Arguably one of America's most important automotive startups, Rivian keeps moving forward with its mission to keep the world adventurous forever. That may or may not include Apple CarPlay for R1-series EV owners, but it does translate into adding more offerings to the company's product portfolio. Here's what you need to know.
Rivian announced on Monday that Apple's Head of Product, Mobility, and Automotive Services, Jonas Reinke, was joining its executive team as Vice President of Product Management.
Reinke spent four years and two months at the world's most valuable company. He worked on products like Apple Pay, Wallet, Music, TV+, Podcasts, Arcade, and probably the most relevant for Rivian of them all, automotive infotainment. The latter is tied to CarPlay 2.0, the next-gen interface that is supposed to replace your car's instrument cluster, infotainment look, and digital center console controls. Porsche (an Android Automotive customer) and Aston Martin have already confirmed they would adopt it.
At first, that may sound like incredible news for R1T and R1S owners who want Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to run on their 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen. While that would be great to have, it's important to remember that CEO RJ Scaringe explained he wants to keep Rivian as the head chef of the in-car software. It's also why Rivian spent good money to buy Sweden's Iternio, the company that created, developed, and maintained the A Better Route Planner (ABRP) app.
As such, Reinke may focus more on helping Rivian launch its own ecosystem of software offerings before striking any deals with potential industry players like Google or Apple. Rivian included a few apps like Spotify, Tidal, TuneIn, and Alexa in its rides. However, there's no support yet for popular platforms like Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, or Apple Music.
Photo: Rivian
Fret not; some of those streaming apps are supposed to come by the end of 2024. Maybe the new roster addition will help speed things up a bit. Reinke also worked for Porsche for nearly three years. He helped the iconic German brand with the digitalization process. So, he must be familiar with speed and quality.
It's hard to judge Rivian for not moving faster with giving customers access to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Software is perceived as a future money-maker for brands that are adopting the zero-emission battery-electric strategy. Just look at how Mercedes-Benz and BMW launched their own digital markets and introduced subscriptions.
For a startup, any extra dollar helps. That's especially true for the Irvine-based EV maker because it plans on expanding.
The Normal, Illinois factory currently deals with R1S and R1T production. The Stanton Springs North, Georgia factory should be the one that enables the brand to attract customers who want an EV but aren't willing to spend over $80,000 for one. The R2-series should introduce at least two more affordable vehicles. For example, the $40,000 to $60,000 R2S should be unveiled sometime this year, but it won't enter production until 2026. That's when the Georgia factory is scheduled for completion.
Photo: RJ Scaringe on Instagram
But with the announcement of Jonas Reinke's hiring, Rivian also confirmed that it would go even further with downsizing and cost-cutting: we should soon learn more about the R3 series! The company trademarked the moniker two years ago.
"We are very happy to welcome Jonas to the Rivian team. His product expertise will help us with the launch of new platforms like the R2 and R3, and the continued product improvements of our R1T and R1S. I look forward to working closely together as we tackle this next great wave of product launches." said Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe.
Could the R3 platform be about creating a hatchback or a rugged Model Y-like crossover? It remains to be seen. What's certain is that Rivian has a plan for the future, and it won't stop from innovating and making EVs attractive for Americans and Canadians.
The R2 and R3 vehicles might also serve Europeans well. Some have imported the R1T and R1S, even though they need a CCS1 to CCS2 adapter to fast charge and have no service centers nearby. Exporting American-made EVs surely is on Rivian's to-do list.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News