Last week, electric SUV and truck manufacturer Rivian made headlines by revealing two upcoming models – the R2 that’s effectively a scaled down version of their current R1 SUV, and a smaller offering dubbed R3 and R3X. While the R2 may have been more interesting to investors watching Rivian stock prices, it was the R3 that seemed to grab the attention of automotive enthusiasts for its resemblance to 80’s rally cars and hot hatches.
Rivian’s chief designer Jeff Hammoud discussed what influenced the design of the R3X with Road & Track magazine at the Laguna Beach launch of the R2 and R3 models. Regarding the R3 he stated, “The brief I gave the design team was like, we need this to be our Solo Rally Car. So on our image boards, we had the (Lancia) Delta Integrale and the Audi quattro coupe from that era.”
However, Hammoud didn’t want it to be retro. He was seeking, “more of that nostalgic feeling where it looks modern, but where it looks like it’s from the future, and past, at the same time.”
Hammoud isn’t the only one keying into nostalgia for ’80s design. Hyundai went similarly angular and boxy with its Ioniq 5 production model and N Vision 74 concept designed by Giugiaro, also harkening the also Giugiaro designed 1974 Hyundai Pony Coupe concept. At that time in the 1970s, Giugiaro was pushing a shift to these boxy wedge-shaped designs. He’d worked with Karmann on his Audi Asso di Picche concept a year earlier in 1973. By 1978, his influence on the B2 Audi 80 was seen as it entered production. That car would spawn a Coupe GT variant that would also evolve into the quattro with its all-wheel drive, turbocharger and iconic box flares.
Back to Rivian, the EV truck maker hasn’t yet announced pricing or timing of the R3 to make production, but the order books for the $45,000 R2 are now open with expected delivery in 2-years. It seems reasonable to assume the R3 will cost less than the R2 and likely won’t beat it to market. Those on hand at the event describe the R2 as effectively the size of an Audi Q3, which is appreciably smaller than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 that may look like a hot hatch but is actually a mid-sized crossover.
For car enthusiasts, the question is more about whether this return to boxy design is more than a stand alone model at Hyundai where the style is referred to as “geometric design”. Brands like Audi have a rich heritage in these sorts of forms, which is obvious when you look at the R3 and consider what design its creative team was inspired by and seeking to harken. The ur quattro was legend, while the singlefram grille is now 20 years in production. Audi has just hired a new designer, and it also outright owns Giorgetto Giugiaro’s former studio ItalDesign. If any brands can authentically lay claim to geometric design, we believe Audi must be near the head of that line.
