Rivian truck

[special-K]

I still believe in an actual steel bumper, and I'm not into modern design, but I see a tough truck. I'm not sure but I think it's a Tesla concept.

[whitedog76]

How about this one? It's called the Atlis. It is truly a concept vehicle, currently. They're supposedly going to offer it in a full gauntlet of options. Which include, long bend, short bed, crew cab, dually, etc... If you look at their propaganda, the only thing they've got mastered is Photoshop at this point.

[special-K]

I always laugh at these contrived names. What is an Atlis? Why not just go ahead and call it Atlas and make it hold up to the name? Anyway, I see a different styling on what is offered now as a truck. Different body configurations is cool, just as trucks have been offered. Offering a true light truck line should include the three series, half ton, three quarter ton, and one ton. Is this the same company? The picture I showed was associated with a broad based article covering different brands, with that picture at the heading. I didn't read through, but I think I saw mention that it's a Tesla design. Encouraging.

[TruDom]

Well OP - i am with you. personally i am happy for the EV push.

majority of the comments are what i expected from this board. nothing wrong with that; i just find them as ridiculous as the people that argue ford vs chevy like they built the brand.

I do agree with a number of the sentiments. the rivian truck is designed for young families and not actual tough truck work. but thats the majority of trucks sold now, full cab with tiny beds for grocery getting.

mostly happy to see new car companies popping up and taking a stab at the market. the US needs to be more than 3 companies.

[jeffahart]

Originally Posted by special-K

Ok, just to show I'm not a completely close minded head stuck in the past old croney, I was searching for Corvettes converted to pickup (not too far off from this Rivian thing) and I came across this. If this is where trucks are headed in the future............ doesn't bother me a bit! Looks like it's made to haul, and that defines a truck in my eyes (or book )

Attachment 1867043

BTW, I started a thread called "Not Just El Caminos" for pictures and discussion on other vehicles that also fit the "car vs truck" debate.

Imagine if they snubbed the nose a bit more and made a retractable front bumper that raised up when off-roading. Great approach with massive visibility of what's right in front of you. If they really designed for heads up utility I bet you could see the Military take a look at an electric version of a CUCV. Then we would see some offroad configurations that really start to look like something capable. The opportunity for weight balance is better too. Will be fun to watch.


j

[whitedog76]

Originally Posted by special-K

I always laugh at these contrived names. What is an Atlis? Why not just go ahead and call it Atlas and make it hold up to the name? Anyway, I see a different styling on what is offered now as a truck. Different body configurations is cool, just as trucks have been offered. Offering a true light truck line should include the three series, half ton, three quarter ton, and one ton. Is this the same company? The picture I showed was associated with a broad based article covering different brands, with that picture at the heading. I didn't read through, but I think I saw mention that it's a Tesla design. Encouraging.

The "Atlis" truck is being developed by an Arizona company. No relation to the Rivian folks. They're making big promises, but if you google them, they're looking for investors. So, I'm skeptical of anything coming out of it.

BTW- Here's the reason they can't call it, "Atlas."

[special-K]

Oh, ok. Maybe they should call it Atless

[Coley]

I'm pretty sure that the business plan for most of these vehicles is never to go into actual production.
The idea is to develop the technology far enough so that is has a measure of market viability (maybe...or approximate), then sell it out and off to one of the major brands.

It is very, very unlikely that a 'new' automotive brand would the ability, money and business stamina to set up the national/international requirements to sell, service and support a new vehicle.
The big manufacturers would tho'....and they are always keen to absorb a new possible idea if it has merit.

This is basically the mechanical equipment of the dot.com idea......ie: get is started, make it look like a possible money maker...then sell it off.

Coley

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by Coley

I'm pretty sure that the business plan for most of these vehicles is never to go into actual production.
The idea is to develop the technology far enough so that is has a measure of market viability (maybe...or approximate), then sell it out and off to one of the major brands.

It is very, very unlikely that a 'new' automotive brand would the ability, money and business stamina to set up the national/international requirements to sell, service and support a new vehicle.
The big manufacturers would tho'....and they are always keen to absorb a new possible idea if it has merit.

You just may have nailed it, Coley. Amazon has already invested in Rivian, not sure about others. And today, none other than Ford bought in to the tune of $500 million.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...paign=16677927

[Grumpy old man]

Here's the new tent to go with the truck . https://www.amazon.com/HUKOER-luxuri...61398229&psc=1

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Here's the new tent to go with the truck . https://www.amazon.com/HUKOER-luxuri...61398229&psc=1

I bet it's hot in that bubble!!

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Here's the new tent to go with the truck . https://www.amazon.com/HUKOER-luxuri...61398229&psc=1

That "tent' looks like something to grow pot in.

[fecklessgadfly]

The vehicle in the original post fits the same niche as the old Brat or Baja from Subaru. Enough space in the bed to put stuff that might mess up your carpet in the main area, and enough main area to carry people to the beach or from the city to a park.

It may be "truck" enough for a vendor in town or something, but it will never appeal to most of the people on this board.

I love older trucks. I appreciate newer designs that push limits, too. I'm not passionate enough over either to get angry about it.

I've often wondered what someone that grew up hand cranking an old Dodge Brothers engine would say about our modern conveniences like starters, 12 volt electric systems, and closed cabs.

[Stocker]

^^ Good observations. I don't get angry over something like the Rivian.... but I will never spend money on anything that ugly.

[shifty]

I say "bring it". I don't hafta like it. If there's a market for it, you'll see more. If not, you won't. Dollar is king.

Personally, I think trucks really started looking stupid when the cab became bigger than the bed. Now I think they look stupid because they're 40% larger in size (width/height etc.) than they were years ago, but they're not being used in any different way.

For example, in our world: https://www.cjponyparts.com/skin/fro...ory-header.jpg

If that C10 was pointing forward you'd see how radical things have changed.

Like, here we go, from Chevy Trucks twitter feed. What's on the left is sensible. That's a truck that'll get some work done. Why does the truck on the right need to have a hood that's almost as high up as the roof of the left? It's absurd. "Bigger is better" I guess.

[shifty]

Or here we go. Not apples to apples, but gets the message across. If I wanted a school bus, I'd have bought one already.

[CG]

Should say ... Old School / Flunked

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by shifty

Why does the truck on the right need to have a hood that's almost as high up as the roof of the left? It's absurd. "Bigger is better" I guess.

There seems to be a competition to have the most massive grille, which naturally pushes the hood skyward. I don't get it..... I have yet to see a monster grille that looks good on a pickup.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by shifty

I say "bring it". I don't hafta like it. If there's a market for it, you'll see more. If not, you won't. Dollar is king.

Except when it gets to where that junk is all that you can buy.

We were in town a couple days ago and drove past the Chevy dealer. I didn't see a one new single cab pickup on the lot. I suppose that's a special order now? Or do you have to be a fleet buyer to even get a single cab?

If I ever buy another new pickup, it absolutely must have an eight foot bed. I want to either put a camper shell on it and have enough room for a double bed and a footwell, or a slide-in "cowboy camper" or an 8' pop-up camper. I don't want a 30 foot long crew cab pickup.

[shifty]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

Except when it gets to where that junk is all that you can buy.

We were in town a couple days ago and drove past the Chevy dealer. I didn't see a one new single cab pickup on the lot. I suppose that's a special order now? Or do you have to be a fleet buyer to even get a single cab?

If I ever buy another new pickup, it absolutely must have an eight foot bed. I want to either put a camper shell on it and have enough room for a double bed and a footwell, or a slide-in "cowboy camper" or an 8' pop-up camper. I don't want a 30 foot long crew cab pickup.

I hate to state the obvious, but the world is and has been changing around us our whole lives. It's too bad I had to get so much older before I saw how much it changed. Payphones, Records and cassettes, fax machines, pagers, DVDs, phone books, dialup internet. All gone the way of the dodo bird. Just like single cab trucks and longbeds.

The unique thing about humans is we've survived for many thousands of years through our uncanny abilities of adaptation. You know the old saying, "adapt or die!"

We may not like the way things are headed, we may not agree with its direction, but we're going where the sea of change is taking us or we'll become obsolete and/or die trying to fight it. We all need to adapt and carve our niche out for ourselves and hope others see it and want a part of our vision so we can help steer that sea and survive.

The beautiful thing about the country we live in, our land of opportunity, is this: If you can't find it and you think there's a market for it, you can create it, market it, sell it or get involved with an entity that can. The sky is the limit (for now).

If you can't create it at that scale or break through big enough to control what you need to, you can always try to build it for yourself, either anew, or repurposing the old, and again, may your passion turn into a movement, I have faith in you. Again - freedom, honesty, and a hard day's work , what we stand for here - affords you that luxury.

If you ever find the last two paragraphs aren't true for some reason, we probably all need to be stopping and evaluating our choices, assess who is running things and whether they're running it for them and theirs to build more money and power or for us to thrive and grow. We need the latter, not the former.

Personally, I think there's a huge market in alternative-fuel retrofit kits for the trucks we love, fossil fuels are slowly getting nudged out. Like it or not, we have a choice ... We can harness that tech here, whether we think it's stupid or not, or we can let all of Asia or every other country make money off it.

Meanwhile, if we're being vocal about it and working to control that movement, we can also push our agenda for regular cab long beds

PS - hang out for another 20 years for the next cycle. Styles and trends keep coming back around and around and around... Wait for one of the companies to wise up and realize if they were just making trucks the way they were in the 70s - long, lean powerhouses but with modern tech - they'd be getting 30% more fuel economy and be a hot commodity.

We can always dream, right?

[1976gmc20]

PS - hang out for another 20 years for the next cycle. Styles and trends keep coming back around and around and around... Wait for one of the companies to wise up and realize if they were just making trucks the way they were in the 70s - long, lean powerhouses but with modern tech - they'd be getting 30% more fuel economy and be a hot commodity.

Well, I probably don't have another 20 years - at least not active enough to be wanting/needing a pickup.

It does seem beyond strange that with all the big fuss about fuel economy and "sustainability" and all that, that the new half ton pickups for instance weigh more empty than the max GVW in say, 1970.

[shifty]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

It does seem beyond strange that with all the big fuss about fuel economy and "sustainability" and all that, that the new half ton pickups for instance weigh more empty than the max GVW in say, 1970.

Oooh, I've got some choice words to share on that topic.

One trend that pisses me off more than anything: Radicalization.
Two main things at fault for us: Technology and deregulation of media.

What you're describing is a product of all that.

Blame Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or cable news, they're all incentivized to push an agenda of what you (i.e. anyone interested or subscribing to their message) need to think and like. Big Money controls those outlets and has a vested interest in using them to grow bigger and bigger, controlling more and more feeds so they can gain access to more minds.

No surprise, Big Money also drives production. They're smart. They know how to draw people in. They use polarization, encourage people to question anything that differs from what's being said in their respective outlet. They need to interest you in what lines their pocket and can't do so effectively if you're distracted by other viewpoints and messages.

So they radicalize people and reduce any sense of reason and tolerance we have left. When they've got you there, right where they want you, the agenda of Big Money that's backing those outlets easily slides right into your head to shape what you to think, do, feel. It's like an opiate for the masses.

Their message is simple: Consume. Bigger is better. Spend. This is your image, embrace it. Hate and question anyone who doesn't subscribe to the same. Different is evil. Those are tools they use to help us justify things that were previously unjustifiable to us, "what was once a sheep is now suddenly a wolf, trust us".

Even if it doesn't feel right, you can't question it because they've convinced you "questioning is bad", "we don't talk about those things", "discourse is bad", "don't talk to anyone from another side, you may be infected and become one of them". Instead, they give everyone in their attention stream catchphrases to use to describe people with differing opinions: "Hippie", "Yuppie", "Snowflake", "Redneck", "Ghetto", "Freeloader", etc. Basically, "The enemy".

They're essentially leveraging the powers of distraction and division to advance their efforts.

Like so many things, eventually the pendulum swings too far in one direction and suddenly it becomes blatantly obvious what's going on. Things become way less "practical" and more of "radical race to keep up with the Joneses". A reset is necessary. Resets are really damn hard though, especially when it requires buy-in from individuals and is ultimately a David Vs. Goliath battle. Lots of pressure from all the stuff outlined above above weighing on the masses, "driving the sea" if you will.

Wouldn't it be amazing if a car manufacturer moved outside the box, stepped up, and made something without a schoolbus-sized front end? Drop a tuned-down torquey V8 into a 1990s sized S10/S15 or Toyota T100 chassis and put an 8ft bed on it? Gloat about how it gets 40mpg and is still perfectly capable of hauling your boat, tow your car, haul your work trailer, carry a load of bricks?

But wait ... that's not what Big Oil wants! Our leaders and Big Money are friends & family with Big Oil, so good luck marketing and selling what we actually need! IT doesn't consume enough, so profits aren't maximized, that's no good. Besides, it's smaller than what the Joneses have, and size matters don't you know, 'cause Big Media told me so.

It's all dumb. "Capitalism".

I bucked the system. I bought nice, used '98 GMT400 and not a brand new Tacoma or something, though. I really missed my '03 GMT800 and the GMT400 seemed like a good inexpensive replacement. Too bad I couldn't find it in a longbed. With kids, needed the extra cab space, so I guess I just get to suffer with the front end being bigger than the back-end.



PS: My logic may be flawed. It's possible I'm on them Big Money opiates too. Don't touch my tinfoil hat!

[kingsolver72]

My grandpa was a dairy farmer that had a truck for work and a car for going in to town. The truck was a 1969 3/4 t, four speed manual, bare bones no trim plain jane truck. He would haul hogs in the back with a stock rack to the sale barn. Pull hay wagons. Anything that needed repaired in the field he used that truck. The last car they owned was a 1972 Monte Carlo. He is where I got my passion for trucks. He is probably the reason I’m a member on this site. He was a no nonsense man. I remember when I was young watching a royals game with him and an auto dealership commercial came on talking about come on down and we will save you money. My grandpa looked at me and said “the only way to save money is to not spend it”.
He didn’t follow trends and was wise with his money. A truck was nothing more than something you put to work.
I currently have two trucks. A 1972 c-10. Very bare bones and a 1999 Silverado. I’ve done a couple jobs out of my 72. But I don’t work it that much. I just like the truck. I drive the 99 most of the time. I’ve never put it to work yet but I like the better gas mileage, it’s an automatic and a lot more comfortable than the 72.

I’m not too concerned with what other people want in a truck or why but I do find the topic interesting. “Everyone is different”

[1976gmc20]

Wouldn't it be amazing if a car manufacturer moved outside the box, stepped up, and made something without a schoolbus-sized front end? Drop a tuned-down torquey V8 into a 1990s sized S10/S15 or Toyota T100 chassis and put an 8ft bed on it? Gloat about how it gets 40mpg and is still perfectly capable of hauling your boat, tow your car, haul your work trailer, carry a load of bricks?

Have you heard about the Mahindra "Roxor" now for sale in the USA that is basically a replica of the Jeep CJ5 with a little diesel engine?

The only problem is that it is sold as an "off road vehicle" and is speed limited to 45 mph. But in lots of states you can register an ORV and drive it on public roads.

For the $15-20K they are asking, I would sure buy something like that over one of these "side by side" ATVs

Doesn't solve the pickup problem, though....

[weq92f]

.
All this talk about a workin' man and his truck(s). Well... in my neck of the woods, the workin' man has made a transition to half ton and three quarter ton vans. That's right...what we see around here are men driving these white vans pulling trailers with their construction materials rather than trucks.

It's not a 100% switch over, but it's a very large percentage!

I figure it's a cost/availability thing for these guys choosing to go with the vans. They are available and not as expensive as the trucks on the used market.

Remember the discussion recently about the 2019 Silverado styling? The same applies to this little Rivian ?truck?

-klb