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Laurent

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Feel like this video is just a PR stunt. I want rivian to be successful, but I will need more than a short video as proof they are moving forward
I feel the same way. I’m actually quite disappointed in RJ and how he’s handled the delays. I thought he was different, better than this. But I guess people change when billions of dollars are at stake…
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Zoidz

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Feel like this video is just a PR stunt. I want rivian to be successful, but I will need more than a short video as proof they are moving forward
This might come off sounding like a d**k question, but it's not intended that way.

For months the complaints here have been "Why isn't RJ talking more?" Now he does it and it's not good enough. What specifically do you need as proof of production beyond a video of actual trucks awaiting shipment? Would any other CEO of an auto company drive around and shoot a video of the shipping area with his kids in the back seat and post it? Would any other auto company give the public as much insight and access directly to the CEO as Rivian has to date? I have not read any accounts where CEOs of other auto companies took prospective customers on test drives or met with them in a focus group.

I guess they could produce a slick corporate style video instead of a personal with the kids video, but I suspect the comments would be "We want vehicles not slick impersonal videos".
 

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Zac

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I am hoping those are all ready for delivery and are not being parked waiting for chips/parts, like what Ford and GM have been doing over the past year.
 

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I feel the same way. I’m actually quite disappointed in RJ and how he’s handled the delays. I thought he was different, better than this. But I guess people change when billions of dollars are at stake…

Or is it that, despite the $$ that's come in, the company is still only 4 MONTHS IN PRODUCTION status. Not years, but months. Several of you have an unrealistic expectation from a company that is still this new in the game. This isn't Ford, GM, Chevy, hell, despite the extreme similarities, this isn't even Tesla which has been in production status for years (not months) now. If people cannot come to terms with this and be patient regarding that matter, you're investing your time into the wrong product.
 

SeaGeo

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I am hoping those are all ready for delivery and are not being parked waiting for chips/parts, like what Ford and GM have been doing over the past year.
I suspect they are having shipping issues.
 

mgc0216

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I feel the same way. I’m actually quite disappointed in RJ and how he’s handled the delays. I thought he was different, better than this. But I guess people change when billions of dollars are at stake…
How would you like RJ to handle the delays?
 

DeafPug

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Yep agree. There's no way to know what production level this represents. For all anyone here knows, this could have been vehicles waiting to be shipped from a week of producing 500 vehicles.

One comment was "Hoping to see another order of magnitude more vehicles on the next video like this". ?

That's exactly what we DON'T want to see! We want to see them shipping as quickly as they are produced. Seeing lots of vehicles in a video of the parking lot does nobody any good - Rivian, investors or customers.
As someone who waited over two years for a Tesla Model 3 and made the comment about a parking lot full of Rivians being a good sign, you are misinterpreting my statement. These is a minimum amount of time from when a vehicle comes off he line and can be shipped out to a customer. A full parking lot could be a sign of QA issues causing delivery delays, but is just as likely to be the sign of a higher production rate. You need to compare the vehicles in the parking lot on a daily basis to make that judgement call as to which is the truth.

When a parking lot full of Tesla Model 3 was found during the early stages of the Model 3 production ramp https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/thr...del-3s-in-a-tesla-lot-pictures-inside.104317/, there were some negative takes on it, but future Tesla owners were generally excited to see the ebb and flow of vehicles in this parking lot. There were close to 2,000 posts on this thread over a few years as various “spy shots” were posted To it.

I chuckle at how almost all the current comments on this forum are regurgitations of the comments on TMC during the wait for the Model 3 to start production and get ramped to a reasonable level.
 

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I suspect they are having shipping issues.
Maybe since the whole sector is messed up, but my guess is that shipping isn’t a major problem.

One of the bigger issues has been a shortage of container chassis’s. While they are likely seeing manpower issues in the trucking industry, I think it’s safe to assume they aren’t having issues finding equipment to move vehicles since so few autos are being produced/shipped right now.

Plus they have convenient rail access at the plant. Once they have the volume to justify shipping via train, I’m sure they wil opt to do so.
 

lostpacket

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I didn't see a single truck painted purple with pink polka dots.

I am beginning to grow concerned they may never offer this color.


Rivian R1T R1S RJ Posts video of Rivian R1Ts waiting for delivery 1642418509991
 

cmiller

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This might come off sounding like a d**k question, but it's not intended that way.

For months the complaints here have been "Why isn't RJ talking more?" Now he does it and it's not good enough. What specifically do you need as proof of production beyond a video of actual trucks awaiting shipment? Would any other CEO of an auto company drive around and shoot a video of the shipping area with his kids in the back seat and post it? Would any other auto company give the public as much insight and access directly to the CEO as Rivian has to date? I have not read any accounts where CEOs of other auto companies took prospective customers on test drives or met with them in a focus group.

I guess they could produce a slick corporate style video instead of a personal with the kids video, but I suspect the comments would be "We want vehicles not slick impersonal videos".
I wouldn't exactly count asking your kids what their favorite color is as any kind of relevant info when it comes to rivian. He threw some scraps out so that the fanboys would eat it up. It was a nice touch to involve his kids though so that he seems more relatable. Smart move. it's just not a rivian problem, but an auto industry as a whole that they fail to update and talk to their customer base. Right now the Silverado EV chief engineer is giving interviews to YouTubers. Lets see if that continues, but that is the stuff that keeps people interested in the vehicle. These car companies don't have to do much to convince their fanboys, but for the rest of us they do. Oh and I am not calling you a fanboy ?
 
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Zoidz

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These car companies don't have to do much to convince their fanboys, but for the rest of us they do. Oh and I am not calling you a fanboy ?
Not a fanboy, it also means nothing to me if somebody calls me one. I give a business credit where it's due, and I'll call them out when it's due. I choose to give Rivian credit for the difficult journey they are still on, and leeway since they are still working in startup/ramp up mode and will be for 3 to 6 more months. If they haven't ramped up and improved delivery communications 6 months from now I'll be calling them out. I've done engineering work and production support on many startups of new production lines, I know how it goes. And I get it that many people don't understand what it means to be in startup mode, and that they don't really care. They just "want it NOW". It doesn't happen overnight and it RARELY meets sales, marketing or customers expectations, even when right on the planned schedule.
 

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This is good news for those of you worried about getting to see all the colors in person so you can make an informed decision prior to purchasing a 80k vehicle. All you need to do to see them is get to Normal and sneak onto the lot!
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