Rivian just shock-introduced an all-electrical hatchback termed the R3 — giving the corporation a significant Apple-esque “one far more thing” announcement at the celebration that was ostensibly meant to be all about its new R2 SUV.
The hatch has a large amount of style and design similarities to the Honda e, yet another electric powered hatchback that captured the minds of a large amount of prospective EV purchasers a number of several years ago and is reminiscent of the boxier Volkswagen Golf. And it signifies an entirely new industry of more compact EVs for Rivian to test and participate in in — crucially, one that Tesla at this time dominates. Though we realized Rivian was working on an “R3,” I’m not certain numerous people today envisioned it to glimpse rather like this.
Unfortunately, the firm did not straight away share any genuine details about when the R3 will be accessible, or how much it will value. It is likely nevertheless decades away from output. CEO RJ Scaringe implied onstage at Thursday’s event that it will be created at the company’s new manufacturing unit in Georgia, which is not nonetheless constructed.
Image Credits: Rivian
What we do know is the R3 will have a somewhat shorter wheelbase in contrast to the R2 — 2800 mm compared to 2935 mm — and there will be a sporty, colorful R3X variant. It will be constructed on the R2’s platform (which will not be baffling by any means) and will be “more affordable” than the $forty five,000 R2. Considerably like the R2, the R3 will be out there in one-, double-, and tri-motor variants. Not like the R2, the organization is not yet using preorders.
“[R3] can take the packaging of R2, and the system, it shrinks it, it places it into our consider on what is a crossover, and . . . it is practically really hard to outline what it is, but it so beautifully captures our manufacturer and captures what we signify as a firm,” Scaringe reported in the course of the celebration
It is a little something of a shot in the arm for the business, even though, which is slated to construct about as several vehicles this calendar year as it did in 2023 — news that Wall Street took badly. The R3 is a around-phrase deal with for that, seemingly, as Rivian’s stock rate soared after the surprise expose.
Quite a few queries remain, in particular on price tag and array, or no matter if what we noticed Thursday is even a functioning prototype. But it’s refreshing to see that a company that obtained its start on tremendous, large pickup trucks and SUVs is doing work on a little something a great deal a lot more approachable and, maybe, even extra affordable.
Image Credits: TechCrunch
