest a level of surprise at Munro's focus.

Unfortunately, not everyone can be an expert in everything (and, frankly, the world contains more than a few idiots) and this is far from the only source of information for which a sizable chunk of the population may not be competent to fully understand the implications. The last 2 years serve as a high profile testament to that. However, the solution to that problem is not to hide any information from which people may draw incorrect conclusions.

And Sandy isn't ignorant of the pressures, he's lived them and speaks to them frequently in his videos.

As to the excitement of the Tesla folks, I find that audience to be full of tech geeks (I myself fall into this category although I'm not really a Tesla fan) who are excited about simply being able to buy cutting edge tech. For them, it's part of the thrill of buying Tesla. Some understand the associated risks better than others. And for many of them, they benefit if Tesla is successful and profitable and continues to churn out new cutting edge products that they can continue to geek out over.

 

[crashmtb]

Uh....yeah? I think it's pretty obvious that Munro is in the business of pulling things apart and selling the findings and their observations to competitors. This is not amazingly hard or inspired work. It's easy to take pot shots when you are ignorant to all the pressures engineers at OEMs face, such as supplier lead time, integration with other IPTs, bean-counter backlash, etc.

My general frustration with his Youtube channel is that CONSUMERS are watching these videos and thinking Sandy's praise in any way translates to a better product for them. It doesn't. It is simply maximizing the manufacturer's profit. Sandy holds Tesla's heat pump implementation up as the gold standard because it VASTLY simplifies part count, however it has been a pretty problematic system for a large number of owners since it's release. People on Tesla forums are similarly super excited about getting giant cast components in upcoming models but it doesn't actually provide any ownership benefit. Tesla has yet to pass any cost savings on to the customer and if anything, there is some degree of inherent long term risk getting a vehicle that uses these new super castable alloys.

Given Rivian’s focus on sustainability/reducing environmental impact, hopefully they’ve focused more on repair/serviceability than Tesla has.

then again I’ve argued serviceability with engineers and got “why would I ever have to take it apart?“ ?

 

[SeaGeo]

Uh....yeah? I think it's pretty obvious that Munro is in the business of pulling things apart and selling the findings and their observations to competitors. This is not amazingly hard or inspired work. It's easy to take pot shots when you are ignorant to all the pressures engineers at OEMs face, such as supplier lead time, integration with other IPTs, bean-counter backlash, etc.

My general frustration with his Youtube channel is that CONSUMERS are watching these videos and thinking Sandy's praise in any way translates to a better product for them. It doesn't. It is simply maximizing the manufacturer's profit. Sandy holds Tesla's heat pump implementation up as the gold standard because it VASTLY simplifies part count, however it has been a pretty problematic system for a large number of owners since it's release. People on Tesla forums are similarly super excited about getting giant cast components in upcoming models but it doesn't actually provide any ownership benefit. Tesla has yet to pass any cost savings on to the customer and if anything, there is some degree of inherent long term risk getting a vehicle that uses these new super castable alloys.

Totally agree. Sandy will criticize design decisions as "bad" because they don't do what his priorities are. Frequently that will align with consumer and brand goals, but there are plenty of times it doesn't. A manufacturer may make a product more comicsted to build at the factory because it allows for repair in the future. Or it simply functions better. Plenty to learn from about vehicles when he's pulling them apart, but people really need to keep in mind that they are not the target market for what he is doing.

 

[Gabe1aron]

Haven't watched this video yet and will get to it when I am really bored, but in all seriousness anything in this video that we did not know about that is interesting or exciting?

Personally, the timing of this video feels more like a 'throw the dog a bone' type of act that Rivian has become very good at.

This!

 

[mini2nut]

I also watched the entire video. I was impressed at how well the CEO knew the details of the R1T.

The takeaway for me was the CEO naming exactly what parts are holding up production. He mentioned a composite part of the bed and a plastic trim piece. I think he mentioned that Rivian R1T uses over 300 suppliers to deliver parts. He also mentioned that Rivian is suffering from the computer chip shortage like everyone else. The situation will probably continue for the next 2-3 years.

 

[zefram47]

Lost his last shred of credibility when he got out of the truck and lamented the lack of yoke. Give me a break!

Seriously. If they put a yoke in the Rivian, I'm asking for my deposit back.

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