Cloaked Audis, covert CEO meeting: how VW's $5 billion Rivian bet transpired (Must Read Article!)

[windblowlc]

You’re missing what I said. People here are driving it and saying “this is a cool car/truck, but it’s buggy and I’m nervous about keeping it beyond warranty.” Heck, people on here are considering doing whatever they can to stay under warranty.

That, plus competition, is why the stock is down. Your false connection is just trying to make a counterpoint to something I didn’t say.

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[savethemanual]

I’m hoping for a blowout quarter too.

I’ll be honest. I’ve been an investor for years. And we are currently in the market for a 3 row EV SUV. I’d love to get a R1S dual max, but all the folks on here have got me concerned with quality and reliability issues for a daily driver.

I’m on a couple other forums for other cars and there seem to be a lot less concerns there….

Then don't buy a Rivian R1S, it's a free country and your choice

 

[windblowlc]

You’re missing what I said. People here are driving it and saying “this is a cool car/truck, but it’s buggy and I’m nervous about keeping it beyond warranty.” Heck, people on here are considering doing whatever they can to stay under warranty.

That, plus competition, is why the stock is down. Your false connection is just trying to make a counterpoint to something I didn’t say.

Who are the people you're talking about? Don't know why you're investing if that's what you think of Rivian. Are you truly a Rivian investor?

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

Who are the people you're talking about? Don't know why you're investing if that's what you think of Rivian. Are you truly a Rivian investor?

Are we on the same forum. Here are 3 posts, just today, about warranty nervousness. It’s everywhere.

And yes, I’m an investor at $40, 30, and 10.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

Then don't buy a Rivian R1S, it's a free country and your choice

Insightful!

 

[savethemanual]

Insightful!

It's just interesting to see different tolerances for risk, if I had the budget for an R1S it would be a no brainer for me. Yes, it's a new start up, there are going to be some bugs but overall the majority of folks LOVE their vehicles....that seems crystal clear.

I am also an investor, and have lost $ but am in it for the long.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

It's just interesting to see different tolerances for risk, if I had the budget for an R1S it would be a no brainer for me. Yes, it's a new start up, there are going to be some bugs but overall the majority of folks LOVE their vehicles....that seems crystal clear.

I am also an investor, and have lost $ but am in it for the long.

Hey totally agree. I’m not up on investment but am holding because I have hope RJ will be replaced and it will accelerate stock. Not all founders can be CEOs.

Regarding risk, it’s more inconvenience. I’m not worried about the cash, but I don’t want to deal with fighting to get something fixed or waiting 4 week to fix a daily driver. That would be infuriating.

I would say I know half a dozen owners? 2 on my block. Definitely not LOVING their cars as initial description. It’s more that it’s cool and they are ok to deal with the issues because it’s their 5th or 6th car. Just the little bit of data I have around me.

 

[mrgreat]

I’ll be honest. I’ve been an investor for years. And we are currently in the market for a 3 row EV SUV. I’d love to get a R1S dual max, but all the folks on here have got me concerned with quality and reliability issues for a daily driver.

I will honest that in 2019 putting the preorder for the car I was very very skeptical. Doing the FIrst Mile

I’ll be honest. I’ve been an investor for years. And we are currently in the market for a 3 row EV SUV. I’d love to get a R1S dual max, but all the folks on here have got me concerned with quality and reliability issues for a daily driver.

Understood, and honestly being a preorder member in 2019 I was very very skeptical. Then in 2021 and going to the very first “First Mile” event in Normal, IL (luckily we are not that far away) and seeing, touching and driving early models my wife and I were blow away. We talked to senior execs there (no factory tours, I asked) and even met RJ and his family in person. He is just as friendly and open as in all the videos.

Now over a year after delivery and fixing some early panel issues, we have no complaints. My wife drives the R1S every day(short distance). My brother in law bought a R1S and has put a lot more miles on it than us and has no problems.

Can’t speak to the future and what will happen. Have friends and family with Teslas, Polestars and Lucids. The Lucid probably has had most positive feedback than the others and saw their new SVU model recently.

Disclaimer - Like many preorder people did get invited for IPO stock, and purchase some but decided to keep them instead of flipping them.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

I will honest that in 2019 putting the preorder for the car I was very very skeptical. Doing the FIrst Mile


Understood, and honestly being a preorder member in 2019 I was very very skeptical. Then in 2021 and going to the very first “First Mile” event in Normal, IL (luckily we are not that far away) and seeing, touching and driving early models my wife and I were blow away. We talked to senior execs there (no factory tours, I asked) and even met RJ and his family in person. He is just as friendly and open as in all the videos.

Now over a year after delivery and fixing some early panel issues, we have no complaints. My wife drives the R1S every day(short distance). My brother in law bought a R1S and has put a lot more miles on it than us and has no problems.

Can’t speak to the future and what will happen. Have friends and family with Teslas, Polestars and Lucids. The Lucid probably has had most positive feedback than the others and saw their new SVU model recently.

Disclaimer - Like many preorder people did get invited for IPO stock, and purchase some but decided to keep them instead of flipping them.

It could be that the early adopters around me have had a rough time and things are better. I do tend to do a lot of research, so will dig in

Thanks for the insight.

 

[beyondgravity]

Not sure this is going to be a real lifeline for Rivian. I’m not saying the market is always right, but it’s going to end up valuing the deal at maybe $2.5-3B at the outset?

I think there is a CEO that had a good idea, built an OK initial product, improved it a little, but is having a hard time competing in a crowded market.

I’m saying this as an investor.

I personally doubt your investment credentials; as I don’t see any fundamental or technical analysis. If you are invested in Rivian, you shouldn’t be IMHO

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

I personally doubt your investment credentials; as I don’t see any fundamental or technical analysis. If you are invested in Rivian, you shouldn’t be IMHO

lol. You want me to write you a thesis on why I bought rivian? not to mention that the very post you quote gives my take on the real value of a $5B investment.

I actually doubt you own an R1S at this point TBH.

 

[EVTrukHog]

You’re missing what I said. People here are driving it and saying “this is a cool car/truck, but it’s buggy and I’m nervous about keeping it beyond warranty.” Heck, people on here are considering doing whatever they can to stay under warranty.

That, plus competition, is why the stock is down. Your false connection is just trying to make a counterpoint to something I didn’t say.

From my perspective, your comment is off the mark. I’m a Fall 2022 R1T recipient and this has been the best vehicle I’ve owned. In fact, the quality of the product, coupled with continuous technology improvements, is what gives me hope in Rivian‘s future. Market forces, interest rates, profitability may all be legitimate worries about Rivian’s future, but the quality of the product should give us all hope. While there have been some individual exceptions to this quality standard, the overall customer satisfaction has been very high relative to their peer group.

 

[savethemanual]

Hey totally agree. I’m not up on investment but am holding because I have hope RJ will be replaced and it will accelerate stock. Not all founders can be CEOs.

Regarding risk, it’s more inconvenience. I’m not worried about the cash, but I don’t want to deal with fighting to get something fixed or waiting 4 week to fix a daily driver. That would be infuriating.

I would say I know half a dozen owners? 2 on my block. Definitely not LOVING their cars as initial description. It’s more that it’s cool and they are ok to deal with the issues because it’s their 5th or 6th car. Just the little bit of data I have around me.

Curious, why do you think RJ should not be CEO? Also, 5 or 6 cars....holy crap, that's a bit excessive IMO.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

Curious, why do you think RJ should not be CEO?

I think he had a good vision. And his product can be great. But he’s followed the classic missteps of founder CEOs. Slow ramp up. Committing $$ to facilities at the wrong time and then bailing. Trouble scaling up when the right time to capture first time buyers was 2021-2024 (R2 should have been unveiled a year ago).

And silly stuff like insisting in house software is better than allowing parallel CarPlay/AA when lack of CP/AA is pain point. It’s just a $$ play.

Rivian has the early adopter $$. Now they need to get the next wave. RJ is too close to the brand so it clouds the growth story. It’s why the market can’t get behind him. Need someone to come in, without founder emotion, and get things in line. Question is: does Rivian want to stay a niche brand or grow?

I think Musk is a jerk. Not a good person. But he was brought in to make the decisions the Tesla founders couldn’t make. Need the same here.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[windblowlc]

Are we on the same forum. Here are 3 posts, just today, about warranty nervousness. It’s everywhere.

And yes, I’m an investor at $40, 30, and 10.

If you had done your own research you would have find out that Rivian is number one in consumer satisfaction from the Consumer Reports. If you're afraid of owning any Rivian vehicles because of the postings from a few unsatisfied owners on the forum and still buy Rivian stocks at those prices then you're a lousy Rivian investor - you're just doing yourself a disservice.


2024 Consumer Reports Satisfaction Scores By Brand

Rank	Brand	Satisfaction Score (1-5 scale)	Owners that would buy again
1	Rivian	5	86%
2	Mini	4	77%
3	BMW	4	76%
4	Porsche	4	76%
5	Tesla	4	74%
6	Genesis	4	73%
7	Lexus	4	73%
8	Subaru	3	70%
9	Ram	3	69%
10	Honda	3	69%
11	Chevrolet	3	69%
12	Toyota	3	69%
13	Hyundai	3	68%
14	Acura	3	68%
15	Ford	3	67%
16	GMC	3	67%
17	Mazda	3	66%
18	Volvo	3	66%
19	Lincoln	3	65%
20	Buick	3	64%
21	Kia	3	63%
22	Cadillac	3	61%
23	Chrysler	2	60%
24	Mercedes-Benz	2	59%
25	Audi	2	59%
26	Jeep	2	58%
27	Nissan	2	55%
28	Volkswagen	2	51%
29	Infiniti	1	42%

Cox Automotive, the parent company of Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader, is a minority investor in Rivian.

Consumer Reports Owners satisfaction Results

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