Rivian (RIVN) R1S cracks top 5 best-selling EVs in Q4 just as EV leasing heats up
Rivian’s R1S electric SUV was the fifth best-selling EV in the US in the fourth quarter. Last year saw a surge in EV leasing, and Rivian just introduced the option on the R1S earlier this year. Can leasing bump Rivian up even further?
Rivian R1S surges as EV leasing rolls out
Rivian’s R1S was the seventh best-selling EV in the US last year. According to data from auto research firm Kelley Blue Book, Rivian handed over nearly 24,800 R1S models in 2023.
The electric “Adventure Vehicle” broke the top five in the fourth quarter as EV leasing surged to a new record.
New data from Xperian’s State of the Automotive Finance Market Report Q4 2023 shows Rivian’s electric was the fifth best-selling EV in the US last quarter. The achievement comes despite Rivian introducing leasing for the R1S just last month.
Rivian’s electric SUV claimed 3.4% of EV sales in Q4, topped only by the Tesla Model Y (31.9%), Tesla Model 3 (17.6%), VW ID.4 (3.9%), and Ford Mustang Mach-E (3.4%).
SUVs, in general, dominated in the fourth quarter, pulling market share from pickups and sedans with almost 63% of financing.
The data shows electric vehicles accounted for 8.55% of new retail sales. That’s up from 7.1% a year ago.
“New incentive and rebate programs, combined with more affordable options hitting the market, have resulted in a broader range of consumers choosing EV,” Melinda Zabritski, Experian’s head of auto financial insights, explained.
Over 30% of EV consumers chose to lease their vehicles. That’s a new record, up from only 9.8% in 2022 and 19.3% in 2021.
Meanwhile, Rivian introduced leasing for the R1S in January, opening up a new option for shoppers.
Because of this, Rivian’s R1S was by far the lowest leased EV of the top-selling models. With just 0.94% of R1S shoppers choosing the leasing option, the R1S was far behind the Mach-E (39%), ID.4 (74.5%), Model 3 (14%), and Model Y (9%).
Other top-selling EVs with consumers primarily choosing to lease include the BMW iX (91%), BMW i4 (79%), Nissan Ariya (78%), Hyundai IONIQ 6 (64%), Kia EV6 (57%), and Hyundai IONIQ 5 (49%).
Electrek’s Take
Can leasing push the Rivian R1S past Ford’s Mach-E or the ID.4 over the next few quarters? Rivian has a planned shutdown in Q2 that will impact production.
Due to this, the EV maker expects output to remain flat, with about 57,000 deliveries in 2024. However, Rivian’s CFO, Claire McDonough, explained the company is boosting its R1 line rate by about 30% to compensate.
Ford, on the other hand, is pulling back. The automaker’s CFO, John Lawler, said Ford took “out some Mustang Mach-E production” in October.
Ford’s CEO Jim Farley mentioned a “seismic change” in the EV market earlier this month amid “a ton of new capacity” flowing into the electric SUV segment.
Rivian will introduce its more affordable R2 electric SUV on March 5 as the brand expands into new markets.
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Environment
Uber launches true driverless robotaxi operations in the Middle East with WeRide [Video]
![Uber launches true driverless robotaxi operations in the Middle East with WeRide [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/Uber-Middle-East-WeRide.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Just over a year after Uber announced a strategic partnership in the Middle East with autonomous vehicle specialist WeRide, the companies have officially begun offering the public robotaxi rides without a driver or safety operator present on board.
Today’s latest milestone involving robotaxi operations in the Middle East dates back to September 2024, when Uber and WeRide initially announced a strategic partnership to bring autonomous rides to the UAE.
Three months later, the partner officially launched autonomous rides in Abu Dhabi, but with a safety operator present in the vehicle. At the time, Uber and WeRide said the supervised rides were “laying the groundwork” for a true driverless commercial operations planned for 2025.
That day has come.
WeRide and Uber have confirmed that commercial robotaxi operations are officially underway in Abu Dhabi without any safety operators on board – a first for the Middle East.
Uber rolls out Middle East robotaxi operations in Abu Dhabi
Uber shared details of its latest milestone late this evening or in the afternoon in the Middle East, depending on where you are.
Beginning today (Wednesday) customers in Abu Dhabi can select an UberX or Uber Comfort ride that enables them to be matched with a fully autonomous WeRide robotaxi without a driver inside. Riders in the Middle East can also increase their chances of hailing one of these driverless rides by select the “Autonomous” option in the Uber app.
In order to qualify, the prosepctive rider’s route must be part of WeRide’s operating territory in Abu Dhabi and a dedicated WeRide GXR Robotaxi vehicle (seen in the featured image above) must be available.
Similar to Uber’s partnership with Waymo in Austin and Atlanta, the global rideshare network will oversee fleet operations for WeRide vehicles, handling end-to end rider support. It has tapped Tawasul Transport to facilitate vehicle cleaning, maintenance, inspections, charging, and depot management. WeRide will remain responsible for vehicle testing.
As you may recall last spring, Uber and WeRide announced an expansion to their strategic partnership beyond the Middle East (although Dubai will be the city for its next robotaxi rollout). Over the next five years, Uber and WeRide intend to deploy true driverless public rides in 15 additional cities, some of which will be in Europe.
As promised, here’s some b-roll footage from Uber showing how riders in Abu Dhabi can order a WeRide robotaxi:
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Metro Detroit is about to get a big boost of fast EV chargers, with more than 40 new ChargePoint ports set to come online across multiple sites owned by the Dabaja Brothers Development Group.
The first ultra-fast charging site just opened in Canton, Michigan. It’s owned and operated by Dabaja Brothers, who plan to follow it with additional ChargePoint-equipped locations in Dearborn and Livonia.
“We started this project because we saw a gap in our community – there was almost nowhere to charge an EV in Canton, and a similar lack of charging across metro Detroit,” said Yousef Dabaja, owner/operator at Dabaja Brothers.
Each metro Detroit site will feature ChargePoint Express Plus fast charging stations, which can deliver up to 500 kW to a single port, can fast-charge two vehicles at the same time, and are compatible with all EVs. The stations feature a proprietary cooling system to deliver peak charging speeds for sustained periods, ensuring that charging speed remains consistent.
The stations operate on the new ChargePoint Platform, which enables operators to monitor performance, adjust pricing, troubleshoot issues, and gain real-time insights to keep chargers running smoothly.
Rick Wilmer, CEO at ChargePoint, said, “This initiative will rapidly infill the ‘fast charging deserts’ across the Detroit area, allowing drivers to quickly recharge their vehicles when and where they need to.”
Read more: ChargePoint just gave its EV charging software a major AI upgrade
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Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging and Starbucks have officially opened their first DC fast charging hub together, off the I-5 in Red Bluff, California.
The 400 kW Mercedes-Benz chargers are capable of adding up to 300 miles in 10 minutes, depending on the EV, and every stall has both NACS and CCS cables – they’re fully open DC fast chargers.
Mercedes-Benz HPC North America, a joint venture between subsidiaries of Mercedes-Benz Group and renewable energy producer MN8 Energy, first announced in July 2024 that it would install DC fast chargers at Starbucks stores along Interstate 5, the main 1,400-mile north-south interstate highway on the US West Coast from Canada to Mexico. Ultimately, Mercedes plans to install fast chargers at 100 Starbucks stores across the US.
Mercedes-Benz HPC opened its first North American charging site at Mercedes-Benz USA’s headquarters in Sandy Springs, Georgia, in November 2023 as part of an initial $1 billion charging network investment. As of the end of 2024, Mercedes had deployed over 150 operational fast chargers in the US, but it hasn’t disclosed an official number of how many chargers are currently online.
Andrew Cornelia, CEO of Mercedes-Benz HPC North America, is leaving the company at the end of the month to become global head of electrification & sustainability at Uber.
Read more: Mercedes-Benz is deploying 400 kW US-made EV fast chargers with CCS and NACS cables
If you’re looking to replace your old HVAC equipment, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you’re finding a trusted, reliable HVAC installer near you that offers competitive pricing on heat pumps, check out EnergySage. EnergySage is a free service that makes it easy for you to get a heat pump. They have pre-vetted heat pump installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions. Plus, it’s free to use!
Your personalized heat pump quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here. – *ad
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
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