Livian It was named in 2018 when it unveiled the R1T, one of its first electric pickup trucks. It followed its build on the same platform, R1S, and then a passionate fan base around the brand celebrating Adventure and The Outdoors.
Now I’m preparing for the next chapter using R2, R1S SUV’s smaller spin, R2, and R3, a rally-inspired hatchback.
“Many people were surprised by the R3,” Libian’s chief design officer Jeff Hammaud told CNBC. “That’s not something that I think a lot of people guessed that Libian would have done… that was the important thing we were trying to show.
The new vehicle, announced last March, is part of Libian’s strategy to reach a wider market for electric vehicles, which now starts at more than $70,000.
The R2, which the company says will start at around $45,000, but is expected to enter production at its Illinois manufacturing facility by the end of this year.
“R1 was designed through additions, but we had to look at R2 through subtraction,” says Hammoud. “What can we remove or take away, and do we still maintain the spirit of our products and brand?”
The R2 and R3 are coming right after a difficult time for automakers.
Low demand, high costs and if the US cancels EV credits, it could cause trouble for Libian. But that doesn’t stop the company from breaking into Georgia’s new $5 billion factory. Next generation vehicles will be built there.
“We are the first to launch the R2 at our Illinois facility, which is actually a site that expands production worldwide. We will build it in a 400,000-unit factory,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe told CNBC’s Phil Lebeau in September at the factory’s construction site.
CNBC received unusual access inside the Libian Design Lab in Irvine, California, to see how the company forms its distinctive vehicle. See how EV makers approach the design of their adventure-driven EV lineup. This includes a backstory about how the iconic headlights were thought of.
“They were controversial,” recalls John Volker, the editor of car and drivers. “It took people a while to get through it, and I think it’s smart in that it’s difficult to make your truck unique.
Watch the video to learn about Libian’s design approach and plans to expand the adventure-themed EV brand.
