Rivian could build a proper Jeep Wrangler fighter

Wednesday, 29 September 2021

Check out the Rivian R1T as it is put through its paces in real-world testing.

Rivian is currently launching its R1T truck over in America, set to be joined by the R1S SUV in a few months, but it is already thinking about the future. Back in 2019, Rivian’s CEO, RJ Scaringe, said his company would offer five consumer vehicles by 2025, plus the electric delivery van for Amazon Prime.

These will all ride on the R1 architecture, which was designed from the beginning for a variety of models.

According to MotorTrend, one of these future models will be the high-performance “R1X”, rumoured to take the form of a slightly smaller SUV than the R1S.

The R1T truck is only the beginning for Rivian.

It will become an all-electric alternative to the likes of the Jeep Wrangler and Land Rover Defender. MotorTrend added it will have two rows of seating and outputs of 895kW/1632Nm thanks to its electric motors.

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Beyond the R1X could come another set of even smaller trucks and SUVs, based on a different ‘R2’ architecture. They will offer dual- and tri-motor configurations, but entry models may go down to one motor to cut costs. None will get the full-fat quad-motor powertrain of the R1 vehicles, however.

Rivian might also look to expand its van offerings to the public, based on the Amazon-spec electric van. Scaringe told MotorTrend that an adventure van, in keeping with Rivian’s general vehicular theme, “could be a great space.”

The company is about to become a public offering on the US stock market, so Scaringe is wary of revealing too much.

While he didn’t discuss any future models directly, Scaringe did say that the R1T and R1S SUVs were refined to essentially be production-ready before their debut at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. Going forward, Rivian’s plan is to be “really quiet about products until we are at that point.”

On top of this, Scaringe has been preparing the company to run multiple programmes at once, evidenced by the ability to begin producing the R1T and Amazon delivery vans while also making the final preparations for the R1S. This is largely achieved by using common propulsion and electrical systems, as well as the same platform.

While Scaringe wouldn’t discuss the order of future products, it sounds like he wants to introduce more R1-based models before adding another platform.

Hopefully, that means the R1X performance SUV arrives sooner rather than later.