#EV Company #Canoo To Build Roomy Van And Delivery Truck [Auto Styling News]

[Auto Styling News] 

You've heard of Tesla, but now get ready for Canoo.

Canoo is a Los Angeles-based company that has developed electric vehicles, as well.

Canoo says it has designed "a modular platform purpose-built to deliver maximum vehicle interior space and adaptable to support a wide range of vehicle applications for consumers and businesses."

In the beginning it will offer consumers would it cals a lifestyle vehicle and we'll also produce a delivery truck, called a "multi-purpose delivery vehicle."

The company won the Red Dot Design Award 2020: "Best of the Best" for concept design in the transportation and mobility category.

Based on Canoo’s proprietary electric platform, the vehicle will be offered in two initial size variants, with others to follow. 

Its all-electric multi-purpose delivery vehicle will be priced starting at around $33,000. Limited availability will begin in 2022, with scaled production and launch planned for 2023. Pricing and availability of the consumer-focused lifestyle vehicle have not yet been released on the company's website.

Customers can pre-order the multi-purpose delivery vehicle for a refundable deposit of $100 per vehicle.

The delivery truck will be a lot squarer then the consumer vehicle. Which makes sense, because it will be easier to install shelves in the truck that resembles an Amazon delivery truck then in one that resembles a pill.

Let talk about the design of the consumer vehicle - the minivan.

You can't accuse it of being ugly. In fact, it resembles a beautiful Tylenol tablet. The front is roundly curved oh, and the back of the thing is almost exactly the same shape.

In fact, owners will probably complain that they have trouble walking to the front of the vehicle when they get out of the store, because they continually walk to the rear instead.

The headlamps and the tail lamps resemble the letter T on its side. They are quite stunning, in part because they are unlike anything on the market today. In fact, this vehicle will not be mistaken for any other

vehicle that has ever existed. Although one can say it resembles, if you squint and use your imagination, a Toyota Previa minivan, which graced American roads from 1991 to 1997. 

The roof panel consists entirely of glass, which is becoming more and more common especially in luxury vehicles. In fact, the vehicle will have 22 windows in total. Visibility in this thing will be amazing!

The safari windows appear above where the normal four windows of the vehicle are. And in the front of the vehicle, where the dashboard usually would sit, a window will allow drivers and passengers to see through roadway ahead of them, and pedestrians, more clearly.

The company says there will only be one color offered for the vehicle, black, which brings to mind Ford Motor Company's hesitation - well, Henry Ford's - to offer any colors back in the early 1900s. (They finally relented, of course, and Model A's were offered in the spectrum of colors by the 1920s.)

However the cars will be offered with the option of wraps, and I'm sure the aftermarket for wraps will be hot if this car takes off.

Despite the push-me-pull-you jokes that are inevitable for people who remember the original Doctor Doolittle film, the car is actually quite handsome and striking from a distance. That alone is likely to how many people in and get them to plunk down $100 to reserve one, or invest in the company's stock (GOEV) which is already trading near $15.50  a share. 

At the time this blog was written, Tesla was hovering around $660 a share. Imagine if you had bought it at $15 a share?

It's very easy to get excited about this vehicle, and about this company and it's rather stunning looking vehicles. But the recent troubles with EV carmaker Nikola, which just lost a huge contract to build electric garbage trucks, shows that the market is very tender right now. 

Still, it's equally easy to envision millions of Americans driving their kids to school and to the supermarket in this round electric minivan in early 2023 and 2024.

See video below of a "beta" version of the family vehicle in action.

Auto Styling News is a blog that covers car concepts, newly released models, and the auto industry.

#Rivian Electric Trucks Set To Launch With $69k Starting Price [Auto Styling News]

You may know all about the Cybertruck and its developer, serial entrepreneur Elon Musk, but you might have to get to know Rivian and its founder and CEO, RJ Scaringe as well, if you want to keep up with the latest in electric trucks.

Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian unveiled its highly anticipated Electric Adventure Vehicles - the R1T, an all-electric pickup and the R1S, an all-electric SUV — launched at events surrounding the 2018 LA Auto Show. They're nearing their production schedule of late 2020.

The R1T, a 5-passenger pickup truck, debuted at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles on Nov. 26, and the R1S, a 7-passenger SUV, was revealed at the automaker’s press conference at Automobility on Nov. 27. 

With up to 400+ miles in electric range, a wading depth of 1 meter, lockable storage bins that can fit the bulkiest of gear, and the performance and precise control of quad-motor AWD, Rivian vehicles have been developed to help customers get out and explore the world. Both vehicles will be produced at Rivian’s manufacturing facility in Normal IL.

The company begins by producing, "two vehicles that reimagine the pickup and SUV segments,” says Scaringe. “I started Rivian to deliver products that the world didn’t already have - to redefine expectations through the application of technology and innovation. Starting with a clean sheet, we have spent years developing the technology to deliver the ideal vehicle for active customers.

The company launches with two trucks, the R1T and R1S. Both designs communicate strength and refinement while still inviting customers to get the vehicles dirty. Strong proportions and clean, continuous bodylines help achieve a modern, inviting stance while acknowledging the performance and level of technology integrated into the vehicles.

The main bodyline of the R1T, which wraps up and around the cab and gives the vehicle a distinctive silhouette, while highlighting the Gear Tunnel™ cutline and accentuating the rear fender flares. The R1S shares much of its appearance with the R1T but in the rear highlights a function-driven design expressing capability and utility with plenty of space for occupants and gear. 

Rivian R1T

Both vehicles feature short overhangs, high ground clearance and aggressive approach and departure angles for a confident and rugged stance, all enabled by Rivian’s unique skateboard platform. 

Perhaps most controversially, the Rivian trucks will be quickly recognized on the road with their iconic, signature “stadium” headlights and a daytime running light that extends the entire width of the vehicle. But then again, every part of the Cybertruck will look far LESS conventional than these trucks, which will bring to mind the Toyota FJ Cruiser or even the 2021 Ford Bronco.

The Rivian has a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) starting at $69,000. At this time, Rivian is taking $1,000 refundable deposits.