Latest news with #Lucids
New York Post
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- New York Post
How Rivians became the ‘it' car in the Hamptons: ‘Everyone is dumping their Cybertruck'
Over the past year, a striking shift has occurred in the Hamptons, Palo Alto and other high-end enclaves: Teslas — and being in any away associated with Elon Musk — are out. Rivians and Lucids are in for those looking to signal their environmentally conscious bonafides. 'Everyone is dumping their Cybertruck — they are desperate to find someone to take them away,' Matthew Ammirati, founder of the Bridgehampton Motoring Company which works with high-end car collectors, told me. 3 Rivians have become the favorite of the elite eager to show they support electric vehicles but not Musk. Rivian Rivian's electric trucks are gaining traction among wealthy buyers simply because they have no association with Elon Musk (and by extension Donald Trump). This despite their premium sticker prices: R1T pickup trucks start at $70,000, while R1S SUVs start at $75,000 — roughly three times more than a base-model Tesla. According to Rivian, the company has 114,000 people on waitlist for their SUVs and trucks, with some customers being told they won't get their cars until 2026 — an indication that the cars are about status, not urgently needing a ride. 'On the high end, Rivians have become front and center,' Dan Ives, the Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst covering the Technology sector at Wedbush Securities, told me. 'You're seeing a lot more Rivians in East Hampton.' Rivian has even invested in a new charging station-store combination in the Hamptons, only the second of its kind globally. (The other is in Yosemite, California.) Just a year ago, Rivian faced severe financial struggles, with a declining stock price, deliveries dropping, and Elon Musk posting on X the company would end up bankrupt. Miraculously, the company turned around, thanks in part to a $5 billion Volkswagen partnership. 3 Rivian has invested not just in chargers in the Hamptons — but also an outpost with merchandise. Rivian Adventure Network Tracker / X The embrace of Rivian and Lucid vehicles, however, is really only possible for a handful of wealthy buyers given their penchant for breaking down so frequently. 'Rivians and Lucid are a nightmare from charging, insurance, accident — it would win most likely to get a car stuck on the beach,' Ammirati said. 3 Cybertrucks have gone from coveted — with thousands of people on the waitlist — to something very easily purchased on the secondary market as people ditch their Tesla products. Getty Images Travis Ketchum, who runs a software firm and reviews cars on the side out of Seattle, Wash., switched from a Tesla to a Rivian last year because of the politics rather than the quality of the car. While he doesn't regret it, he acknowledged that it has come with a number of setbacks. This story is part of NYNext, an indispensable insider insight into the innovations, moonshots and political chess moves that matter most to NYC's power players (and those who aspire to be). 'It's often months before your car can be seen [for repair at a dealership] and it'll be there days before people start working on it,' he said. He and his family have multiple back-up vehicles for when their Rivian breaks down While Rivian and Lucid appears to have overtaken Tesla in some exclusive enclaves, analysts suggest that Elon Musk is unperturbed by the loss of high-end buyers. It's 'not a bad thing for Tesla,' Ives noted. 'But now the Tesla customer is the masses — they are focused on a more reasonable price point and autonomous cars.' While Elon Musk's recent fissure with Donald Trump seems to benefit his share price, any sort of detente or reconciliation could actually be helpful long-term as Musk tries to get approval for his Robo-taxis and seeks possible government contracts for the vehicles. Send NYNext a tip: nynextlydia@
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Watch Suzuki Hayabusas Race Teslas, Lucids, And Other Fast EVs
Read the full story on Backfire News We love seeing interesting matchups on the drag strip, like taking Suzuki Hayabusas and putting them up against Teslas, Lucids, and other fast EVs. It's the sort of thing where your average person probably thinks they know what's going to happen, but the reality of these races isn't quite so that one explosive video of a Tesla Model S (we believe it was a P90D but it might have been a P100D) smoking a Dodge Challenger Hellcat hit YouTube a few years ago, getting shared just about everywhere, non-car people seem to believe EVs are ALWAYS faster than muscle cars, maybe even any car on the road. But what about sport bikes? And what about the mighty Suzuki Hayabusa? We don't expect your average person even knows what a Hayabusa is, let alone respects what it can do on the drag strip. But we do and we suspect you might, otherwise you wouldn't be here to see how these drag races shake out. The truth is these races went about how we expected. They're a mixed bag and two things seemed to make all the difference. In the first race and every race after with the same rider, the Hayabusa did well but struggled to come out on top. Part of that has to do with the rider obviously being inexperienced. Not only were his launches sloppy and slow, he didn't do a burnout, which is partly why his bike struggled to hook up. The second rider got that rear tire nice and hot, allowing him to nail it right off the line. Plus, his Suzuki has been modified for drag racing. That combination of a guy who knows what he's doing, a motorcycle that's fast out of the box, and the right modifications helps it even take down the mighty Tesla Model S Plaid. It honestly doesn't require that much skill to go drag racing in a modern EV. But on a Hayabusa, skill is the difference between an okay and a fantastic run. Image via Wheels/YouTube
