Rivian apparently removed the backrest ventilator from the R2 front seats, as recent owners discovered. The change quietly rolled out to vehicles, somewhere between VINs 9,800 and 10,000. While the carmaker said the change was meant to address ventilator noise in the cabin, owners are disappointed and see this as yet another cost-cutting move.
Rivian appears to make the same suicidal decisions that crippled the R1S and R1T's sales years ago. Back then, the carmaker hiked the price of its vehicles even for those who already paid in full, a move that it had to reverse and apologize for. Later, it embarked on a cost-cutting journey that saw many parts and features removed from the vehicles. These included the 12-volt outlets, the second low-voltage battery, the high-end audio system, and even the dual-tone horn.
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