Rivian has been running almost since its origins to become an alternative to Tesla in the market. To advance his plans, he will sell his new car in Europe, where Elon Musk’s firm is especially strong both inside and outside the electric vehicle segment.
Since Tesla achieved the status of a benchmark in the manufacture of electric cars, many automotive companies and other new companies have emerged trying to become the alternative in the market. However, at the moment no brand has managed to dethrone Elon Musk’s company.
One of these companies that emerged as an alternative to Tesla is Rivian. Although it was founded in 2009, it was not until 2017 when they announced their first two models, the R1T and the R1S, a pick-up and an SUV, respectively, which would finally see the light of day at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show with the Market launch planned for 2020 (they finally arrived in 2022).
The alternative to Tesla will arrive in Europe with a compact and electric SUV
Now, the company is preparing to expand its product range with the Rivian R2 series of compact electric vehicles, cars that will be offered for the first time in Europe, signifying the brand’s arrival in the Old Continent market.
The first model in this series, a compact electric SUV, will lead Rivian’s arrival in the European market and will become a direct competitor to models such as Tesla Model Y or the Kia EV6, among others.
For now, the details about this new model are a mystery, as Rivian has only revealed a short teaser video, that the R2 will be based on a completely new platform, which will be simpler than the one used in the R1 series of models. , thus reducing its complexity and the final cost of the car.
For his part, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said that the new R2 platform will have 60% fewer control units (ECU) and 25% shorter wiring harness lengths compared to the R1 model. larger size. It is expected that this simplification will imply significant cost savings that will be reflected in the final sales price.
In the teaser we can see that it has the same lighting design as the R1 series, with a wide LED light bar that runs the entire width of the vehicle in its front section and two oval headlights in a vertical arrangement.
Rivian has confirmed that it will present the first model of the R2 series, which is expected to be an SUV called R2S following the brand’s naming configuration, on March 7.
For now, the calendar with which the manufacturer operates to enter the European market has not been made public. However, Rivian will likely need to establish a complete commercial infrastructure to reach the Old Continent, something that will become a process that takes quite some time to complete.
At the moment we do not know details of Rivian’s plans to sell the first model of the R2 series in Europe, as well as the price the vehicle will have or its specifications. We will still have to wait a couple of weeks to know all this more technical information.