The folks over at Rivian have planned out their strategy impressively. The company launched with on-point adventure branding and attacked two key automotive segments with its first two EV offerings, the R1T pickup and the R1S three-row SUV. Now, Motortrend reports that Rivian’s next vehicle may be even more exciting.
According to Motortrend, the new vehicle called the R1X will be a smaller, two-row, rally-inspired SUV (with the obligatory coupe-like roofline, of course). It will run on a shorter version of the R1 skateboard platform that underpins the R1T and R1S. And it will be a best of all worlds performance SUV, off-roading like a Jeep Wrangler or Land Rover Defender and morphing into a Cayenne Turbo when it hits the streets.
CourtesyPower? The R1X will have it. Motortrend believes the top-spec version will outdo the Hummer EV SUT with a mind-blowing 1,200 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. The R1X would achieve that output using four of their new in-house developed electric motors.
The report says that the R1X — launching as the smallest member of the lineup — could be a more premium offering for around $115,000. They expect Rivian’s new SUV will arrive in Q4 2023 — hopefully without as many production ramp-up delays.
Will Sabel CourtneyThe R1X sounds like it will be mind-blowing. But perhaps we should recalibrate our perceptions for the EV era. EVs are blowing away combustion vehicles on performance. We’re a few years into manufacturers taking EVs seriously, and high-end manufacturers are already pushing performance to realms that are borderline unhelpful and undesirable.
