James Stephenson
Tesla Investor
Rivian is not worth betting on, since sustainable profitability requires selling many vehicles above its total cost per vehicle. Its CEO might achieve that, but whether he can is unknown. The R2 would also need its little-known brand promoted well enough to outsell the Ford Explorer by enough to cover the marketing expense. Investing in Rivian means shoveling money into the world's largest cash incinerator. x.com x.com x.com x.com
Rivian has yet to prove it can build cars profitably, and its self-driving effort is far more than two years behind Tesla's, a total dealbreaker. That rebuts @calistoker123's case that R2 is the second-best US EV and that Rivian, at a $23 billion market cap, could deserve $100 billion if it executes on R2, R3 and self-driving. x.com
Rivian's R2 is going to flop, because once a carmaker goes low cost it is game over. Rivian is burning massive cash while the auto market weakens fast on rates and inflation, and its $21B market cap should be closer to Lucid's. x.com
Rivian's Q3 results appear to have crushed expectations, adding a record revenue quarter to its growth case. At first glance, revenue was $2.16B versus $2B estimated, and the loss was $0.48 per share versus $0.74 estimated. x.com
Rivian's appeal depends on full self-driving, and its premium R1S is not targeted for FSD, which makes premium EV pricing hard to justify. CEO RJ Scaringe is smartly aiming FSD at the mass-market R2. The stock could take off, but only if a semi-capable FSD arrives on the R2 rather than on the strength of the vehicle itself. x.com
Rivian is underweight with a $9 December 2026 target because its $16.50 price assumes the R2 ramp, positive gross margins and Volkswagen money all arrive on time. Its 62,000–67,000 delivery guidance needs H2 quarterly deliveries to nearly double during the R2 launch. $6.1B of cash plus $2B from Volkswagen gives runway, but year-end cash hinges on execution; missing positive gross margins, guided for end-2026, by a quarter means dilution, by two a restructuring. Volkswagen limits the downside. … Show more
Rivian is positioned to be second only to Tesla in consumer autonomy, and R2 deliveries have finally begun. Self-driving is becoming real for those with the data and compute, Uber recently struck a deal with Rivian, and no automaker outside Tesla and Rivian has vertically integrated as far. It won't be a profitable machine soon, but the coming quarters will show whether R2 has its Model 3/Y moment, and after an 18% drop on dilution news a $20 billion valuation looks worth holding. x.com
Rivian's survival depends on demand it probably lacks: it must sell out full capacity at Normal and ramp Georgia, roughly 8x R1 sales, and 400,000-plus units a year of demand looks doubtful. EV demand is down and competition is up in 2026, while the significantly cheaper Model Y sold 357,000 units in the US. The R1 backlog was also cited as proof of high demand in 2021; time will tell. x.com x.com
Rivian is unappealing, as 37% whale accumulation on its monthly chart explains the stock's lack of price momentum. x.com
Rivian trades well below newly raised analyst targets after lifting its 2026 delivery outlook. Full-year guidance is now 65,000-70,000 vehicles, more than 30% growth, as R2 SUV deliveries began and the model drew a record 57,000 demo drives. Piper Sandler upgraded to $20, Deutsche Bank moved to $24 and TD Cowen raised to $21, against a $16.97 share price. R2 Premium arrives in late 2026, with the standard trim following in 2027. x.com
Rivian will follow Lucid toward bankruptcy because none of these EV companies can make a profitable vehicle. Lucid's stock crashed 30% in 30 minutes on bankruptcy reports, which Lucid denies. x.com x.com