Rivian CEO Doesn’t Think There's Much Customer Overlap Between Cybertruck and R1T [Video]

[Electric Rivilution]

Rivian's CEO RJ Scaringe explains why he's not too worried about the Cybertruck, as he explained in this interview with The Verge.

"If you were to think of, like, the Venn diagrams of [Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck] customers, there's probably not a lot of overlap." He goes on to explain: the auto industry is diverse in a way that many EV proponents (often from the tech industry) just don't understand. He sees room for multiple answers to the question of the best electric truck, calling the Cybertruck "different," and says that "it's great that a product like that exists in the world" because of its contribution toward electrification.

Sponsored

 

[Redline]

I agree with him.

 

[Craig Chapman]

I want to compliment RJ on his comments about the Tesla Cyber truck. I think he demonstrated real leadership! Particularly pointing out that Rivian’s competition with Tesla is not a zero sum game. That is a principle that is applicable to many aspects of our lives.

 

[docwhiz]

https://autos.yahoo.com/ceo-stuns-viewers-unexpected-response-213000209.html

RJ Scaringe, the CEO of electric vehicle company Rivian, has surprised the internet with a diplomatic, optimistic response to a question about Elon Musk’s Tesla.

In a recent video, an interviewer asked Scaringe what he thought about Tesla and the company’s Cybertruck. While many expected the CEO to take the opportunity to attack Rivian’s competitor, Scaringe instead spoke about Tesla’s positive impact on the auto industry.

Often in the context of the tech space, we think of a single winner, or maybe a small set of winners,” Scaringe explained. “In transportation, by definition, there need to be many winners, so there needs to be 20 to 25 successful auto manufacturers building electric-connected vehicles, so our success doesn’t require someone else’s failure, and vice versa, and it’s just very different when you think about traditional big tech where there’s one or two really highly concentrated winners.”

 

[moosehead]

Well played. No need for RJ to call out the Dumpster Truck for being fugly.

The rest of us are sufficient.

 

[docwhiz]

Well played. No need for RJ to call out the Dumpster Truck for being fugly.

The rest of us are sufficient.

Yes, it is Fugly but it's good to see RJ taking the high road.
The real competition for EVs are all of the ICE cars, not other EVs.
Lots of room for innovation in EVs.

 

[NY_Rob]

A class act for sure... makes me wonder what Elon would have to say about Rivian at this juncture (yes, I know what he has said in the past) if asked?

 

[izgoy]

Well played. No need for RJ to call out the Dumpster Truck for being fugly.

The rest of us are sufficient.

I was posting a question in a BMW EV forum yesterday, and one of the posters there said Rivian was butt ugly. Reminds you of someone you know?

 

[HighVoltOverland]

Yes, it is Fugly but it's good to see RJ taking the high road.
The real competition for EVs are all of the ICE cars, not other EVs.
Lots of room for innovation in EVs.

Here here!
I do a couple of cleanups each year with Overland Bound, and once you are 5 miles off road, nobody cares about whether its a gladiator, tacoma, or a raptor, they are just stoked to be in good company.

I'd love to have an EV jamboree with Rivians, decked out Canoo vans, international scouts, Silverado WTs, Lightnings, all of em!

Hopefully when I'm old and grey I'll be the old coot telling the Robot human hybrid children how back in my day we used BEVs that were made with cobalt and lithium because our AI overlords hadn't made Mr. Fusion powered vehicles yet

 

[moosetags]

A class act for sure, regardless what Elon has had to say. RJ is correct that we need many players to offer products that will lure buyers into EV's. The Cyber Truck may not be my cup of tea, but it will bring many doubters into the EV fold.

Brian

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Its not about him as a person at all, its basic business sense in his position. He is the new guy on the block and getting into it with Tesla does nothing but harm Rivian at this point. Even if he hates Elon and the Cybertruck there is no reason to go negative and often many businesses step on their proverbial dicks when they do so.

Weighing in on social issues as a business is stupid if you want the widest consumer base possible. Real inclusiveness should be your goal which means staying away from any form of negativity. Right on here there's a chick fil A thread and people calling them bigots. Whether they are or not they would have been better off keeping that shit to themselves. Just like Bud Light with that whole thing, best off staying out of these issues if you want a wide consumer base.

If you want to weigh in on social issues do so with positivity like donate money to an environmental cause or to a charity that helps sexual abuse victims or whatever in the case of christian whatever donate to a church restoration fund or something. No one can really shit on you for helping the community and if they do they look bad.

 

[RivianMatt]

A class act for sure, regardless what Elon has had to say. RJ is correct that we need many players to offer products that will lure buyers into EV's. The Cyber Truck may not be my cup of tea, but it will bring many doubters into the EV fold.

Brian

Brian: I couldn't agree with you more. A small part of me hopes that the Cybertruck is an abject failure, simply because in my view it's so ugly, and I really dislike Elon and in particular what he's done with Twitter. But ya gotta give Elon credit, the mad genius that he is, for what he's done in the EV space the past decade+. And I've been thinking what you've been thinking: maybe the Cybertruck is going to be wildly successful because it is going to appeal to a certain segment of the population that traditionally was anti-EV. If that proves to be the case, I welcome the Cybertruck's success.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Even if he hates Elon and the Cybertruck there is no reason to go negative

Already been said, but the rest of us do the job well enough.

You're welcome, RJ.

 

[moosehead]

I was posting a question in a BMW EV forum yesterday, and one of the posters there said Rivian was butt ugly. Reminds you of someone you know?

Welp, the BMW iX might have a good personality, but those beaver teeth are a bit much.

 

[VSG]

Need to photoshop some whiskers on that ...

Sponsored