Explore Package R1T and R1S No Longer Available

[IThinkFreely]

No need to do stealth mode for the new owners....

Was your model 3 trade pretty fair?

Very much so. CarGurus was at 38K ish and Rivian offered 40.5K. I'd have taken 6 or 7 less than that for the hassle factor. The R1T is netting out at around 54K. For a truck worth 95K.

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[atebit]

I hate to break it to you but I'm pretty sure I saw in some video that the Rivian stereo doesn't have AM radio.

Maybe there S00N will be a 17 transistor 9V AM radio with carry strap and yellow black Rivian logo in the Gear Shop.

 

[moosetags]

Wait, then you should be able to go & come back & tell us if Rivian survives 20 years from now & if they’ll still be electric or have migrated to using Mr. Fusion by then.

Unfortunately, we sold the DeLorean last year or we would give it a try. We are happy to see that some folks around here still have a sense of humor.

Brian

 

[TexasBob]

I like the idea.
I know that they make larger trucks but never thought they’d be interested in making pickups. Besides I believe that their parent company, Geely, is already in the EV business.

Volvo Cars (a division of Zhejiang Geely Automotive Group) does not make trucks. AB Volvo, which is a different company, same logo, makes trucks, buses, and other heavy equipment.

 

[TexasBob]

I would have thought Land Rover. The R1S already resembles one anyway. Would give them a truck in their lineup. Just change the nose and tail to Land Rover and most wouldn't notice the difference!

I do not think Tata Motors is looking to add another premium SUV brand to its portfolio. IMO an acquisition by Geely is a better fit. They already have a good stable of Western brands and a good footprint of manufacturing in US and Europe.

 

[AxelR]

Volvo Cars (a division of Zhejiang Geely Automotive Group) does not make trucks. AB Volvo, which is a different company, same logo, makes trucks, buses, and other heavy equipment.

They only split some years ago and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a stake in each other. (But I haven’t checked).

 

[AxelR]

They only split some years ago and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a stake in each other. (But I haven’t checked).

Looking around a bit they don’t seem to be involved in AB Volvo (that acquired a Chinese truck company about a year ago). But Geely has a pickup (and other vehicles) called Radar (seems to be ICE).
Anyway, we’re getting away from the subject. But I think other brands will bring cheaper E pickups soon (maybe Rivian with the R2 - technically Ford already has, Chevy is about to, …).

 

[TexasBob]

They only split some years ago and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a stake in each other. (But I haven’t checked).

FWIW, Volvo Cars was sold last century (23 years ago) to Ford. It was sold 12 years ago to Geely. Has not been part of Volvo AB for nearly a quarter century.

 

[AxelR]

FWIW, Volvo Cars was sold last century (23 years ago) to Ford. It was sold 12 years ago to Geely. Has not been part of Volvo AB for nearly a quarter century.

That is correct. Time flies

 

[kizamybute']

I do not think Tata Motors is looking to add another premium SUV brand to its portfolio. IMO an acquisition by Geely is a better fit. They already have a good stable of Western brands and a good footprint of manufacturing in US and Europe.

I was thinking that only because of the similar styling cues between the Rivian SUV and Land Rovers. I'm sure there would be a number of companies that would jump on board to buy Rivian out from bankruptcy if given the opportunity. Hopefully something that never happens.

 

[donaldus]

Just noticed on the Rivian configurator that the “Explore” package is no longer listed as an option on the R1S. They also updated the photos of Ocean Coast to official remove the lighter wood and replace it with the same wood in BM.

Rivian just doesn’t get that there is a market for “just a truck”. I don’t need a panoramic roof, not going to ford rivers. Just want a truck!

 

[AZBruin]

I too started with OC mostly for the wood but switched to FE. Got my truck a week ago and love the interior. I don't particularly care for the new OC wood so I'm happy with my choice though I had a minute when it was first announced they would start building OC. Ditto with Explore. My initial reservation was Explore but something told me to switch 9 or 10 months ago - got lucky

 

[Mathme]

With all the talk of the Explore package disappearing and the net cost going up ~$5kish...I've been wondering if Rivian may be going another route in terms of pricing.

We've had 2022 models, but come Jan 1, there's 2023 model to think about. I wonder if the Adventure will become the entry-model with things like large battery, dual motor, etc. Then a new TBD model name may get the max-pack, quad-motor, HUD, and additional features. That may be a way to push into higher profit vehicles and increase sales.

For those wanting to stay lower than the $80k threshold and battery requirements of the new law...Rivian could then have the R2 as an option.

Just something I've been wondering...

 

[mikehmb]

With all the talk of the Explore package disappearing and the net cost going up ~$5kish...I've been wondering if Rivian may be going another route in terms of pricing.

We've had 2022 models, but come Jan 1, there's 2023 model to think about. I wonder if the Adventure will become the entry-model with things like large battery, dual motor, etc. Then a new TBD model name may get the max-pack, quad-motor, HUD, and additional features. That may be a way to push into higher profit vehicles and increase sales.

For those wanting to stay lower than the $80k threshold and battery requirements of the new law...Rivian could then have the R2 as an option.

Just something I've been wondering...

EV prices have ratcheted up considerably since the initial announcements of the R1T/S. This gives Rivian an opportunity to differentiate their higher-end offerings and move upmarket, while creating space for the R2 (and presumably R3 … R<n>) under it.

As someone who spends way too much time thinking about roadmaps and pricing strategies, this is a perfectly logical and opportunistic reaction to the cross-market price increases of EVs in the past few years.

I’d be willing to bet that the R1 eventually gets bigger (on gen 2) and probably lighter, and the R2 gets close to the size but with considerably reduced feature content - probably close to Explore trim. The R1 will ultimately be priced well beyond the 80k threshold and become the aspirational model, whereas the R2 and subsequent trims are the volume models. I would not expect smaller batteries or less features in the R1 over time.

Of course, I don’t work at Rivian and this is all plucked from my under-caffeinated brain. But all of the market forces are there.

 

[hugebob]

I also am extremely disappointed at the cancellation of R1S Explore package. This just hit me with a stealth $5500 price increase that functionally only benefits me possibly with $300 tow hooks. I listen to Am radio and nothing else in the Adventure package has any use to me.

I wanted the Quad motors. I figured I could do Explorer to make that option easier on the budget. With that gone, Quad breaks the budget and it's back to dual. For what Adventure offers, IMO, isn't worth it. 800HP+ is!

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