Photo: Rivian | Edited
Rivian bragged about shortening delivery time to 14 days or less in some cases, but this is not working for everyone. Early reservation holders who locked their prices a year ago are constantly pushed to the back of the queue.
Rivian appears on track to deliver 50,000 vehicles in 2023, as it anticipated in January, and the company's financials still look rock solid. The company is also preparing to build its second factory in Georgia, and the R2 EV lineup is just around the corner. Still, things weren't always looking that good, as Rivian struggled for survival only a year ago. During those times, the company made unpopular decisions, affecting early adopters.
Among them was raising the prices retroactively, even for people who placed orders and were waiting for delivery. The backlash forced Rivian to apologize and reconsider the decision. The startup later announced that the price hikes would not affect people who placed orders before March 1, 2022. Rivian learned a lesson but implemented measures to protect itself from the consequences.
First, the EV startup overhauled the reservation process so that new customers could no longer lock in a price. Even today, you can only "visualize" a Rivian, but access to the configurator is only granted when the carmaker is ready to deliver your truck. This way, customers will always pay the current price. This saves Rivian from embarrassing situations when the bill of materials skyrockets and the locked-in prices don't cover it.
Secondly, those who got the price protection in March 2022 were not forgotten, as they are constantly pushed to the back of the queue. They cannot change their configurations to speed up delivery because they will lose price protection if they do so. Although they constantly complain on social media and forums, Rivian simply ignores them. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Rivian will one day tell them their configuration will never be available and make them opt for something else for more money.
In the meantime, Rivian brags about shortening delivery times to 14 days or less in certain conditions. The production ramp allows it to build more R1T and R1S EVs. Normally, Rivian grants reservation holders access to the R1 Shop when they have a matching unsold configuration. Now, the EV startup announced it would grant access to the R1 Shop to everyone who placed a $1K deposit toward a Rivian vehicle. The only condition is to live within a serviceable area of a Rivian Service Center.
Still, people complain on social media that they cannot access the R1 shop even though they live close to a Rivian Service Center. Some placed a reservation 9+ months ago and still haven't received an invitation to browse the shop. It seems the invites go mainly to those who ordered a Quad-Motor configuration. Rivian has recently announced that Dual-Motor versions will start shipping this month. Eventually, production will increase to a point where Rivian will have to consider throwing in some incentives to get the trucks out the door. Maybe then the original reservation holders will get an invite.
Among them was raising the prices retroactively, even for people who placed orders and were waiting for delivery. The backlash forced Rivian to apologize and reconsider the decision. The startup later announced that the price hikes would not affect people who placed orders before March 1, 2022. Rivian learned a lesson but implemented measures to protect itself from the consequences.
First, the EV startup overhauled the reservation process so that new customers could no longer lock in a price. Even today, you can only "visualize" a Rivian, but access to the configurator is only granted when the carmaker is ready to deliver your truck. This way, customers will always pay the current price. This saves Rivian from embarrassing situations when the bill of materials skyrockets and the locked-in prices don't cover it.
Secondly, those who got the price protection in March 2022 were not forgotten, as they are constantly pushed to the back of the queue. They cannot change their configurations to speed up delivery because they will lose price protection if they do so. Although they constantly complain on social media and forums, Rivian simply ignores them. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Rivian will one day tell them their configuration will never be available and make them opt for something else for more money.
In the meantime, Rivian brags about shortening delivery times to 14 days or less in certain conditions. The production ramp allows it to build more R1T and R1S EVs. Normally, Rivian grants reservation holders access to the R1 Shop when they have a matching unsold configuration. Now, the EV startup announced it would grant access to the R1 Shop to everyone who placed a $1K deposit toward a Rivian vehicle. The only condition is to live within a serviceable area of a Rivian Service Center.
Still, people complain on social media that they cannot access the R1 shop even though they live close to a Rivian Service Center. Some placed a reservation 9+ months ago and still haven't received an invitation to browse the shop. It seems the invites go mainly to those who ordered a Quad-Motor configuration. Rivian has recently announced that Dual-Motor versions will start shipping this month. Eventually, production will increase to a point where Rivian will have to consider throwing in some incentives to get the trucks out the door. Maybe then the original reservation holders will get an invite.
Our production ramp continues to climb, which means you can now take delivery of an R1T faster than ever, in some cases 14 days or less. ?????????
— Rivian (@Rivian) May 12, 2023
Join the growing Rivian community! Reserve your vehicle today and schedule a demo drive.? https://t.co/HXKmfHpI7m pic.twitter.com/EbKLeHk5MI
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