Simple, but effective – add a surfboard poking out the back for extra downforce
You can sit about in your polo neck discussing the merits and references of various car designs until the cows come home, but the greats – the ones that still look good decades on – slap instantly. As proved when Rivian invited the media to Laguna Beach in March to see its R2 – the first car on a new mid-sized platform, the golden goose designed to catalyse sales and take Rivian beyond US borders. The Important One. Except the moment CEO RJ Scaringe revealed his ‘one more thing’ surprise, the R2 became a sideshow.
Here was the R3, and you couldn’t take your eyes off it – a compact crossover mashing together just about every body style and era you can imagine, with a production model promised in 2027 costing from $35,000. And you’d be forgiven for assuming the R3’s reduced proportions and styling were tailored specifically for Euro tastes. Nope, the Americans in the room went just as nuts.