Forbes: Rivian’s Happy Predicament: R1S SUV Demand Surges But Wait Can Be Long

[Count Orlok]

"Consumers seriously eying Rivian as Tesla alternative"


Rivian’s Happy Predicament: R1S SUV Demand Surges But Wait Can Be Long

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[COdogman]

The author says the R1S and R1T are the top alternatives being considered by current Tesla owners, but then says the S costs $28k more than the 3rd choice Lightning. ??‍

 

[moosetags]

When you factor in all of the variables, the R1S is a better deal than the Lightning. The Ford dealers are charging a giant upcharge.

Brian

 

[Florida Panhandler]

Still waiting. R1S ordered Oct. 2021. Pre-IPO pricing. Far from any Rivian Center In Florida. My daily sightings of RivIans is increasing by the week. I suppose some happy owners in my area may be buying on Cars and Bids or other outlets in order to obtain one here in my locale which is evidently a non-priority for Rivian.

 

[Chewy734]

It’s definitely a good sign. Now, they just have to improve the wait times at the SC.

 

[goldburger]

 

[SANZC02]

The author says the R1S and R1T are the top alternatives being considered by current Tesla owners, but then says the S costs $28k more than the 3rd choice Lightning. ??‍

Not uncommon for articles to compare vastly different vehicles as if they are comparable. The 50k is the base with 240 miles of range. They really should compare to the Lariat at the minimum at 70k with no options which is much more comparable but only 240 miles. The dual motor R1S standard pack is 78k so 8 k more for 260 mile range.

You need to add large battery to get to 320 on the Lightening and that puts it at 78k. The Dual Large pack is 6k more at 84k with 340 miles range.

Of course that is with no other options, did not really look to see how close the Lariat is to actual features on the R1S, the Platinum starts at 92k.

 

[Panecito]

Curious what’s going to be announced.

 

[Rob Stark]

When you factor in all of the variables, the R1S is a better deal than the Lightning. The Ford dealers are charging a giant upcharge.

Brian

1) Dealers don't decide what they are going to charge for a vehicle. They can ask for a price but there has to be a willing buyer for it to sell at the asking price.

2) Some dealers in my area of Los Angeles are asking over MSRP but they don't seem to be getting it. The tightest supply is on XLT with big battery. That is the one that might sell at a small premium. You can get Lariat and Platinum at MSRP all day long.

3) Ford did not cut prices $6k-$10k recently because dealers are facing overwhelming demand and charging massive premiums over MSRP.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/17/ford-f-150-lightning-ev-price-cuts.html

 

[COdogman]

Not uncommon for articles to compare vastly different vehicles as if they are comparable. The 50k is the base with 240 miles of range. They really should compare to the Lariat at the minimum at 70k with no options which is much more comparable but only 240 miles. The dual motor R1S standard pack is 78k so 8 k more for 260 mile range.

You need to add large battery to get to 320 on the Lightening and that puts it at 78k. The Dual Large pack is 6k more at 84k with 340 miles range.

Of course that is with no other options, did not really look to see how close the Lariat is to actual features on the R1S, the Platinum starts at 92k.

The Lariat still has cloth seats so IMHO I feel the closest comparison to a Rivian is the Platinum. Otherwise it is pretty similar. Point taken though.

The amount of lazy reporting (on all topics) is just maddening.

 

[RoadRunner]

The Lariat still has cloth seats so IMHO I feel the closest comparison to a Rivian is the Platinum. Otherwise it is pretty similar. Point taken though.

The amount of lazy reporting (on all topics) is just maddening.

Lariats have "Leather Trimmed Seats" - definitely not cloth seats.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Curious what’s going to be announced.

Might be able to gain immediate access to the R1Ts in the shop instead of having to go through the reservation process first. It seems like they are letting people in very quick these days.

 

[WorldComposting]

I have to say they keep comparing the R1S to other electric vehicles. But before I bought the R1S I didn't have an electric vehicle. I looked at nearly all of them and nothing fit my lifestyle or needs coming from a Subaru Ascent.

The R1S is the first vehicle I found that fit my needs and has even more of the features I want but didn't want to pay for due to MPG. Before getting my Ascent I was looking at Land Rovers (Discovery, Defender), MB (GLS), Dodge (Durango V8), and other vehicles with large engines that get terrible gas mileage. I settled on a Subaru as it had the space but got decent MPG as I was a bit worried about high gas prices and the Explorer, Traverse, etc had weak AWD systems comparatively.

If you compare the price of an R1S to the Land Rover, MB, Dodge the savings in fuel will pay for itself in around 50,000 miles as they get terrible MPG. For the other 3 row SUVs top line models the payoff is between 150,000-200,000 miles due to MPG and maintenance based on current gas and electric prices where I live.

The only vehicle that takes longer is the Subaru Ascent due to the low price and higher MPG.

The biggest drawback is the wait times. I have a few friends who are in the market and they were asking a million questions about the vehicle as they are thinking of getting one as well. A couple have Model 3s and a couple have never had an EV. This is the space I think Rivian needs to focus on while there is no competition.

 

[COdogman]

Lariats have "Leather Trimmed Seats" - definitely not cloth seats.

Fair enough. What is the seating surface material then? It’s hard to tell from the pics and they don’t really say.

 

[RoadRunner]

Fair enough. What is the seating surface material then? It’s hard to tell from the pics and they don’t really say.

Honestly I'm not sure what is where, but the seats are some combination of leather and synthetic leather. I've never seen/touched the Rivian seats in person, but we had a 2021 F350 Lariat for a while and the seats were very nice, super comfortable and looked great - it was hard to tell which parts were leather vs synthetic. They seem to be at least as premium as the fully synthetic seats in the Rivian, likely a bit more so as they are at least partly leather. Definitely not as premium as a fully leather seat in an Audi etc which is probably more like the seats in a Platinum trim Lightning.

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