[tyemoe]

I admire what these guys are doing here, but there are no definitive answers on any topic in the video and just a lot of beating around the bush.

 

[lefkonj]

I used to watch the videos they posted but stopped because I didn't find them informative nor entertaining any more.

 

[RivianJoe]

I used to watch the videos they posted but stopped because I didn't find them informative nor entertaining any more.

Same. They had a chance to really establish themselves but they just aren’t that engaging nor informative.

 

[Khmccrocklin]

Rivian's Senior Director of Customer Engagement answers one of the most important questions at the moment: "When will I get my Rivian?"

Why can’t they publish an order list and status of completed orders? If the owner was given his order number at least we would know where he stands in line.

 

[RivianJoe]

Why can’t they publish an order list and status of completed orders? If the owner was given his order number at least we would know where he stands in line.

Ford was really bad about this, too, with the Lightning. :/

 

[IThinkFreely]

First, I had a vastly different guy in my head when picturing Tony - think Sopranos.

Secondly, this is a whole lot of nothing. 4 guys talking. Zero answers. Tony had post-it notes stuck on the wall in front of him and for anyone who had 'nuance' and 'formula' in buzzword bingo - congrats. He's claiming some 'significant' intricacy in configurations. For a single vehicle with 2 interiors. Hilarious.

 

[EVolution]

He's claiming some 'significant' intricacy in configurations. For a single vehicle with 2 interiors. Hilarious.

My thought exactly. How difficult could it actually be to manage these 3 or 4 variables?

R1T or R1S? Ok, check
Color? Check
Interior? Check
Located where we have concentrated service hub or other deliveries? Check
Checks notes....that wasn't so hard, I make more decisions determining what to wear each day.

I think he wanted to make it sound more challenging than it really is.

 

[Bgrable]

I have no background in manufacturing, let alone a new start up manufacturing a brand new vehicle but I think it’s easy to under appreciate the immense difficulty of the process. Yes, there are 2 vehicles. There are actually 3 interiors, 5 (I think) wheels, 5? colors. That’s quite a few permutations when you multiply all those variables together. I think Rivian is doing the exact right thing by batch producing and getting vehicles out the door as quickly as possible. Some people will get lucky and take delivery rather quickly. Others will wait longer than they feel like they should. It’s not an ideal situation but it’s what the company needs to do to succeed with this initial production ramp and if the company doesn’t succeed then we all lose out.

 

[IThinkFreely]

I have no background in manufacturing, let alone a new start up manufacturing a brand new vehicle but I think it’s easy to under appreciate the immense difficulty of the process. Yes, there are 2 vehicles. There are actually 3 interiors, 5 (I think) wheels, 5? colors. That’s quite a few permutations when you multiply all those variables together. I think Rivian is doing the exact right thing by batch producing and getting vehicles out the door as quickly as possible. Some people will get lucky and take delivery rather quickly. Others will wait longer than they feel like they should. It’s not an ideal situation but it’s what the company needs to do to succeed with this initial production ramp and if the company doesn’t succeed then we all lose out.

That is simply not correct. They punted on the R1S to next year. So they are making one vehicle, one consumer vehicle, the R1T. They punted on the OC interior to 'fall'...so they have 2 interiors. One vehicle, 2 interiors. Wheels should not even be in the conversation. You grab from a pile and bolt the damn things on. So silly to even consider them a variable.

And I expect either a 2023 punt on the OC interior or a full cancellation of it as an option any day now.

 

[mkg3]

That is simply not correct. They punted on the R1S to next year. So they are making one vehicle, one consumer vehicle, the R1T. They punted on the OC interior to 'fall'...so they have 2 interiors. One vehicle, 2 interiors. Wheels should not even be in the conversation. You grab from a pile and bolt the damn things on. So silly to even consider them a variable.

And I expect either a 2023 punt on the OC interior or a full cancellation of it as an option any day now.

Tremendously pessimistic....

They are producing R1S now and some people are starting their 8 steps and getting VIN assigned AND not employees.

As for OC, I do expect it this fall in some R1S and perhaps in R1T as well.

The point about having 1 vehicle with 2 interior options is a valid point. That's how its been. It is now increasing as a part of the production ramp up.

We'll have to see how it goes but wanted to clarify that R1S has not been punted to next year. I've seen 2 on the road with temp paper plates (probably employees) and just read about non-employee with VIN assignment on the other Rivian form.

 

[IThinkFreely]

Tremendously pessimistic tends to end up being prescient when it comes to Rivian.

 

[mkg3]

You must be one of early, long time reservation holders filled with disappointments...

I don't stressed or get negative about things I cannot control. For Rivian, my R1S will happen when it does.

 

[Titanium91352]

Just feels that within the company there is a real foundation of "learn as we go". All good people who want to be part of something new and different. But lack the experience of planning a production pipeline (they have known configuration, orders, and geographics since Nov 2018 (in my case for three vehicles) yet it seems a surprise to them almost four years later. The Guide experience again was a bunch of individuals that pumped up the volume of the experience but had no true understanding of the ordering process. A guide who came on board to ask me "lets go through your order step by step to make sure it is what you want". Excuse me, I did that three and a half years ago. When they delivered the vehicle the person said you have a Rivian Guide for life with the vehicle. Again, great person, committed and enthusiastic, but just talking. Even hearing Tony makes me think this company has a long way to go in terms of experience. I didn't listen to all of the interview but from what I heard, he was not saying much in terms of substance. He has a title in a new company, but absolutely no direct input to its planning except to relay the thousands of disgruntled customers looked for their vehicle after almost four years and counting. Wish them luck, but this interview seems more of the same. How can we spin the same message to make it sound like we know what we are doing.

 

[Titanium91352]

You must be one of early, long time reservation holders filled with disappointments...

I don't stressed or get negative about things I cannot control. For Rivian, my R1S will happen when it does.

I can appreciate your point but there are a lot of people who made the decision to go with Rivian that did have a sense of timing associated with their order. Not drop dead dates, but a sense that I will get my Rivian when my lease expires in one or two years or my mileage starts getting high on my vehicle. Not everyone can commit to a 80K vehicle and say "when it comes it comes". These are use vehicles, not accessory items that sit in the garage for a weekend ride. So those that are long time reservation holders filled with disappointment might just be the average person trying to get into EV with some reasonable expectation of timing. It really isn't difficult math to plan a production pipeline but Rivian makes you believe it is. It is great that you probably ordered two to three years later and can commit to 80 or 90K at will for timing and in 2024 still be saying my R1S will happen when it does. But to a lot of people, Rivian has failed to provide adequate information for customers to make decisions regarding their finances. I can understand your reservation being pushed back because there are so many in the pipeline. But for vehicles that they have had in their que as #1750 out of 100,000, you think they would have some idea of schedule. They do not.

 

[Carolina Jim]

I can appreciate your point but there are a lot of people who made the decision to go with Rivian that did have a sense of timing associated with their order. Not drop dead dates, but a sense that I will get my Rivian when my lease expires in one or two years or my mileage starts getting high on my vehicle. Not everyone can commit to a 80K vehicle and say "when it comes it comes". These are use vehicles, not accessory items that sit in the garage for a weekend ride. So those that are long time reservation holders filled with disappointment might just be the average person trying to get into EV with some reasonable expectation of timing. It really isn't difficult math to plan a production pipeline but Rivian makes you believe it is. It is great that you probably ordered two to three years later and can commit to 80 or 90K at will for timing and in 2024 still be saying my R1S will happen when it does. But to a lot of people, Rivian has failed to provide adequate information for customers to make decisions regarding their finances. I can understand your reservation being pushed back because there are so many in the pipeline. But for vehicles that they have had in their que as #1750 out of 100,000, you think they would have some idea of schedule. They do not.

I have a 2021 Mach E and a 2022 F150 Lightening in my driveway. I think that is more than my Ford dealership has. I will have to decide which goes when my R1S is ready. I am very use to waiting but it doesn’t help. Once I got behind the wheel of each my frustration quickly slipped away. I would do it again in a heartbeat. This is a special time in history and those with reservations and orders are so fortunate. My EVs are so much fun to drive and the Rivian will be the best. This is not a payed announcement but just an older couple that’s having a blast driving EVs. Mach E tag is ELEKTRIC and the F150 is GAS=ZERO. It is like what my mother told my wife 49 years ago when she ask what she could do to make sure we will be happy and she replied “lower your expectations”. Our vehicles will get here.

 

[tobyringle]

I admire what these guys are doing here, but there are no definitive answers on any topic in the video and just a lot of beating around the bush.

Agreed. I kept waiting for them to actually ask some questions. All nice guys who seemed to have a nice conversation, but I learned nothing new unfortunately.

 

[paulcoble4827]

Agreed. I kept waiting for them to actually ask some questions. All nice guys who seemed to have a nice conversation, but I learned nothing new unfortunately.

These guys on this site are Rivian frontmen. They sing praises, but avoid the hard questions. We know what we'll get from this site, and it's never substantive. We all know this.

I note, however, that none of the pessimists are saying they're cancelling orders, nor would I want them to. This is the Rivian experience; we order, we wait, we endure. My R1S will come and I'll be happy when it does. Until then, I expect nothing and thus am not disappointed when I get what I expect.

We get it, Rivian; you're in a nightmare environment for a startup. Yet we're standing with you. Act like you value that, and don't speak at all unless you have something substantive to say.

 

[JimmyEV]

I have a 2021 Mach E and a 2022 F150 Lightening in my driveway. I think that is more than my Ford dealership has. I will have to decide which goes when my R1S is ready. I am very use to waiting but it doesn’t help. Once I got behind the wheel of each my frustration quickly slipped away. I would do it again in a heartbeat. This is a special time in history and those with reservations and orders are so fortunate. My EVs are so much fun to drive and the Rivian will be the best. This is not a payed announcement but just an older couple that’s having a blast driving EVs. Mach E tag is ELEKTRIC and the F150 is GAS=ZERO. It is like what my mother told my wife 49 years ago when she ask what she could do to make sure we will be happy and she replied “lower your expectations”. Our vehicles will get here.

Welcome to the forum @Carolina Jim! When did you take delivery of your Lightning and what do you think of it?

 

[IThinkFreely]

And I expect either a 2023 punt on the OC interior or a full cancellation of it as an option any day now.

Well...maybe not a full cancellation but OC 2.0 is not the OC we wanted.