[BradSholl]

I’m relatively new to this forum, so if this has been asked and answered, I apologize….but does anyone have information on Rivian showroom locations? I would really like to see the RS1 in person, sit in it and maybe actually drive it prior to plunking down $90K+.
Thanks!

 

[mtberman]

I have been unable to get a close look at any Rivian or a test drive. The service center is near my house and I ordered 6 months ago, but you’re supposed to contact them by email only. It appears you can’t drive one until they contact you. Not exactly the valued customer treatment you get elsewhere.

 

[watchhand]

Rivian should create some kind of affiliate or referral program. I'm sure some local Rivian owners would not mind letting potential Rivian customers sit in or even drive their car for a small referral fee from Rivian in case it turns into a sale.

We took delivery of our R1T back in April. I frequently visit the local Cars & Coffee here in Raleigh, NC. We took our car to the May show and I have never experienced so much interest. We allowed people to sit in our car and answered questions as much as we could. At one point we had at least 150 people around our car. I'm sure this turned into a few more people placing their orders. The local Tesla club even invited us to show the R1T on their next June event.
The best ambassadors are the current Rivian owners. Rivian could turn this into their advantage.

 

[FirstStateR1T]

I have beeing doing "Rivian Run Throughs" since I got my truck in May. Try to find an owner locally even if its a T and you want an S. Additionally you can search Turo for those owners who are renting to the public for drives

 

[mtberman]

Totally agree. It is important to have your customers (whether they’ve bought yet or not) be brand evangelists like Subaru always did. And more recently, Tesla. I think that’s what’s got me contemplating canceling. If Rivian doesn’t have that support before the sale then tell me how that same attitude might play out when I need service. Seriously, it’s a hundred grand and delivery next year, with my choice of other amazing EVs to choose from by then. Send a post card or a personal email or something.

 

[archiboy]

Send a post card or a personal email or something.

I waited 3.5 years. I was a day one reservation. For those of us that took the plunge back in 2018 we did get some little perks. We got a small poster with a rendering of the R1T. I went to a couple events where the R1T was being shown off (New York Car Show, Corte Madera, and Sonoma Raceway first mile events). At 2 of those events I was able to talk directly with RJ and walked away with some swag (water bottles). Bottom line Rivian did spend money and time to keep those of us on the bleeding edge interested. As others have said - now it's all about leveraging existing owners. I'm in NorCAL so an R1T is no longer an anomaly like it was when I first took delivery in March. But at least once a week I'll see someone turn their head while I'm in a parking lot. I do my best to stop and ask if they have questions. Frequently that can turn into a 10 or 15 min. conversation. Rivian does their first mile event for reservation holders deep into the reservation. Typically within a few months of delivery. But one other resource is s00n.rivianstories.com That site does a pretty good job of clustering owners by region. If you find some folks near your home town you can PM them to see if they'd be open to showing off their vehicle. I'd bet most owners would be more than happy to help. It's an amazing truck. I'm seven months into the journey and over 10k miles. I'd wait 3.5 years again - if I had to. Well worth the wait.

 

[mkg3]

I’m relatively new to this forum, so if this has been asked and answered, I apologize….but does anyone have information on Rivian showroom locations? I would really like to see the RS1 in person, sit in it and maybe actually drive it prior to plunking down $90K+.
Thanks!

Unlike many new EV startups and Tesla, Rivian does not have any showrooms/retail storefront locations as of now. I believe your comment about buying $90K+ vehicle without having any storefront is a huge minus.

Rivian does have what they call the "Hub" in Venice, CA but that's it.

A Space to Gather - Rivian Stories

September 2021 marked an important milestone for Rivian when the first production R1T rolled off the line in Normal, IL, to the cheers of hundreds of employees who had contributed to its launch. This week marked another milestone for us. This time, cheers filled a sunny courtyard space in...

stories.rivian.com

They planned to open others but at this point, their attention is elsewhere (like production ramp, service center increases, RAN fast chargers and so on).

If you are near the Hub, there is R1S and T there. You cannot test drive at the Hub. You can technically schedule a test drive at the service center if you are near but not clear if they only take the request from those that have preorders only or not.