Rivian’s newly revealed R3 (and R3X) have sparked comparisons to iconic hot hatches from the ’80s, but according to Jeff Hammoud, Rivian’s chief design officer, the resemblance to Group B rally cars is intentional.
Hammoud explained, “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 Delta Integrale and the Audi Quattro coupe from that era.”
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Despite drawing inspiration from these rally legends, Hammoud emphasized that the R3 manages to avoid being a mere copycat, aiming instead to appear “like it’s from the future and the past at the same time.”
The R3 represents a significant step for Rivian, pushing the brand beyond traditional American-sized vehicles and towards a more global footprint. Hammoud expressed his hope that the high-performance R3X variant will appeal to traditional petrol-heads, convincing them to consider an electric Rivian.
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He said, “If you think about EVs, it’s not a matter of if everything goes to electric. It’s a matter of when. And so how do you still invoke an emotion and still get people excited about something so different. With cars like R3, maybe we’ll be able to convince guys like us that have been around, and are petrol-heads, to give it a try.”
