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Why are you buying your Rivian?

Coast2Coast

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Yes, I agree - high volume/high margin is the sweet spot, but it rarely happens. Nonetheless, Tesla may be rewriting the rules of competition in the auto industry even if a half-million units per year doesn't yet put it in high volume territory. Mercedes and BMW each sell 2.3-2.4 million units in a year. So there's a lot of room to run for Rivian. Much higher volumes while maintaining high margins.
 

ajdelange

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Tesla followed the formula of first producing a low volume of high margin cars in order to garner income for funding the development of the lower margin higher volume models. It appears (to the extent that anything is apparent with them) that Rivian will be following the same path.
 

Pherdnut

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The short version:

Because I relish the idea of blowing by sports cars in a road race with a not-rally pickup and then being at the finish line cooking grilled cheeses for everybody from my pullout kitchen when they finally catch up.

The long version:

I have a 2001 Honda Civic with 45,000ish miles on it whose engine will never die, but it is old enough and needs more work than its value-enough that we don't relish the idea of long road or camping trips with it and my wife finally suggested it was time to consider getting a new car.

Now obviously, I don't have a driving commute so I'm likely to age rather than drive the next car into the dirt too and I didn't want to have a non-electric car 10-20 years from now. Tesla's performance seemed like a hell of a deal. I got excited about the Model S. Then I thought about the payments. and decided to get tentatively excited by the Model 3 instead which was still in its misfit panel phase. Then I decided it might be better to get excited by a used Model S.

Then my wife ruined everything by establishing that she needed to have ride height after borrowing a friend's PT Cruiser for something. I'm now grateful for this. I got semi-excited by the Model X saw THOSE prices, thought about all those electric motors in doors where I didn't need them, saw Tesla Bjorn give up his precious Optimus for the unspoken reason that it was too much of a PITA to maintain, and then I decided on a wait and see on the Model Y.

Then I saw Ben Sullins talking about this "Rivian" EV pickup he was excited about on YouTube briefly. I live in Chicago. I ignored him.

Then I later remembered thinking a few years back that having a previous generation Ranger could be kind of handy + recalled long-dormant powerful feelings for that Back to the Future Hilux and did the research. Almost 10k less than a Model S with the tax credit, all of those features, and at-the-time, better performance and comparable range to that not-performance Model S I'd still love to have (but not over a Rivian). Also !@#$ anybody who says different, those headlights and the body styling in general are freaking gorgeous. Aesthetic design is very hard. Rivian's work in that department is mindblowing. It's like something out of an '80s anime. Sadly, 71.5K still felt like a bit much after IL taxes (but still a great deal for the features) so I was on the fence but a lot less excited about not-Rivian from that point on. The outdoor-friendly factor was a big boost too. I used to backpack in the Adirondacks. Now I've been exclusively a city-person for too long and my wife feels the same.

That said, I felt like I might settle for a Model Y performance even though I wasn't half as excited about it. Also, if the touchscreen-only controls you supposedly get used to bugged me a little bit, I was pretty sure that might not fly with my wife at all. I personally hate taking my eyes off the road even just a few inches further to the right to change the AC or the radio. And I'm a UI developer. Changing up an entrenched user-interface isn't something you do lightly and in this case it really felt to me like not even having an odometer below the wheel was Tesla shaving pennies that are ultimately UX-expensive to shave. Getting used to something isn't the same as a preference over the alternative, after all. All that dash feedback in the CT's UI suggest Tesla doesn't disagree. I was also pretty turned off by the FSD upcharge. Trying to get people to "lock down" the price of an artificially inflating software feature that's been promised prematurely for years feels a bit dishonest to me. Even a bit desperate, which Tesla may have been when they came up with that.

But it was 10k closer to my comfort zone of around 50kish with a 10k down payment. I could always upgrade FSD for 10k or 15k or whatever later when they finally finish it and the payments would be about where I'd like to keep them in the near-term.

Then there was a Cybertruck...

LOL.

It grew on me too. But more like from "LOL" to "lol." People comparing favorably to the R1T are not looking at the details. Particularly in the lower two tiers. Mostly the size immediately disqualifies it for me but so many other things about it are not turn-ons as much as I respect Musk for actually bringing that thing to market.

I like Volvo on the ICE-front and was excited about the XC40 Recharge. Sadly, range that far below 300 was not okay. Polestar 2 has good range but they want an awful lot for something that is nowhere near as fast as a Tesla. It almost won me over on looks/reports of handling, but apparently it's pretty cramped in back. I don't really need 4 seats very often but I didn't like that. One too many big design compromises for that price tag.

Then people started figuring out the Model Y would be out about 2 quarters early. And when I really thought about it, I wasn't that excited about it. Maybe, I thought, if they stopped insisting on those stupid giant rims for the performance model that are a Chicago pothole nightmare waiting to happen. And they did! And yet I still wasn't super-excited. Having any higher-end EV sure, but the Y wasn't really WOW for me even though I still drive this stupid civic that gets to maybe 30 in 3.5 seconds rather than 60mph and that glass roof looks neat (if expensive to repair). Oh well, at least it had the supercharger advantage.

Then Rivian dropped their prices 10k and the Y and all other competition suddenly seems laughable in comparison. I'm now kicking myself for waiting so long to pre-order. I have offstreet parking, but no garage. There are two voltas near me where I can charge while I buy groceries and plenty of other options. The charging not-at-home pain is totally worth it (or I can rent a garage if ultimately not) and ABRP is encouraging on the road trip front. Now I'm looking forward to driving the R1T away from these horrid flatlands (we're both from the coasts) into Wisconsin and Michigan for some proper outdoors stuff on long weekends. Also can't wait to drive through New Mexico with it. Nice wide open cabin for those views.
 
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Pherdnut

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Like I said, you can speculate all you want.
I will. Building your brand with low volume high-end designs while funding your efforts by making bank building fleets for the likes of Amazon sounds like a not-showing-interest-in-going-public-yet dream company to me. Rivian's target market isn't gigantic. Things could easily change after they get to their less expensive models though.
 

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Doublemfarms

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Im going to use mine for Hog hunting in texas. I will be the trailblazer and will find the problem areas and weak spots. If it comes in Dark Gray.
That’s what I’m talking about. Same thing but in Louisiana. We will probably build a platform that riders and sit on and shot off of. Also considering a thermal on the roof that we can remote control from the inside the cab for when it is cold . And yes, dark grey is my color too if it’s an option.
 

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I put down early deposits on both a Rivian R1S and a Lucid Air. After recent news about the efficiency and range Lucid is attaining, I have now decided to go with the Lucid (just upped my deposit to get a "Dream Edition" at launch). However, I remain intrigued by Rivian and have a feeling that when I make the jump to having two EV's in the garage, the R1S will be the one. I continue to be impressed with everything about Rivian.
 

Jay

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I have been driving challenger srt8 model for last 7 years(Still love my car to every single drive) and I love the instant pickup. If I drive any other car, I dont feel like they have any life in them.
I was a huge fan of tesla(reservation holder for model 3) but then went with subaru for my wife but still have been a fan of electric vehicles and then I have decided if I buy another car, it would be electric.
Now that my bachelor days are over, I thought it's time to buy an suv keeping kids in mind and then rivian was announced at perfect time. Quad motor, 750 Horse power, 7 seater, range rover looks and more importantly 700 million investment by Jeff Bezos are the main reasons for me to reserve my r1s.
For no reason amazon would invest such a huge amount without something unique in rivian.
 

skyote

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On road performance & off road capability. Near silence & no exhaust fumes is a bonus for hunting/wildlife viewing.

Reliability, maintenance, & "green" are all just an added bonus.
 

GasGuzzler

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I have two cars I primarily drive right now: 1) a Maserati Granturismo as a daily driver; and 2) a Yukon XL Denali that we use for road trips and towing our boat. Both of these cars are nasty gas guzzlers!

The rivian R1S eliminates the gas issue. It has a faster 0-60 than my Granturismo and a greater tow capacity than the Denali. It's not small like the Maserati, where I can't fit my family and I don't need an XL Yukon now that my kids are a little older (we used to pack half the house). I'm hoping the R1S turns out to replace my two current cars.
 

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GasGuzzler

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This is obviously a very small sample, but with 8 responses logged into this thread, I count only 0.5 responses that say they're buying a Rivian for outdoor adventuring. I'm counting the wildlife photographers as the half vote. (The other half was for farming & off-roading, not adventuring.)

The other 7.5 responses are all over the place in terms of reasons why they're interested, but on and off road capabilities, performance, lower maintenance and fueling costs, lower carbon footprint, and a better value, defined in any number of ways, relative to an ICE vehicle are notable.
Perhaps Rivian should widen its target audience. Outdoor adventuring is only part of the appeal. I suspect Rivian already knows this, but once a marketing course is set, it's often difficult to re-calibrate. Yet, I believe a re-calibration will become necessary. The Amazon and Lincoln vehicles are obviously not for outdoor adventuring. The interest in a rally model is another indication. And our small sample of 8 responses.
I think they're answering a different question or, perhaps, it's a given to some, being that they're replacing an existing SUV. For example, I said I use my Yukon for road trips and to tow a boat. What I left out, since it wasn't asked, is that many of those road trips are to the snow, mountains and camping. I only combed through some of the responses but when I see someone replacing a 4Runner or a Subaru, I automatically envision them as outdoors(ish) people.

There's also a huge market targeted to the suburban adventurers who take daring trips to Costco and want to look Bourgeoisie in the process. That's the BMW X5, Audi Q series, Mercedes SUVs and the Model X type cars. The majority of these people won't sleep in a tent but they like the rugged image. The R1S is marketing to them too.
 

aAlpine

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âś‹outdoor person here. I'm planning on replacing my 4runner. I've wanted an EV for a while now (for many reasons), but can't justify owning and insuring two vehicles (unless maybe I get a motorcycle again one day). Until Rivian, there hasn't been anything that can provide me with even close to enough capability and practicality. I'm not looking for a daily commuter vehicle (I don't), but rather a pleasure vehicle specifically for weekend adventures and the occasional errand run or grocery run.
 

johnking

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Want to replace my Model S with an EV SUV. Almost bought a Model X twice but there's too much heat from the large windshield, lack of cup holders, kid friendly space in the 2nd row and the cabin is too noisy (tyre,wind) for the conference calls I take in my daily commute of 60 miles on the freeway. I am impressed by the make of the R1S and love the level 2 , 3 autonomous features planned. I use AP on my Tesla for 90% of my drive and it is a huge blessing taking away so much fatigue. Not a big fan the loss of human touch by Tesla service centers (just my experience I am sure there will by many who differ). We avoid the Model S for long drives now as the seats aren't as comfortable as our 2nd car's ride comfort (BMW X3).

My reasons for the R1S in order of priority.

  1. EV SUV with long range battery options.
  2. Daily Freeway commute. (Ride comfort). Long Road trips on weekends, vacations.
  3. Autonomous driving L2, L3 in scope.
  4. Kid friendly, good practical space management with utility options like cupholders. Storage etc based on roadshows so far.
 

Boeing787

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That’s what I’m talking about. Same thing but in Louisiana. We will probably build a platform that riders and sit on and shot off of. Also considering a thermal on the roof that we can remote control from the inside the cab for when it is cold . And yes, dark grey is my color too if it’s an option.
we have already done the raytheon thermal on roof with tv screen mounted in dash. IR iluminators big ones to light up everything. bottom line it get confusing to track the hogs. $20,000 later we moved on. Good luck!
 

skyote

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we have already done the raytheon thermal on roof with tv screen mounted in dash. IR iluminators big ones to light up everything. bottom line it get confusing to track the hogs. $20,000 later we moved on. Good luck!
If you were using IR illuminators, that was night vision.

Thermal is a whole different ballgame. Personally, I have a thermal spotter & Gen3+ NV scope that has better resolution.
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