R1S SUV

Make
Rivian
Segment
SUV

Rivian has yet to release its first production vehicle but the interest around this company may have you thinking that it's been selling cars for years. The R1T and R1S SUV were only revealed at the 2018 LA Auto Show last year and since then Amazon has invested $700 million in the Michigan-based EV manufacturer. An enthusiastic community has also been growing over the past year.

Mo Aoun, a graphic artist and clearly big fan of what the Rivian brand represents, has rendered two rather cool variants of the upcoming R1S SUV.

Aoun's first image takes the R1S and turns it literally and figuratively into an 'extreme electric green off-road SUV.' The massive wheels and revised suspension setup give the car huge ground clearance while the set of six roof-mounted spotlights should illuminate the darkest mountain pass.

The solid-steel bull bars upfront are unlikely to be fazed by anything short of a brick wall. The second image retains most of the off-roading equipment but tones the aggressive front-end down a bit and removes the massive spare wheel from the hood. Painted in white, this one is intended to be used as a Park Ranger vehicle.

Even with those huge wheels and additional weight, the claimed 754 horsepower and 826 lb ft of torque produced by the four electric motors should still see it capable of a 3-second 0-60 mph time. With both Tesla and Ford also at work developing their own all-electric pickup trucks, Rivian's R1S SUV and R1T truck will have to be as good as the claimed figures suggest to compete for market share when they begin production in 2020.

Rivian will be hosting a private viewing of its cars at the upcoming 2019 New York Auto Show and variants such as these designed by Aoun are just the sort of thing it needs to help it appeal to a broad spectrum of customers. Who wouldn't want an off-road EV that can out-accelerate a supercar?