Rivian Recap: 07/18/2025

Let's dive in.

R1

Rivian to open UK offices for AI & Autonomy

TK note: I've hired developers out of the UK many times for my software companies. Great talent at a less than North America price. Makes sense.

Google Maps are now native on all Rivians!

TK note: This rollout has been fast and furious this week, so check your vehicles if you haven't installed it already. It's great!

Also, make sure you are signed up for Rivian Roamer to get quick notices when your car is flagged for an update even before the Rivian apps tells you.

A new East Coast HQ has been announced for Atlanta

R2

Rivian dropped a teaser that the R2 is running around on public roads.

I couldn't help but laugh when they had the honk noise telling people to honk.

Anyone who owns a Rivian knows that honk was a far cry from the anemic noise that comes out of our cars. 😂

And big news for the future of R2 (and even R3/X!!).

It looks like the Georgia plant is back on track to start production early in 2026 after a bit of a scare from the Department of Energy possibly clawing back their legally binding loan agreement.

Community

The meetup that was put on by the Emerald City Rivian Club was a success.

Just look at all these beautiful Rivians.

Including some standouts from Compass Yellow (RIP).

Autonomy

I didn't think this section would stick around for 2 weeks, let alone 3, but things are moving quickly in the autonomy space.

Lucid just announced a partnership with Uber and Nuro AI for rolling out level 4 autonomous vehicles as robotaxi's starting next year.

The biggest surprise to me?

Nuro took a stock Lucid Gravity and turned it into a L4 solution within 5 weeks.

That's seriously impressive, and shows the capability of an existing architecture that has been refined for a specific use case.

It's also worth noting that all true L4 fleets that I know right now have LiDAR sensors as part of their perception stack.

Even if the R2 doesn't launch day 1 with LiDAR, it seems clear that the near-term future of L4 autonomy (even for personal use) is going to include more sensor modalities for increased confidence and safety.

Exciting times!

Latest Deals

With the tax credit expiring for leases on September 30th, now is the best time to lock-in a deal, especially on a 2025 R1S or R1T.

The main change for 2026 is native NACS, a $1,000 MSRP increase + cost reductions, but 2026's are officially in the R1 Shop.

Check out these limited run R1S and R1T's in Red Canyon and Limestone for the 2026 model year with NACS.

If you like either of those colors, act fast, because those colors are now discontinued so when these are gone... they're gone.

The best deal you should act fast on with the EV tax credit going away in just a few days is the standard pack R1S and R1T with the LFP battery.

Lease deals can be had for as low as $599/month now, but the preferred configurations with better audio and things like the powered v2 tonneau bump that up slightly.

This is a drop of around $200/month and is still eligible for other incentives such as the electric refresh offer below.

Electric Refresh Offer

Tri-Motor Deals

If the tri-motor is more your style, Rivian is offering a 'downpayment on them' where they will pay $6,500 of your down payment for a lease.

So if you're looking at a tri-motor R1S or tri-motor R1T, you can stack some of these offers together for a great deal on a heck of a 2025 configuration.

I hope enjoyed the this weeks edition of the Rivian Recap. Let me know what you'd like to see more of in future editions!

Even if you just want to say hi, hit reply – I'd love to get to know you 👋

Stay curious ✌️,

Travis Ketchum

P.S. Thinking about buying a new Rivian?

Make sure you use a referral code. A friend, a neighbor, or someone who has helped you along the way.

Here's mine: TRAVIS4699411