Rivian executives revealed at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference that the company’s upcoming Gen 3 autonomy hardware will be split into two performance tiers. The lower-tier hardware will actually cost less to produce than the current Gen 2 setup, while the higher-tier version will cost about the same or slightly more. While official trim assignments haven't been confirmed, the cheaper package is expected to power base models like the R2 Standard, with the higher-tier system reserved for Premium and Performance trims. Rivian's autonomy software is already running on its proprietary RAP1 chip, and leadership noted they are open to licensing the chip outside the automotive sector to robotics companies.

Operationally, Rivian remains on track for its broader production and autonomy targets. Point-to-point autonomous driving is still scheduled to launch late this year, with engineers currently fine-tuning the AI model to drive naturally in everyday traffic while handling complex road scenarios like construction zones. To support vehicle delivery goals and hit positive automotive gross margins by the end of Q4, the automaker is adding a second shift at its Normal, Illinois manufacturing plant before the end of Q3.