Rivian, the investment

[Otolith]

This is an EV company that sells a fairly pricey truck and SUV. It has an IPO go live in November I believe. It is an expensive truck and a singular investment which are 2 things that go against much of the whitecoat mantra.

Regardless as an investment: Curious as to peoples thoughts on this company, next tesla?, bigger than tesla?, anyone buying?

[Random1]

Does Rivian make money?

Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe. ... Along with generating revenue from vehicle sales Rivian said it will also make money from selling regulatory pollution credits to other automakers.Oct 1, 2021

Do they actually make money selling trucks ?

If I was going to buy a 70,000 pickup , I would go with the Ford F150 Lightning , so now I wouldn't buy a Rivian Truck, mainly because I usually plan on keeping my vehicle for an extended period of time, I would expect ford to be here in 5 years , but maybe not Rivian.

As far as IPOs, never seem to be the best move financially

[Nysoz]

The problem with Rivian is what it's seeking for an IPO price. Last I saw they were looking for an $80B valuation. That's more than Ford or the same as GM while making 1.5 trucks a day currently. It took 10 years for Tesla to reach that market cap after selling their first cars and to be profitable.

All these EV companies are trying to reach TSLA type valuations without the profit, profit margins, path for growth. Also trying for the same valuations without the vertical integration and other potential areas of expansion such as AI, autonomy, energy lotto tickets.

I think the trucks will sell well, but how long will it take for them to turn a profit or scale production is unknown.

I wouldn't invest in it, but it might be worth trying to trade since with any IPO hype there's money to be made or lost.

[TheDangerZone]

As a “car guy,” I like the truck. Automotive journalists absolutely love the truck. It might be my next daily driver someday.

None of that makes me want to own the stock. There does seem to be hype to get in on the ground floor of the next Tesla but who knows if there will ever be a next Tesla? Risk reward as with any other individual stock. I’ll pass.

[Kamban]

Rivian and Lucid

Two EV companies that are just hyped up. One is hyping a cool 510 mile range expensive car and another a cool SUV and pick up that yells adventure. Neither is in any position to scale up production to numbers needed to make money. But one is supported by the Saudis and another by Ford and Amazon and PE investors.

I don't think I would buy either one or its stock till things shake up and the pretenders are thrown to the wayside.

[TheTodd]

I wouldn't touch these with a 10 foot pole. Even if the truck is great, they don't have the production capacity, vertical integration, or to my knowledge, unique tech that makes them able to compete with the big boys.

Tesla has several advantages over new EV makers. First mover advantage, production experience, battery tech advantage, battery production, established repair/showroom networks, software/autopilot, the list goes on. Legacy automakers share many of those advantages now that they are upping their EV game. I just don't see why this expensive Rivian truck will sell when you can buy an electric F150 for almost half the price that has an established brand, dealer, and repair network behind it.

[The White Coat Investor]

I'll buy it when VTSAX does.

[CordMcNally]

There could be some money made in the short term, as could be the case with nearly everything. As far as a true investment...pass.

[MPMD]

i felt a lot more interested in Rivian before Ford announced the Lightning
they do look really cool though

[xraygoggles]

It's speculative sure, but it could surely have an irrational increase in stock price based on hype alone - that sorta thing seems to be occurring fairly frequently, don't you think?

[Otolith]

i felt a lot more interested in Rivian before Ford announced the Lightning
they do look really cool though

Stock Ford lightning comes with ~230 range. Plus they say "starting at" $$$ no way it will be half the price of Rivian.

When Ford can make an electric truck that can actually tow long distances and have decent range then you are right it will be a hit. Until then the people that would buy a lightening or electric truck have money and are same ones who would buy a raptor. When it comes down to it are they really going to think the lightning is better than rivian?

People already spend 50k + on trucks easy. Also my thoughts are a lot of people buy tundra and 250s for the power. Rivian will blow them out of the water...

[Mitchel674]

I'm an early Rivian deposit holder. Still no delivery date for my vehicle, but I am cautiously optimistic it may arrive before the end of 2022.

They have offered deposit holders pre-IPO pricing for up to 175 shares. With huge losses ($2B last year) and no hope for near term profitability, this is my type of investment!

[Nysoz]

If you can get in at the pre ipo price it’s definitely worth the gamble due to the hype.

Definitely let us know how the truck is!

[CordMcNally]

I'm an early Rivian deposit holder. Still no delivery date for my vehicle, but I am cautiously optimistic it may arrive before the end of 2022.

They have offered deposit holders pre-IPO pricing for up to 175 shares. With huge losses ($2B last year) and no hope for near term profitability, this is my type of investment!

If you can sell immediately that may not be an awful idea for fun money.

[Mitchel674]

If you can get in at the pre ipo price it’s definitely worth the gamble due to the hype.

Definitely let us know how the truck is!

Oh, I'm going to buy all the shares I can at this price with some fun money. There is no restriction on selling them.

I will post about the truck if it ever materializes!