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Longtime lurker with March 2021 pre-order date. My original and current configuration is an Adventure R1T with the Max Pack. I'm keeping the Max Pack because every available inch of towing is important to me. So likely (hopefully) I'll see a vehicle in roughly a year. While my 2500 Suburban 3/4 ton has done good for me, in the interim I need a new tow vehicle. So I'm off to the Chevy dealership next week to pick-up a new Silverado 3500 Diesel. A MUCH different vehicle than the R1T!
With that background and to the point.. I was reading the news today of the arrival of the Mercedes EQS EV SUV in showrooms later this year. No pricing yet but likely around $100k. Then there is the Hyundai Ioniq 5 around $55k. Both sharp looking SUV EVs. Then you have the R1S with a base price of $79k to upwards of $90k for an Quad Motor equip Adventure R1S. So I pose the question...for someone shopping for an SUV EV today...who would choose an R1S to put a deposit on? It strikes me that the answer is "no one." The R1S is so very misplaced in the marketplace; it doesn't seem to fit anywhere. Mercedes has luxury sewed up at the moment with EQS in my mind. Hyundai will dominate the mid market almost certainly. Maybe for a select few niche buyers R1S I suppose..because they want a tank turn?
Then there is the R1T. I'd love to have it now. It would solve a bunch of problems for me. Give me ONE vehicle as Daily driver, occasional tow vehicle with lot's of early adopter coolness. But I can't get one for a year. In the meantime I'll be driving around a Chevy diesel and probably talk to the dealer about getting in the Silverado EV line while I'm there next week. In a year from now, am I really still gonna want the R1T? I don't know but I'm guessing I might not. Particularly when I have a perfectly good 1 year old diesel AND MAYBE just a hop skip and jump away from getting into Silverado EV with just a little more waiting. A truck with an actual dealer to service it and very little corporate existential risk.
Of course all of this is mostly off the cuff thoughts, particular to me and just my opinion. But with each passing day it seems clearer and clearer to me that Rivian has lost the EV SUV & truck battle AND likely the war as well.
With that background and to the point.. I was reading the news today of the arrival of the Mercedes EQS EV SUV in showrooms later this year. No pricing yet but likely around $100k. Then there is the Hyundai Ioniq 5 around $55k. Both sharp looking SUV EVs. Then you have the R1S with a base price of $79k to upwards of $90k for an Quad Motor equip Adventure R1S. So I pose the question...for someone shopping for an SUV EV today...who would choose an R1S to put a deposit on? It strikes me that the answer is "no one." The R1S is so very misplaced in the marketplace; it doesn't seem to fit anywhere. Mercedes has luxury sewed up at the moment with EQS in my mind. Hyundai will dominate the mid market almost certainly. Maybe for a select few niche buyers R1S I suppose..because they want a tank turn?
Then there is the R1T. I'd love to have it now. It would solve a bunch of problems for me. Give me ONE vehicle as Daily driver, occasional tow vehicle with lot's of early adopter coolness. But I can't get one for a year. In the meantime I'll be driving around a Chevy diesel and probably talk to the dealer about getting in the Silverado EV line while I'm there next week. In a year from now, am I really still gonna want the R1T? I don't know but I'm guessing I might not. Particularly when I have a perfectly good 1 year old diesel AND MAYBE just a hop skip and jump away from getting into Silverado EV with just a little more waiting. A truck with an actual dealer to service it and very little corporate existential risk.
Of course all of this is mostly off the cuff thoughts, particular to me and just my opinion. But with each passing day it seems clearer and clearer to me that Rivian has lost the EV SUV & truck battle AND likely the war as well.
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