R2 LIDAR Availability

[reodds]

Hi Everyone, does anyone have an idea of when LIDAR will be available on the R2 Premium Edition? My decision to buy is based upon its availability. Not even so much for my use, but for resale value.

I don't believe a non LIDAR Autonomous+ R2 will be worth as much as one with that tech. If there was the ability to retrofit, that's a game changer, but as you all know, that has been definitively nixed by Rivian.

FYI, I have read similar posts on the forum, but no one has really answered the definitive timeline, or the possible effect to resale value.

Thanks!
Roger

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[the.phd]

that's because no one knows a for sure date.
/thread

 

[reodds]

Thanks! What about your opinion on the lack of LIDAR effecting resale value?

 

[tbinmd]

you need to talk to Rivian and ask them. Nobody here knows. Only thing we know is what Rivian has said and that has been posted.

 

[DuoRivian]

The consensus is re-sale will not be impacted since May people do not pay for autonomy (or FSD) and the non Lidar equipped vehicles can still do L3 autonomy.

 

[mkg3]

...My decision to buy is based upon its availability. Not even so much for my use, but for resale value....

Do you always buy your vehicle based on the resale value/depreciation?

What about buying what you want???

From my perspective, vehicle is not an investment - inherently a depreciating asset so enjoy whatever it is and not worry about what is value is when you are done.

If you really care about resale value, one should never buy any new EV as its one of the highest depreciating vehicle class.

 

[Heavysixer]

I'm not worried about Gen2 affecting resale value, because I'm going to keep the car long enough that resale will be more about battery health and the overall condition of the car (7+ years most likely).

Plus, some buyers simply won't care about the hardware version like an enthusiast might. And then there's the idea that a lot of folks don't value autonomy enough to pay a fee for it.

If I was going to keep the car for only a couple of years, I'd wait and lease when that opens up, at which point the hardware change would've happened.

 

[reodds]

I usually don't buy a car based upon resale, but I've been reading reports about a whole lot of ecars losing sometimes 50+ percent of their value in a very short time.

I am far from poor, but buying ANY car that is more than twice what I paid for my first house is something I need to think about carefully. I realize that no car is an investment (with certain exceptions!), but I would like to avoid losing half it's value as soon as it's off the lot... If that means waiting for six months for a more "desirable" model, I'm prepared to do that.

 

[Killer95Stang]

I usually don't buy a car based upon resale, but I've been reading reports about a whole lot of ecars losing sometimes 50+ percent of their value in a very short time.

I am far from poor, but buying ANY car that is more than twice what I paid for my first house is something I need to think about carefully. I realize that no car is an investment (with certain exceptions!), but I would like to avoid losing half it's value as soon as it's off the lot... If that means waiting for six months for a more "desirable" model, I'm prepared to do that.

They have been selling Rivians since 2022 and the values haven't fallen off a cliff like everyone predicted. They are still desirable and the new R2's lower price will help them get into the hands of more drivers. I use the real world indicator, which means I base how desirable a car is, by how many I see on the road. In my childs car line for example, I see no less than 7 Rivian R1's, which tells me that people are warming up to them and they are desirable. I also see a lot of soccer moms driving full sized Tahoes and Denali's, so the market on those is also pretty strong.

Personally, I'll wait for Lidar because I want the extra tech, plus I'm going to wait out the early adopter bugs that I had when I bought the R1. But... I don't think that added feature is going to tank the market on non LIDAR R2's if you decide to get one early.

 

[mkg3]

I usually don't buy a car based upon resale, but I've been reading reports about a whole lot of ecars losing sometimes 50+ percent of their value in a very short time.

I am far from poor, but buying ANY car that is more than twice what I paid for my first house is something I need to think about carefully. I realize that no car is an investment (with certain exceptions!), but I would like to avoid losing half it's value as soon as it's off the lot... If that means waiting for six months for a more "desirable" model, I'm prepared to do that.

Appreciate you point. That said, it won't matter, I believe, if Lidar equipped or not equipped. All EVs currently are taking a beating. Expect 50~60% depreciation in the first 3 yrs.

If you really don't want to deal with the loss of value, recommend leasing the vehicle and think of it as an expense item - no difference t than a utility.

As for your first house, I'm sure your are worth lot more than when you bought your first house so there's that too. I remember when an average car prices was well below 10K and making $30K yr was considered a good salary.

 

[reodds]

Great points, thanks! I guess I'm just nervous!

Roger

 

[DuoRivian]

Not

They have been selling Rivians since 2022 and the values haven't fallen off a cliff like everyone predicted. They are still desirable and the new R2's lower price will help them get into the hands of more drivers. I use the real world indicator, which means I base how desirable a car is, by how many I see on the road. In my childs car line for example, I see no less than 7 Rivian R1's, which tells me that people are warming up to them and they are desirable. I also see a lot of soccer moms driving full sized Tahoes and Denali's, so the market on those is also pretty strong.

Personally, I'll wait for Lidar because I want the extra tech, plus I'm going to wait out the early adopter bugs that I had when I bought the R1. But... I don't think that added feature is going to tank the market on non LIDAR R2's if you decide to get one early.

Not sure if “bugs” would be worked out in your timeframe. Gen2 R1 owners complain about build issues four years after the start of production. Hopefully consistency is better and designed in (working with Munro I assume it was).

 

[ElGuano]

My guess is you should plan to wait at least a year after the general release of R2. I can't believe it would make economic sense to release the car and then immediately follow up with a refresh that has significantly new hardware changes. At the very least give it a "new model year" so they can incorporate any number of running changes that inevitably need to be made to a brand new vehicle.

 

[Noplacelikeloam]

Do you always buy your vehicle based on the resale value/depreciation?

KBB surveys found up to 40% of buyers consider this as a part of TCO, so the answer to your question, about half of everyone.

 

[reodds]

One final question. Does anyone know if it will be possible to drive on soft sand/beach with the R2 Premium, as it does not have a "soft sand" mode?

Thanks!
Roger

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