Rivian shock publicizes the R3 hatchback, and it is lovely as hell | TechCrunch

Symbol Credit: RivianRivian simply surprise-announced an all-electric hatchback referred to as the R3 — giving the corporate a large Apple-esque “yet one more factor” announcement on the tournament that was once ostensibly intended to be all about its new R2 SUV.
The hatch has numerous design similarities to the Honda e, any other electrical hatchback that captured the minds of numerous potential EV consumers a couple of years in the past and is harking back to the boxier Volkswagen Golfing. And it represents a wholly new marketplace of smaller EVs for Rivian to check out and play in — crucially, one who Tesla these days dominates. Whilst we knew Rivian was once operating on an “R3,” I’m now not certain many of us anticipated it to seem moderately like this.
Sadly, the corporate didn’t straight away proportion any actual information about when the R3 shall be to be had, or how a lot it’ll price. It’s most likely nonetheless years clear of manufacturing. CEO RJ Scaringe implied onstage at Thursday’s tournament that it’ll be constructed on the corporate’s new manufacturing facility in Georgia, which isn’t but constructed.
Symbol Credit: Rivian
What we do know is the R3 may have a somewhat shorter wheelbase in comparison to the R2 — 2800 mm as opposed to 2935 mm — and there shall be a sporty, colourful R3X variant. It’ll be constructed at the R2’s platform (which gained’t be complicated by any means) and shall be “extra reasonably priced” than the $45,000 R2. Just like the R2, the R3 shall be to be had in single-, double-, and tri-motor variants. Not like the R2, the corporate isn’t but taking preorders.
“[R3] takes the packaging of R2, and the platform, it shrinks it, it places it into our tackle what’s a crossover, and . . . it’s virtually exhausting to outline what it’s, however it so superbly captures our emblem and captures what we constitute as an organization,” Scaringe mentioned all over the development
It’s one thing of a shot within the arm for the corporate, regardless that, which is slated to construct kind of as many vehicles this 12 months because it did in 2023 — information that Wall Side road took poorly. The R3 is a near-term repair for that, it seems that, as Rivian’s inventory worth soared after the shock disclose.
Many questions stay, particularly on worth and vary, or whether or not what we noticed Thursday is even a operating prototype. But it surely’s refreshing to peer that an organization that were given its get started on huge, heavy pickup vehicles and SUVs is operating on one thing a lot more approachable and, most likely, much more reasonably priced.
Symbol Credit: TechCrunch

Author: OpenAI