Rivian readies ‘bananas’ off-roader to follow R1T and R1S
THE THIRD MODEL to come from new start-up electric car maker Rivian will be a rallyraid style performance car.
Speaking to Autocar at the Los Angeles show, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said the model to follow its initial R1T pick-up and R1S SUV would be “bananas”.
“The third vehicle will have a smaller wheelbase [than the R1S SUV] and will be the Rivian interpretation of a rally car with a lot of ground clearance,” said Scaringe.
Any car Rivian makes has a “combination of off-road performance and a level of functionality that’s unique in its space”, according to Scaringe.
The UK is in Rivian’s plans for its models, with a likely 2021 launch date here for its initial offerings in righthand drive. Construction will take place in a former Mitsubishi plant that’s currently being converted to Rivian’s requirements, with much of the existing infrastructure and machinery set to be used.
Rivian also plans to offer its modular ‘skateboard’ chassis to other car makers, as long as its products don’t compete. Scaringe said he had already had several approaches, both from interested car makers and some from non-car makers wanting to launch an automotive product on a ready-made architecture.