“Refresh” prediction

[Picard]

I have a feeling that the refresh will bring the native NACS ports to the R1.

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[ThumprMN]

I just want to know if they will offer steering-wheel-ectomies (replacements) on the R1’s after the new scroll wheel ones roll out on the R2’s. I really think Rivian has something hot on their hands with that tech.design.

 

[Epicloop]

I thought I just read that the Silverado EV pricing and trims were announced with lower pricing and with significantly longer range.

The WT3/4? May be cheaper barely but they are pretty spartan & terribly heavy. I wonder how tread life is going to be.

Clearly their demand is down since they have enough to get them through 3-4 weeks of manufacturing shut down.

Yes demand may be down but they likely overproduced to account for shutdown.

- new steering wheel (okay, I’m dreaming a little)

What's people is people issue with steering wheel?

Existing R1s remain awesome, suffer nothing more than slight depreciation hit that occurs with any refresh of any car. Or maybe even benefit from expanding gear store items and fact that Rivian is in better financial shape. (Which would actually benefit resale value as Rivian becomes viewed as a less risky purchase.)

I would agree with this & limited ed. QM with extra warranty may even become sought after.

Agree on the wheel options. I think they’ll get rid of the 21” wheel and use the 20” wheel and have an AT and AS options offered. The 21” is a problem for them.

Two wheel options would make more sense but I was unaware of issues Rivian was having with 21".

- Bosch gone, now have dual, tri, and quad configs

I am not sure they will have a quad if they get similar results from a more cost effective Tri-m. This further streamlines production.

 

[Zoidz]

Rivian has repeatedly said this shutdown is primarily for manufacturing optimization and efficiency. I refuse to call it a refresh - that's such a vague term but generally implies some visible feature improvements. I don't consider changing the network architecture or heat pump a refresh in the traditional sense. I think if there are any obvious visible feature changes they will come in the form of downgrades to a lower entry price.

Possible feature downgrades - deletes are easy (some of these have been mentioned):
- Return of an Explore level trim - delete camp speaker, delete automated vent controls, delete wood. Maybe deleting or optioning the 120 VAC inverter and inflator, acknowledging that many R1S are suburban mall cruisers and will never use them.
- Wheels - cast, not forged, to lower cost.
- Delete the remaining single horn j/k

What I think will not happen - none of these contribute to lower cost or ease of production:
- NACS
- Electro roof - nice, desired feature, but adds complexity to the build process. This would be more of a true refresh item in conjunction with a new premium trim at higher cost.
- New steering wheel (and no they will not offer an upgrade to the existing R1 in the future - why would they?)

Wild Card possibilities:
- Enduro Tri or Quad replacing Bosch motors
- New cameras, as a "packaged" benefit of the transition to network architecture. Rivian does not design and build this system. It comes from OEMs as an OEM harware/firmware package. And NO there will not be a retrofit option for the cameras.

 

[Glstr]

Rivian has repeatedly said this shutdown is primarily for manufacturing optimization and efficiency. I refuse to call it a refresh - that's such a vague term but generally implies some visible feature improvements. I don't consider changing the network architecture or heat pump a refresh in the traditional sense. I think if there are any obvious visible feature changes they will come in the form of downgrades to a lower entry price.

Possible feature downgrades - deletes are easy (some of these have been mentioned):
- Return of an Explore level trim - delete camp speaker, delete automated vent controls, delete wood. Maybe deleting or optioning the 120 VAC inverter and inflator, acknowledging that many R1S are suburban mall cruisers and will never use them.
- Wheels - cast, not forged, to lower cost.
- Delete the remaining single horn j/k

What I think will not happen - none of these contribute to lower cost or ease of production:
- NACS
- Electro roof - nice, desired feature, but adds complexity to the build process. This would be more of a true refresh item in conjunction with a new premium trim at higher cost.
- New steering wheel (and no they will not offer an upgrade to the existing R1 in the future - why would they?)

Wild Card possibilities:
- Enduro Tri or Quad replacing Bosch motors
- New cameras, as a "packaged" benefit of the transition to network architecture. Rivian does not design and build this system. It comes from OEMs as an OEM harware/firmware package. And NO there will not be a retrofit option for the cameras.

I agree with this almost to the T. I did see someone on Reddit that commented that they had it on good authority that the electro roof thing was coming. Might be a higher trim thing. I think that if they are removing some things and creating more trim options, they will want to make sure they differentiate (and even throw in a bone - otherwise it might just give leave a bad taste for those interesTed but haven’t yet pulled the trigger).

 

[Dark-Fx]

Wild Card possibilities:
- Enduro Tri or Quad replacing Bosch motors

The new motors aren't Enduro, they are Ascent. Have no idea on the content of the packaging at all but just found this updated drive unit lifter kit that exposes the name in a somewhat official capacity.

https://rivianservicetools.com/Catalog/Product/TSN00994-300-B

Some of the other info for these tools exposes that the Ascent front and Ascent rear use different lifting points, which wasn't true for Origin (Bosch) drive units.

 

[ukyank]

Even simple things that require just swapping parts can be meaningful - better cameras, better GPU, etc.

I had a Model Y pre & post GPU change (intel to AMD) & that simple change was a nice upgrade.

 

[edman007]

I am not sure they will have a quad if they get similar results from a more cost effective Tri-m. This further streamlines production.

Tri may be more cost effective, but I think they still keep quad, it's kind of Rivians major thing they do better at. I bet they do an ultra premium trim that's more expensive, so Quad becomes a $120k truck. All these rumors of 1000hp, I think you need quad to really get there. Tri will replace quad in it's current price bracket, with dual really being extra cheap (but lacking many of the premium options).

 

[Glstr]

Two wheel options would make more sense but I was unaware of issues Rivian was having with 21".

The wheel and tire aren’t a problem physically or structurally. It’s more that there is only a single tire option and it’s pretty pricey. The 20” and 22” are more common and there are more options. So it’s a problem if anyone has an urgent replacement need. Also with only 1 manufacturer that makes that size probably isn’t good for them in terms of price negotiation.

I have read that many that choose the 21” wheel option regret it. Just take a look at the classifieds here. 20” wheels go quick and there are quite a few 21” available.

 

[JayinNJ]

Prediction:
- Pricing generally similar, a bit more of a spread
- new wheel options (including style shown on R2)
- slightly revised light bar
- slightly revised mirrors
- new steering wheel (okay, I’m dreaming a little)
- heat pump
- electrochromic roof available as part of extra pricey interior
- camp speaker improved but only included with pricier trim(s)
- weight loss of 100 lbs or more
- improved UX display graphics
- slightly better efficiency and range all around
- stereo changed. Some people insist it’s better, others will declare it totally sucks.
- other trim changes that will lead to heated arguments that are fun to follow.
- lower cost to build.

From this, Rivian makes a small gross profit on each car sold.

Existing R1s remain awesome, suffer nothing more than slight depreciation hit that occurs with any refresh of any car. Or maybe even benefit from expanding gear store items and fact that Rivian is in better financial shape. (Which would actually benefit resale value as Rivian becomes viewed as a less risky purchase.)

They are improving manufacturing processes and design to lower costs. So unless the item on your list lowers the costs to manufacturer, then it won't happen. This is a cost reduction effort. No increased options. It's not a refresh.

 

[narmstrong79]

They are improving manufacturing processes and design to lower costs. So unless the item on your list lowers the costs to manufacturer, then it won't happen. This is a cost reduction effort. No increased options. It's not a refresh.

Agreed, I could see them adding to the line and manufacturing process and employee training for the tri-motor, and removing things like the camp speaker, which i find gimmicky anyhow, the chrome trim on R1S, little things like that .
The factory is basically such down for a LEAN event. I think people are looking way too into the term "refresh" I ordered mine knowing the shutdown was coming (it left the factory the other day i guess) and am not worried about missing out on anything. I'm planning that this is my long term vehicle (it's my first "luxury" vehicle)

 

[hilld]

I would hope that they switch the port to NACS as a cost cutting measure. Not perhaps for the actual savings of a NACS vs CCS1 port, but that way they don't have to ship out adapters at $200 (each or whatever they are paying for them). One way to simplify this, but yes, they would now have to modify all of their service center and RAN cables to accommodate both, but since this planned for 2025, might as well rip off the bandaid now.

 

[JayinNJ]

I would hope that they switch the port to NACS as a cost cutting measure. Not perhaps for the actual savings of a NACS vs CCS1 port, but that way they don't have to ship out adapters at $200 (each or whatever they are paying for them). One way to simplify this, but yes, they would now have to modify all of their service center and RAN cables to accommodate both, but since this planned for 2025, might as well rip off the bandaid now.

Very doubtful. They already announced a timeline for NACS port change. I don't thing they are changing things on the fly, and this shutdown has been planned out for a long time.

 

[moosetags]

I could foresee the production of the original Explore version which they nixed at the last minute when R1T production began. At that point, the Explore version stickered at $5,000 less than the Adventure version. This was prior to the R1S entering the picture.

I would also love to see them go to the NACS charge inlet as part of the R1 refresh. it would show that they would want to be around for a while.

Brian

 

[Dark-Fx]

They are improving manufacturing processes and design to lower costs. So unless the item on your list lowers the costs to manufacturer, then it won't happen. This is a cost reduction effort. No increased options. It's not a refresh.

Cost reduction is always a good time to introduce more stuff. Get people excited about something they want while reducing your costs to manufacturer. Win-win.

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