Rivian

The debut Rivian R1T electric pickup emerged from the Normal, Illinois plant in September 2021. Reaching that milestone required over ten years of effort, beginning in another state with an alternate company name and an entirely separate vehicle concept.

Started at father R.P. Scaringe's Mainstream Engineering site in Rockledge, Florida, young CEO R.J. Scaringe (age 26) first named the venture Mainstream Motors then switched to Avera. The aim centered on an economical hybrid sports car known as the R1.

The Scaringe family secured second mortgages to fund early development and brought on 15 engineers. An Avera site post highlighted supercar performance, striking design, reasonable cost, and efficiency surpassing the Prius, all in a compact 2+2 layout reminiscent of the Honda CR-Z.

In 2011 the firm faced a trademark challenge from Hyundai over the Avera name due to similarity with its Azera model, prompting a rebrand to Rivian. That summer designer Peter Stevens, known for the McLaren F1, was enlisted to update the R1 styling.

Why the sports car effort ended

Rivian

By late 2011, as the R1 neared production, Scaringe reviewed the launch strategy and found it unviable. The team scrapped the plan and restarted. Scaringe later told MIT the project failed to address a genuine market need, making the pivot necessary despite the disruption for a young company.

Over the next decade Rivian developed its electric truck, outpacing established automakers and Tesla. Today the firm produces the R1 lineup, has introduced the smaller R2, opened new facilities, and prepares the R3, activities that leave little room for low-volume coupes in a shrinking two-door segment.

Honda pursued comparable ideas with the CR-Z (2010-2016) and the revived Prelude, yet neither achieved strong sales. The Prelude moves roughly 300 units monthly, far below Rivian's 42,247 deliveries in 2025.

American buyers show limited interest in compact hybrid or electric coupes. Although the original R1 prototype offered appealing performance and design, Rivian's choice to prioritize trucks appears to have been the sound decision.