Will Gen3 hardware be included with R2 Launch Edition later?

[rfkxyz]

My guess is LE will softly transition to Gen3 in Dec-Jan as MY27.5 and both won't be in production simultaneously. Then flip to MY28 in usual summertime, perhaps to coincide w/ Standard launch.

My alt-guess is flip to MY28 gets moved earlier to winter-spring for hard cutover from LE to Gen3, perhaps to coincide w/ Premium launch.

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[AmpedToGo]

Invert this question. Imagine you’re RJ and the Rivian software crew. You’re building a Large Driving Model for Autonomy. You have a fair bit of data from your R1 customers but you want next-level autonomous driving performance and more customers to experience Autonomy on many more roads. And you want to get there fast.

What do you do? You launch R2 with compelling premium value to build demand, and as soon as you can you integrate Lidar to boost the quality of the data these new cars collect and contribute to Rivian’s large driving model.

I’m willing to push back my LE delivery a bit to get RAP/HW3 but with a Nov/Dec order window I feel I have better than a coin toss chance of ordering our ideal LE config with the new autonomy hardware.

Happy driving, all!

 

[DuoRivian]

Invert this question. Imagine you’re RJ and the Rivian software crew. You’re building a Large Driving Model for Autonomy. You have a fair bit of data from your R1 customers but you want next-level autonomous driving performance and more customers to experience Autonomy on many more roads. And you want to get there fast.

What do you do? You launch R2 with compelling premium value to build demand, and as soon as you can you integrate Lidar to boost the quality of the data these new cars collect and contribute to Rivian’s large driving model.

I’m willing to push back my LE delivery a bit to get RAP/HW3 but with a Nov/Dec order window I feel I have better than a coin toss chance of ordering our ideal LE config with the new autonomy hardware.

Happy driving, all!

I know you haven’t been here long but in other threads it has clearly been stated that LE will not include RAP1/lidar - it is why they are including free autonomy plus and tow package.

Invert your opinion - how would someone buying the LE in October feel if a month or two later suddenly RAP1/Lidar are now included at no extra charge.

 

[sparked]

I know you haven’t been here long but in other threads it has clearly been stated that LE will not include RAP1/lidar - it is why they are including free autonomy plus and tow package.

He's already in one of those threads and there's no clear statements from Rivian executives about this. If there was, then this thread wouldn't have 5 pages of speculation about it.

 

[DuoRivian]

He's already in one of those threads and there's no clear statements from Rivian executives about this. If there was, then this thread wouldn't have 5 pages of speculation about it.

Agree Rivian can be a bit clearer - they are always a little fuzzy on dates (early, late, spring etc). However it makes no logical sense that LE with the updated chip and lidar will come out.

 

[sparked]

Agree Rivian can be a bit clearer - they are always a little fuzzy on dates (early, late, spring etc). However it makes no logical sense that LE with the updated chip and lidar will come out.

There's plenty of logic and speculation saying otherwise in those many threads that you pointed out.

It would take 2 seconds for Rivian to put this in their FAQ on the website. There's zero reason to even be ambiguous unless there's some chance of this happening. It's strange and causing a decent amount of customer confusion.

 

[AmpedToGo]

I know you haven’t been here long but in other threads it has clearly been stated that LE will not include RAP1/lidar - it is why they are including free autonomy plus and tow package.

Invert your opinion - how would someone buying the LE in October feel if a month or two later suddenly RAP1/Lidar are now included at no extra charge.

They’d feel the same way I felt when Tesla’s HW3-equipped Model 3s started shipping quietly a month after I bought my 2018 Model 3 with HW 2.5 in March 2019. The EV industry moves fast. I didn’t get mad, I got ahead, scheduling a HW3 upgrade at our nearby service center. That isn’t always possible in this world of smartphones with wheels.

I am very new here, with lots to learn about Rivian (thank you, all, for your patience). But I’ve been “voting with my wallet” on EVs since 2011. I spent 40 years doing software and systems engineering (including late career work with LLMs), so not completely clueless about the silicon, OS, and AI side of these things.

 

[rvnxyz001]

Agree Rivian can be a bit clearer - they are always a little fuzzy on dates (early, late, spring etc). However it makes no logical sense that LE with the updated chip and lidar will come out.

They said Gen3 will be available at the end of 2026. According to their system, I can order in November/December, and then it will take them one or two months to deliver. If at this time they start to build vehicles with Gen3, do you think they will tell me I'm getting a hitch instead of lidar?

 

[Jeremy3292]

Rivian has said late 2026 but also has not til 2027 in numerous videos with influencers, reviewers, etc. They've been very inconsistent on messaging on this.

 

[Eric9610]

What will happen is what I said in earlier comments. LE P model still gets made for everyone with a window. They then launch the Premium model with HW3 at the end of the year. If I was Rivian this is what I would do. This way you meet all your public comments on availability.

If you want active dampers and performance than the LE model is for you. No where have I seen them say the Premium model will have an LE pack.

This is the smartest business decision they can make without pissing off early buyers.

To me I ordered my LE car as in 5 years I still think we wont see the full use or implementation of Lidar for other than data mapping.

 

[rvnxyz001]

If you want active dampers and performance than the LE model is for you.

To clarify: you can always get this later, but without free Autonomy Plus and Hitch (these two things are what make the launch edition "trim").

 

[Eric9610]

To clarify: you can always get this later, but without free Autonomy Plus and Hitch (these two things are what make the launch edition "trim").

Correct at a higher price.

 

[Smlee]

Obviously nothing is known right now in terms of what pricing will be for the LIDAR/CHIP upgrade once available. Rivian will not reveal that for obvious reasons.

But lets assume the LE version is stopped in the fall and they begin offering the new R2's with LIDAR. Any guesses as to what that actual LIDAR price upgrade will be? At that point, If the Performance model is $57,990 (without the launch freebies)...what guesses do you have price-wise to add the LIDAR/CHIP? Does the Performance model then jump to $59,990 (with LIDAR) or 62/63K (with LIDAR)?

I like this, if offered the price will pop! Which it will with lidar and RAP1 upgrade.

 

[Smlee]

LE is LE and for launch time-frame. Once LiDAR and RAP enters production, it may not be available across all three non-Launch trims. It may just be Premium and Performance only and as an extra cost option (or combined with other options to make a optional tech package). Why do I think this? How the auto industry generally works, plus what's been done on R1. And semantically, it doesn't make sense to expect Launch to be available indefinitely. Like, 2 years after launch date isn't exactly launch any more is it? Launch typically means first-year production and some OEMs go further by limiting their LE to a specific number of units.

Original R1 LE, much like R2 LE, was basically top-spec with a few options made standard for LE only. Once LE R1 was removed from order books in (spring?) '23, R1 buyers had to add those options separately and at additional cost (like the 20" ATs and the reinforced underbody shielding).

If any of you R2-hopefuls has a case of FOMO, the answer is and has always been the same... You can delay and wait until more is known—or until they decide to force your hand with a "turn reservation into order or else" challenge, similar to what they did with dated vouchers to try to get original R1 price (pre-price hike) reservation holdouts off of the fence. Given current global climate on microchip production and supply... it wouldn't shock me if a price hike comes in the future. As big and powerful as it is, Apple resisted price hikes but ultimately did. I'm sure other businesses, who include chips in their products, are thinking it.

And I maintain LiDAR and RAP will come with additional cost to the consumer. Because "free" is just too good to be true. So if that's what you want, because FOMO, then be prepared that you might have to pay more.

Thank you! I have been posting this on Reddit. I saw this recently with Apple products, Mac minis and Mac books. Also on hard drives and memory. Folks were holding out for deals and we all just saw the price spikes. Rivian has to make money or They will not exist. These current prices will go up and any adds to the spec will increasing pricing. Also model year change will see price increases. Early adopters get the deal and the risk, that is how it works out and how it’s always been. If you wait for certainty, ie low risk, you will pay more for that and we are in a very high inflation environment for electronics and rivian vehicles are basically a computer on wheels. Also I saw this with R1 launch. Prices went up and everyone freaked out.

 

[Smlee]

I'm guessing like everyone else, but I think at the end of the year they'll issue "last call" on the Launch Edition and take as many orders as people want, but the volume will dry up pretty quick. The fact that everyone who made a reservation was told they could order LE as soon as January implies a low conversion rate. Based on Rivian's experience with Gen1 (and Tesla's experience with HW3), I think Rivian would prefer to move on to Gen3 as soon as they can.

This assumes that Gen3 design is final and the supply chain is building those components. As long as they don't have a delay, I don't think they'll keep making Gen2 when Gen3 is ready to go. If there is a delay, then we might see Gen2 offered in multiple trim levels. And, if demand slows, we see Launch edition or other incentives continue.

Agree with rivian will want to transition asap, they need the data! But prices will go up!

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