As is well known in the electric car industry, Rivian he is not going through his best moment; they fired to 6% of its workforceits economy has yet to take off and, moreover, its vehicle production forecasts are lower than expected initially. However, not everything will be bad news since the company is developing what will be its third modelan electric SUV that performs on and off asphalt.
As published in the media Engine trend, it will be a rally-inspired, high-performance model, “designed to perform as well as a Wrangler or Defender off-road, and as fast as a Cayenne Turbo on the road”, they say. And it won’t be for less, well estimates speak of a maximum power of more than 1,200 hp and all-wheel drivewhich would place the model in a range of capacities little known until now within the sector of electric SUVs.
This model would receive the name R1Xsince the platform it would use would be the already released R1, which gives the electric suv R1S the ability to accommodate up to three rows of seats inside. In the case of the high-performance model, the third row would be eliminated to seek a new, longer roof drop from the B-pillar, giving the feel of a sportier-inspired vehicle.
In addition to this new rear area, the final model will adopt a much more aggressive image typical of a sports vehicle. Among its main features would be significantly widened wheel arches, larger tires, as well as suspensions with increased travel. Additions such as logos, bumpers or paint that give the model a more aggressive image are also expected.
The report published by the North American media indicates that This model will arrive on the market at the end of 2023 and will incorporate an architecture consisting of four electric motors, two on each axle, to provide intelligent traction to the vehicle. First, it is specified that these engines will be new and will be shared with the next generation of Rivian R1T there Rivian R1Swho estimate its arrival in 2024.
In the next generation of current models, two electric motors will be coupled under their bodywork to give a combined output of up to 600hp and 813Nm of peak torque. Which suggests that the new R1X, by having two additional electric motors, will double those specs to reach the 1,200 hp and 1,625 Nm of maximum torquewhich will give you little comparable advantage with any other model from competent brands.
However, this isn’t the first time that Rivian has announced a supposed rally-inspired high-performance model. In 2018, RJ Scaringe, CEO of the company, already mentioned the possibility of launching a vehicle with these characteristics. At the time, the official said that it would have a shorter wheelbase than the two models already knownhigher ground clearance, as well as significantly improved capabilities.
Although the published report speaks of a launch at the end of the year 2023, there is currently no official position on its presentation or its subsequent production, which should predictably occur in the months to come.