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Anyone else not a fan of the seat design?

snomad

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I know the exterior has people on both sides of the fence, but what about the interior? I do have to say the ONE THING that drives me crazy design-wise are those seats. What's with the two-piece design? They look like airline seats IMO. Is there a functional reason for the design other than simply revealing the metal Rivian badge on the back?

Rivian R1T R1S Anyone else not a fan of the seat design? rivian-r1t-r1s-details-7
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Hmp10

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Rivian says this about one of their interior designers:

"Sophia Park speaks in colors, materials and finishes, but before earning her Master in Color and Materials Design, she studied art therapy."

Maybe these seats are meant to help us resolve our mommy and daddy issues?

Or maybe they're just chasing a seat design fad that is showing up in many brands these days. I don't really mind the way they look, but I do wonder about all the dirt-catching crevices in a vehicle that is meant for the off-roading crowd.
 

Nordic

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Well if you plan accordingly you will have power available to run a vacuum when your done.
 
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snomad

snomad

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This is all I see when I look at those interior shots. :CWL:

Rivian R1T R1S Anyone else not a fan of the seat design? daytime-mood-lightin
Rivian R1T R1S Anyone else not a fan of the seat design? Aircraft-Seats-DollarPhotoclub_55202083
 

Hmp10

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Whatever the derivation of the design, it seems to be part of a growing trend (Lucid, Mercedes, Audi):


Rivian R1T R1S Anyone else not a fan of the seat design? Lucid Seats


Rivian R1T R1S Anyone else not a fan of the seat design? Mercedes Seats
Rivian R1T R1S Anyone else not a fan of the seat design? Audi Seats
 

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Hmp10

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Yep, seats have come a long way . . .

Rivian R1T R1S Anyone else not a fan of the seat design? Pontiac
 

ElectricTrucking

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Snowmad, you have almost killed my interest in this vehicle by bringing attention to the seats. There is a lot of quality out there in the luxury arena to sacrifice quality just to buy a battery and pretend you are going to save the world.
 

davrow_R1T

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Those seats are indeed ugly, but I will reserve judgement on whether they will work for me or not until I have sat in them. Also, the armrests look too small. Another 'wait and see' issue.

Almost totally off topic, I hate what 'interior designers' do to houses... they should not have hired someone with a degree in design. Seats should be engineered, not designed.
 

skyote

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I need to see them in person, and sit in them, before passing judgment.
 

electruck

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electruck

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I'm actually fine with the style of the seats so long as they are comfortable. Going to be hard to beat the seats in the last 2 Volvos I have owned. And I would really prefer adjustable thigh support like in my Volvos and BMW instead of the fixed size seat bottom cushion. At least from the pictures the seat bottoms seem fairly deep so hopefully they will provide good thigh support.
 

Hmp10

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Personally, I like the look of the seats.

Rivian is sourcing its seats from Hyundai Transys, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, that makes components for over 40 car manufacturers. While the customer ultimately dictates the design of the seat, the seats are highly engineered in terms of materials, function, and ergonomics.
 

skyote

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I like the overall design of the seats, but not sure about the stitched ovals.
 

Hmp10

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Yeah, these stitched medallions are becoming a "thing" with car seats. Mercedes is using them right up into their top-tier Maybach line. And Audi is using them in some of their sportier models. Not exactly to my taste, either. However, I generally like the look of the seats, and if they're going to use all this stitching, I like this pattern better than the diamond pattern used in so many new cars.
 

Hmp10

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Seats are a big deal to me, as they appear to be with others here, so I've been digging a little.

Rivian's Vice President of Global Sourcing, Steve Gawronski, came from Tesla in 2017, where his last job there was head of sourcing for seating and lighting. (I have a 2015 Model S and have found the seats both comfortable and durable.) But Tesla's strategy on seating is a bit confused. Up until late 2015 Tesla sourced its seating from Futuris. However, due to issues with quality and delivery, Tesla decided to make its seating in house, which drew a lot of perplexed criticism at the time, as almost all other manufacturers outsource seating, which is a complex product to build, to specialty firms. Yet, in November 2015, seating was added to Gawronski's portfolio, as Tesla was still outsourcing at least some components of its seating. (As of the end of 2017, two years after Tesla tried to vertically integrate its seat manufacture, Futuris was still providing parts for Tesla seating, and Lear was cutting and sewing the material for Tesla seats.)

Rivian entered into its contract for seating from Hyundai Transys in May 2019, meaning Gawronski was probably central to the decision. What's particularly interesting is that three seating manufacturers were trying to coax Tesla to return to fully sourcing their seating while Gawronski was still running Tesla seat sourcing, even going so far as to set up shops near the Tesla factory: ZF Friedrichshafen (German), Faurecia SA (French), and Lear Corp. (U.S.). So this means that Gawronski had significant experience at Tesla with four seating suppliers (ZF, Faurecia, Lear, and Futuris) as well as with Tesla's problem-plagued attempts at in-house seat production.

Yet Rivian, presumably with Gawronski playing a central role, decided to go with Hyundai Transys for seating. I'm curious as to why that choice.
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