Ahead of March 7, however, the most anyone can do is speculate. Once it’s revealed to the public at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. EST), Rivian will start taking $100 refundable deposits. When Rivian first hit the scene a number of years ago, the rest of its competitors, especially Tesla, were decidedly upmarket with cars like the Model S inching past six figures. However, that is rapidly changing in 2024 as automakers step up the EV game and start ever so slowly producing more affordably priced EVs.
If Rivian wants to be seen as a real EV automaker and have any hope of beating Tesla, Ford, Hyundai/Kia, and General Motors in any EV-related capacity, the expensive limited market EVs like the R1T and R1S need to eventually give way to affordable options. The automaker probably isn’t making something to compete with the Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, or the Tesla Model 3 – Rivian is almost certainly gunning for the likes of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model Y, Chevy Blazer EV, and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
