Rivian is fresh off of its two high-profile debuts at the 2018 LA Auto Show where it showed an electric pickup truck and SUV, but there's a third model in the works and it should delight enthusiasts: it's a rally-raid style performance car.
Rivian CEO and founder RJ Scaringe told Autocar last week that the car is "bananas," and will have a shorter wheelbase than the R1T electric pickup and R1S electric SUV. It's the company's interpretation of a rally-style race car with a high ground clearance, he said.
A performance car from the electric-car startup is noteworthy since the R1T and R1S will already pack 750 horsepower and 820 pound-feet of torque. Two battery packs will power those performance credentials: 135- and 180-kilowatt-hour battery packs. A smaller 105-kwh battery will launch later and provide juice for 402 hp.
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Rivian R1S
The R1T pickup should launch in 2020 with the R1S SUV coming a year later, according to the company. Scaringe didn't provide any other details on the timeline for the rally-inspired performance car, though. We'll likely see it after the company launches its more mainstream vehicles. All cars will come from a recommissioned Mitsubishi plant in Illinois.
Rivian R1T, R1S chassis
Scaringe also said he's willing to license out the company's modular skateboard platform and has received interest from a few automakers so far. Developing an architecture for electric cars is costly, and Rivian could provide an off-the-shelf alternative.
When the cars do launch, buyers will be able to purchase or lease directly with Rivian, but the company will operate dealers where necessary. In fact, he foresees a Rivian dealer network as vital to the company's value to provide maintenance and support.