Rivian Signals It Wants to Move Even More Upscale

The immediate future of Rivian relies heavily on lower-cost electric vehicles than the R1S SUV and R1T truck of today. But, a more luxurious Rivian is on the horizon, a company spokesperson told Newsweek at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering.

The new Rivian R2 SUV is coming to market later this year, expected to be priced to start at less than $50,000. The smaller R3 SUV will arrive after R2 and is expected to cost even less.

Clues about the future of Rivian’s flagship models are hiding in plain sight. The company has released more powerful and pricier versions of the R1T (starting MSRP $70,990) and R1S ($76,990) since its debut. They now top out well over $110,000 when all the options boxes are checked.

At The Quail, the company showed the R1S Quad Pebble Beach, which was auctioned off earlier in the week at the Broad Arrow Monterey Jet Center Auction for $175,000, $45,000 more than its auction estimate. Proceeds from the auction benefited the WaterAid and #TeamWater charities.

The SUV was exclusively commissioned by the company for the auction. It’s a study in bespoke materials, paint and processes.

The car is coated in a Monterey Silver paint finish, a seven-step process that required the company to paint the body in white the color black before adding shimmering green-gold hues and clear coat. A traditional R1S features a two-step paint process.

Its wheels are a bespoke, two-tone, hand-painted finish. “These wheels were specifically designed for this truck,” Jeff Hammoud, Rivian’s chief design officer, told Newsweek, noting that it’s very difficult in a mass production process to create a similar effect.

The elegance of the exterior is accentuated by a colorful and hand-crafted interior, much of which was inspired by the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Floor mats that are hand-dyed using paint spray feature a blue-to-orange ombre look, which carries over to the speaker housings and other gear and button surrounds. “This was actually hand-stained by my team,” Hammound said, pointing to the mats, explaining that it took many trials to figure out just the right way to apply the coloring.

The Pebble Beach project started in April. Noting the time it takes to create a single bespoke model, Hammound said that the goal of the team is to do one per year, at least for now.

“We love this car. We like the interior colors. We love the exterior col