As part of an investor presentation held on Tuesday this week, where the announcement of Volkswagen’s five billion investment was made public, Rivian unveiled an image showing five models under a canvas, five products whose identities are unknown.
We know that the company is working on a compact SUV called R2, as well as on a sedan which would take the name R3 (and R3X). It’s the other five models that are intriguing.
The shared image showed the products (current and upcoming) in Rivian’s range, grouped into four columns corresponding to the platforms on which they are based. As the Motorauthority site describes it well, the first represents the Gen 1 platform which serves the models that we know well, namely the R1S SUV, the R1T pickup truck, as well as the van which was developed for deliveries on the Amazon.
The second shows the Gen 2 platform that Rivian unveiled on June 6 with updated R1S and R1Ts. They’re expected later this year as 2025 models. The mystery vehicle in the Gen 2 column could be a reworked version of the commercial van, but let’s be careful, because the shape of the canvas shows something else. It could be a generic image.
The third column shows the vehicles on the MSP platform (identified in imagea) that Rivian announced during the presentation of the R2 and R3/X. Another vehicle is in development on the MSP platform, possibly a compact pickup truck named R2T, a name that Rivian has already reserved in 2021 with the authorities.
Finally, the fourth and final column presents what Rivian calls the Affordable Mass Market platform. This is where it gets interesting, because Rivian has not yet mentioned any plans for a structure beyond the MSP. The photo therefore shows an upcoming structure, with at least three vehicles using it. Speculation is rife, but it could serve more accessible models, once the firm is well established, both financially and with a solid presence on the market. In 2021, the manufacturer had reserved several names, going as far as R5T and R5S.
Rivian is due to release more information on these models, which means we’ll hear more soon. We will monitor this matter closely. What is interesting and encouraging is that with the addition of Volkswagen into the equation, commercialization of what the company envisions becomes more and more possible.
Original content from auto123.
