Rival: 2026 BMW iX3 reviews are impressive... R2 has its work cut out

[Bullwinkle]

Top 10 Best-Selling Vehicles (So Far in 2025)

1. Ford F-Series: The perennial leader, consistently selling over 400,000 units.
2. Chevrolet Silverado: A strong second, close behind the F-Series.
3. Toyota RAV4: The best-selling SUV, a favorite for its practicality.
4. Honda CR-V: Another popular compact SUV, maintaining strong sales.
5. Ram Truck: A top contender in the truck segment.
6. GMC Sierra: The Sierra's sibling to the Silverado also sells very well.
7. Chevrolet Equinox: A popular choice in the compact SUV category.
8. Toyota Camry: America's favorite sedan, proving sedans still sell.
9. Tesla Model Y: The leading electric SUV.
10. Toyota Tacoma: A top-selling mid-size pickup truck.

Interesting!...a clear message to businesses not to choose political sides

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[KonaKaiKen]

Just keep in mind that any new vehicle will have lots of teething issues and infant mortality failures on some parts. Not having a service center is a ligit concern. Hope Rivian address the island issue by adding SC at Maui and the Big Island soon.

If you decide to go with R2, I would wait until the production of the vehicles hit at least 30K+ vehicles. Given the production goals Rivian has, it probably will be early 2027.

I was pretty late in joining the reservation list. Hopefully any problems will be ironed out by the time my name comes up.

 

[Leesonw]

I totally agree about the SC issue. I live in NM and we have no SC. Rivian seems to be falling behind their own feet right now. I was waiting for the R2 but I am leaning heavily toward a 2 year lease on a different car to see if Rivian can actually pull this off.

 

[TexasBob]

Interesting!...a clear message to businesses not to choose political sides

Yes. Do not want to derail the thread but MY is going to finish top 4 globally this year (not sure 3 or 4) and top 10 US. Next year it will almost certainly fall out of top 10 US and may even struggle to maintain top 10 globally. Depends on Chinese competitors. IMO Tesla's moment has passed. Its also struggling to stay in top 10 on robotaxi business (currently #8 clustered as it keeps getting passed by the up-and-comers like Zoox and soon XPeng).

 

[DuoRivian]

I'm considering the iX3, R2, and Toyota Woodland for purchase next year. I like the R2 but service is a problem here on The Big Island. Rivian has an agreement with a local Mercedes shop to allow Rivian techs to do service in their shop but major issues would require shipping the car back to the Oahu service center, an expensive and time consuming ordeal. BMW and Toyota both have dealerships in Kona. That's a big plus. Still, I see many Rivians running around here so maybe it's no problem. I have a deposit on an R2 just in case I go with the Rivian.

Woodland is an interesting choice and at $45k for dual motor not bad value. The main issue for me (in addition to subjectively not being as good looking) is the lack of OPD.

 

[Wilber]

Interesting!...a clear message to businesses not to choose political sides

Sorry, I dont see any 'clear message' here. Please explain what that 'clear message' is.

 

[mkhuffman]

Sorry, I dont see any 'clear message' here. Please explain what that 'clear message' is.

He is referring to Musk getting political and how it hurt Tesla's sales. I don't think anyone knows how much it hurt, but certainly a lot of Tesla fans decided they now hate Tesla and will refuse to buy one.

 

[Wilber]

He is referring to Musk getting political and how it hurt Tesla's sales. I don't think anyone knows how much it hurt, but certainly a lot of Tesla fans decided they now hate Tesla and will refuse to buy one.

Thanks for your reply. But yes, i already knew Musk's behavior has hurt sales. But, i didnt see that as necessarily reflected in the list of 10. It shows the Model Y as number 9. Could be good or could be bad. But, i suppose if Model Y used to be ranked better, such as #1 or #2 then the stats show a decline in sales for the Model Y. Probably due to politics.

 

[Eric9610]

Thanks for your reply. But yes, i already knew Musk's behavior has hurt sales. But, i didnt see that as necessarily reflected in the list of 10. It shows the Model Y as number 9. Could be good or could be bad. But, i suppose if Model Y used to be ranked better, such as #1 or #2 then the stats show a decline in sales for the Model Y. Probably due to politics.

I actually don't think the politics had much of an impact rather I think they penetrated the max market for a single model. We all have Ev's but most its not suitable for one reason or another and you eventually run out of buyers. I have owned a model Y and it is a steal for the price but it lack in many other areas.

Also, the thing I think that hurt them more than political views is the drastic pricing changes. A lot of people got burned hard. At 1 point the model Y DM was $67k and on the model S and X the base cars were over $100k then dropped to the $70's. This pattern has more of an impact because loyal buyers are so upside-down they can't upgrade.

 

[Sportstick]

Here's an AI-generated summary:

What has been the effect of Elon's politics on Tesla sales?










Elon Musk's increasingly partisan political activities have
negatively and significantly impacted Tesla sales, leading to an estimated 1 million to 1.26 million lost sales in the U.S. alone since October 2022. The effect has been a sharp decline in sales to Democratic-leaning buyers, which has not been offset by an increase in Republican customers.

Key Findings on the Effect of Musk's Politics

• Significant Sales Losses: A working paper by Yale University economists concluded that without the "Musk partisan effect," Tesla's U.S. sales between October 2022 and April 2025 would have been between 67% and 83% higher. By the first quarter of 2025, monthly sales would have been approximately 150% higher.
• Alienation of Core Demographic: Environmentally conscious consumers, historically Tesla's primary customer base and often liberal-leaning, have been alienated by Musk's shift towards far-right politics and his public statements. Surveys show a significant drop in purchase consideration among Democrats.
• No Offset from Republican Buyers: While some might expect Musk's alignment with Republican politics to boost sales in conservative areas, studies found that sales to Republican buyers did not increase enough to compensate for the loss of Democratic customers. This is partly because conservatives were already less interested in EVs generally.
• Benefit to Competitors: The study found a "nearly one-for-one substitution" from Teslas to other EV and hybrid manufacturers. Competitors' EV and hybrid sales increased by approximately 17% to 22% due to consumers rejecting Tesla because of its CEO.
• Brand Damage: The ongoing political controversy has damaged Tesla's brand image, with one product valuation company, Brand Finance, noting a 26% decline in Tesla's brand value in 2024 partly due to Musk's "antagonism".
• Real-World Data: The study's findings are supported by actual sales data, which showed a decline in total annual sales in 2024—Tesla's first drop in 12 years—despite price cuts and a growing overall EV market. Sales in historically strong markets like California and various European countries have also fallen.

https://www.nber.org/papers/w34413

https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/are-elon-musks-politics-driving-away-teslas-customers

 

[Eric9610]

Here's an AI-generated summary:

What has been the effect of Elon's politics on Tesla sales?










Elon Musk's increasingly partisan political activities have
negatively and significantly impacted Tesla sales, leading to an estimated 1 million to 1.26 million lost sales in the U.S. alone since October 2022. The effect has been a sharp decline in sales to Democratic-leaning buyers, which has not been offset by an increase in Republican customers.

Key Findings on the Effect of Musk's Politics

• Significant Sales Losses: A working paper by Yale University economists concluded that without the "Musk partisan effect," Tesla's U.S. sales between October 2022 and April 2025 would have been between 67% and 83% higher. By the first quarter of 2025, monthly sales would have been approximately 150% higher.
• Alienation of Core Demographic: Environmentally conscious consumers, historically Tesla's primary customer base and often liberal-leaning, have been alienated by Musk's shift towards far-right politics and his public statements. Surveys show a significant drop in purchase consideration among Democrats.
• No Offset from Republican Buyers: While some might expect Musk's alignment with Republican politics to boost sales in conservative areas, studies found that sales to Republican buyers did not increase enough to compensate for the loss of Democratic customers. This is partly because conservatives were already less interested in EVs generally.
• Benefit to Competitors: The study found a "nearly one-for-one substitution" from Teslas to other EV and hybrid manufacturers. Competitors' EV and hybrid sales increased by approximately 17% to 22% due to consumers rejecting Tesla because of its CEO.
• Brand Damage: The ongoing political controversy has damaged Tesla's brand image, with one product valuation company, Brand Finance, noting a 26% decline in Tesla's brand value in 2024 partly due to Musk's "antagonism".
• Real-World Data: The study's findings are supported by actual sales data, which showed a decline in total annual sales in 2024—Tesla's first drop in 12 years—despite price cuts and a growing overall EV market. Sales in historically strong markets like California and various European countries have also fallen.

https://www.nber.org/papers/w34413

https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/are-elon-musks-politics-driving-away-teslas-customers

I would be interested to ask an AI the question about radical price swings. This could be a compounding affect that appeared to pop up coincidentally during his political comments. Also, most of these studies do not include other items as they are biased to the study funder. Toyota has seen no impact and the CEO is a staunch republican supporter.

 

[DuoRivian]

Can we get back to the iX3 and not this detour on Tesla.

 

[underkuver]

ill bite to turn this thread around...

dont check in here often, reading this thread makes me sad. rivian was built to be an adventure vehicle.

realize a lot of people never even see a gravel road but this thread showcases how mainstream, mall cruiser rivian is becoming.

an entire thread comparing the R2 to this? maybe Scout, or the e g-wagon is calling for me more than rivian if this is where the brand is headed...

 

[DuoRivian]

ill bite to turn this thread around...

dont check in here often, reading this thread makes me sad. rivian was built to be an adventure vehicle.

realize a lot of people never even see a gravel road but this thread showcases how mainstream, mall cruiser rivian is becoming.

an entire thread comparing the R2 to this? maybe Scout, or the e g-wagon is calling for me more than rivian if this is where the brand is headed...

Even Scout will be a mall cruiser, just like Jeep is. It is a fact that the vast majority of people spend the vast majority of time on paved roads or forest trail roads. Any halfway competent CUV can cope with that since they typically have at least two more inches of ground clearance and AWD. The BMW and soon after the Lucid Earth will take a bit out of the EV $45-65k compact SUV market which Rivian is aiming to capitalize on.

 

[DuoRivians]

ill bite to turn this thread around...

dont check in here often, reading this thread makes me sad. rivian was built to be an adventure vehicle.

realize a lot of people never even see a gravel road but this thread showcases how mainstream, mall cruiser rivian is becoming.

an entire thread comparing the R2 to this? maybe Scout, or the e g-wagon is calling for me more than rivian if this is where the brand is headed...

IMO, it won’t be long until Rivian starts to pivot toward a tech, self-driving centered and marketed company, like that other company. I think it’s the wrong pivot, but it seems their stock price rewards that.

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