R2 Configurator is Live! 🎉 What's your configuration?

[James Wong]

To the peanut gallery who predicted delays: do crows taste like chicken??

So I priced the Performance launch edition with White exterior and interior of $59,990 along with the Premium trim with the same features (add autonomy+, tow package) of $59,440 since I don't need the R2 this year. The difference is $550. It really doesn't make sense.

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[Hillbilly]

why paint colors so expensive ? $2000
in BMW IX3 most of the colors are $600

Makes sense to me. Make money off of options.

 

[Nadus]

The price between a Premium with similar specs as the Launch Edition is so negligible that I'm leaning toward the LE now. The Premium won't make a lot of sense until the LE goes away and reverts to the standard Performance.

 

[SANZC02]

So I priced the Performance launch edition with White exterior and interior of $59,990 along with the Premium trim with the same features (add autonomy+, tow package) of $59,440 since I don't need the R2 this year. The difference is $550. It really doesn't make sense.

Don’t forget the 4k difference between premium and performance. 206hp and more drive modes, not sure what else might be in there.

The performance might not matter to you, just wanted to point it out.

 

[Armeniandave]

I'm in San Diego and a black interior is not an issue at all. In fact if you do outside
sports stuff it's much better than a lighter one. I must be lucky too because silver
with black interior is exactly what I was looking to get! No extra cost for me except
if I decide on the 20" wheels.

I guess it goes to show we all have different wants and hopefully all those waiting
for a light interior will pass up there chance so I can get my chance earlier!

 

[tpberding]

It would be nice if they offered like a "deferred order", where your option to buy comes up, you can order options not immediately available, but you get into the queue (so an "allocated" build) with an LE model. Like even if that required a $1K non-refundable payment, I'm sure a lot of folks would jump on that.

Yep!

 

[Johnster]

Agree on the last part, but it's not pedantic to be correctly semantic.

If I were being pedantic, I would suggest "semantically correct"... :^P

 

[Sportstick]

If I were being pedantic, I would suggest "semantically correct"... :^P

True; I was taking poetic license for the rhyme!

 

[Just Passing By]

BMW may “buckle and dime”
As you call it but the Volvo EX60 has a comparable spec (glass roof, heated/cooled seats etc) and their paint prices and interior color changes will be cheaper too.

I can understand Rivian wanting to make more profit (this is almost all pure margin) and we will see if it impacts sales as we go into late 2027 once initial reservations start to dwindle. They have competition from BMW and Volvo at one end and the rest of the market at the lower price points.

I actually called it nickle and dimed But to address your point, the auto market was ever thus. It is full of vehicles in similar price ranges with lower price vehicles below and higher price vehicles above. Customers will choose based on what is important to them, which will involve many other factors beyond just a straight price comparison. Rivian doesn't automatically need to be the lowest price option to be very successful.

 

[SANZC02]

BMW may “buckle and dime”
As you call it but the Volvo EX60 has a comparable spec (glass roof, heated/cooled seats etc) and their paint prices and interior color changes will be cheaper too.

I can understand Rivian wanting to make more profit (this is almost all pure margin) and we will see if it impacts sales as we go into late 2027 once initial reservations start to dwindle. They have competition from BMW and Volvo at one end and the rest of the market at the lower price points.

Honestly I think the larger problem Rivian may be facing is the economy. They need people to be in the market for a new vehicle.

If we look at the economy indicators out there right now having people in the market may be a challenge.

Inflation is high, credit card debt and number of cards carrying month to month balances are very high and rising. 90 day delinquency numbers for credit cards, car loans, and mortgages are near record highs. It all indicates people are having trouble balancing their budgets. Not a good sign for big dollar purchases. People point to the record stock market levels but that is not really a true indicator of the economy, if you exclude retirement accounts only about 20% of US households are in the market.

I think the initial launch will be fine as a lot of those will go to people with disposal cash. Might be a bigger deal when you start looking at the mass market versions where the number of consumers right now may be limited.

 

[iamnid]

It would be nice if they offered like a "deferred order", where your option to buy comes up, you can order options not immediately available, but you get into the queue (so an "allocated" build) with an LE model. Like even if that required a $1K non-refundable payment, I'm sure a lot of folks would jump on that.

I imagine this is exactly what they will do in June. Allow us to configure what we want, attached to our reservation, and if we pick something that isn't immediately available, we will just have to wait. I'm fine waiting a few months for ocean Coast interior.

 

[SolidTHX1138]

So I priced the Performance launch edition with White exterior and interior of $59,990 along with the Premium trim with the same features (add autonomy+, tow package) of $59,440 since I don't need the R2 this year. The difference is $550. It really doesn't make sense.

I think this was on purpose. It's like the Apple staircase pricing model. Even before the configurator was fully working, it seems you are getting a lot for the incremental cost increase. The Autonomy+ alone suggest getting the LE Performance. Remember the performance is the only configuration with active suspension which was the only reason I wanted the Performance if all configurations were available today.

 

[SolidTHX1138]

Honestly I think the larger problem Rivian may be facing is the economy. They need people to be in the market for a new vehicle.

If we look at the economy indicators out there right now having people in the market may be a challenge.

I totally agree, Rivian products to market seems to be bad timing, like 12-18 months late for optimal sales. I think Rivian would be in a lot better shape if everything was pulled in by 1 year. As an investor since 2024, I'm hope they can hang in an catch up as second mover. The R2 may help, even though I think the limited color palette and cost may be a unforced error, but the R3/R3X may be what really keep them around. I just hope I'm not waiting until 2029 to purchase.

Also, given the economy, gas prices may still help Rivian. I think we will see elevated gas prices a lot longer than anyone expects.

 

[throwback]

Absolutely. I think they’ll still be selling the LE in late 2026. That’s money Rivian would be leaving on the table if they didn’t keep offering the higher trim. Unless in 2027 they strip out the options that you get on the LE and keep the price the same. They need to let customers know their game plan, especially toward the end of the year. This would increase sales for them as well.

Yeah I'm not too concerned about getting the LE. If I can get a LE great, but i want to make sure I get the color combination I want. I have no need to tow and I'm certainly not going to pay extra for autonomy.

 

[EV-overland]

Launch Green with 20’s. I was sold on the cloud interior but the more I look at the black interior, there are lots of lighter accents like the wood and I LOVE the black headliner especially keeping it nice when camping.

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