A few days ago, YouTuber Marques Brownlee sat down with Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe on his WVFRM podcast and gained some new insight into the upcoming smaller models from the company, specifically the R2 and a new platform called the R3. Trademarks have shown the company has quite a few smaller models in the works, and even these next two are a ways off, but that doesn't mean we aren't analyzing every tidbit we can to figure out what we're in store for.

Now besides the R2 conjuring images of everyone's favorite astromech, Scaringe says it and the R3 are set to cater to new audiences for the automaker but will "continue to take the essence of what we've done here [in the R1S/R1T] in terms of how you can fit your gear and your pets and do it in a refined and fun way in different packages and in smaller form factors."

He goes into the company's ethos of wanting the cars to appear made by "millions of decisions" made by one united team, even when teams are adding to or subtracting from the cars. One of the benefits of starting with $90,000 SUVs and trucks is that the company is able to add tons of unique features and powertrain options to bring people in because the cost is much less of an issue. You don't have that luxury on models that may aim to cost $40,000-$50,000 less.

"On a vehicle with a cost target, you have to decide where you're going to spread your investment," CEO Scaringe says. "Do you want to put $1,000 into the interior, into the hood, do you want to put it into the chassis, do you want to put it into the range? So there is this complex web of trade-offs."

He goes on to say the company is having huge debates surrounding the R2 platform and where to spend the money because it is a "much lower cost" platform compared to the R1T and R1S. The main goal is to distill what the company stands for down to its core and to innovate from there, but not "diluting it down to where there's no personality or excitement."

Obviously, this is going to be a very new direction for the company, one that has the potential to really break it if it gets it wrong. Fortunately, amid production issues and reopening contract talks with its biggest buyer Amazon, the company is showing record production numbers on pace to produce a healthy 50,000 vehicles this year. If the company can really solidify its production process and focus on the designs of the cars, as he says, we may be in for something special when they hit the market in a few years.