Rivian surprises with R3 and R3X electric SUVs
https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/7/24093570/rivian-r3-r3x-electric-suv-crossover-pics-specs
Oh yay. More SUVs.
It’s what the market demands, for better or worse.
It’s what plants crave
No it’s what the makers offer
And why do you think that is?
Higher profit margin mostly.
A root factor was the CAFE standards excluded trucks so manufacturers built SUV’s on truck chassis to comply, and then could put more pollution in them at lower cost, plus again, bigger profit margin.
If there wasn’t sufficient demand then profit margins mean little. Ultimately the driving factor is that SUVs and crossovers are what (American) consumers want. So that’s what is being built.
Agree to disagree
There are a dozen or more cars out there, crossovers and SUVs are what marketing tells them to make. That and dodging fuel efficiency requirements. Take a look at Fords entire lineup, EV and gas. The only car is the Mustang.
Ok, the R3 looks pretty rad. I’ll bet money that they’re targeting $39k. If they can manufacture in the US and go even lower, that would be impressive.
I want a bloody car. I hate that SUVs are the norm now.
Tesla S, Tesla 3, Fiat 500e (kind of), polestar, lucid air, Bolt, focus ev (didn’t make many), ionic, Taycan (if you’re rich), etron gt, bmw i7, genesis g80, EQS.
I probably missed a few, and possibly a couple of these are hybrids, my memory isn’t perfect. The point is there are plenty out there, and some are very affordable on the used market.
I don’t get the hate for SUV’s but I love them. Just put a deposit down on a Polestar 3.
- they’re heavier, which negatively impacts efficiency in many respects
- they’re physically larger and tend to be boxy, both of which induce substantially more aerodynamic drag, and had serious implications on pedestrian safety as well
- all else being equal, they have a higher center of gravity, which impacts stability and driving dynamics when compared to cars
Sure, they are heavier but trucks are even heavier and all EV’s are heavier than their ICE competitors. The Polestar 3 I ordered is quite aerodynamic so not all SUV’s are the same in that regard. All EV’s have a much lower centre of gravity than ICE vehicles (but still higher than an EV car) so your point is valid.
The Polestar 3 has an air ride suspension with a torque vectoring dual clutch rear end which makes performance amazing. At least based on my research as they’re not really out in the wild yet.
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It looks like 80% ioniq 5 and 20% old beetle to me. It was a nice surprise but I don’t think they will age well.
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and when the turn signals are just the headlight rings changing color they look ridiculous.
