Electric vehicle maker Rivian has hired Kyle Ness, the former chief engineer of Lucid’ second model, the Gravity, as it prepares for the launch of its upcoming R2 and R3 series.
Ness announced on Tuesday that he is joining Rivian as Senior Director of Vehicle Programs, based in Irvine, California.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he started the new role in June after spending nearly a year overseeing Lucid’s Gravity SUV and six months prior as chief engineer for the Lucid Air sedan.
At Lucid, Ness led engineering efforts through the Gravity’s development and pre-production phases.
The vehicle was first unveiled at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show, and the company began building pre-production units in mid-2024. Final production reportedly began roughly eleven months after its debut, but deliveries have remained limited.
As of early May, Lucid’s interim CEO Marc Winterhoff confirmed the company was facing supply chain challenges.
“While we encountered a modest supply chain bottleneck that had an impact on our timeline, the more important point is that we’re taking the time to get it right, not just getting it out,” he said during the Q1 earnings call.
Data from Motor Intelligence showed that only 35 Gravity units were registered in March and April combined.
Data from May was reported this week but appear to not distinguish sedans and SUVs anymore as it showed 975 Cars and zero trucks registered.
Ness’ move to Rivian comes as the company gears up for the next phase of its product roadmap. The company said R2 deliveries are expected to begin in the first half of 2026, followed by the launch of the smaller R3 and R3X models.
Unveiled early last year, the R3 is Rivian’s most compact SUV to date — a tall hatchback-like EV with off-road styling and built on the same platform as the upcoming R2.
The R3X, a performance-focused variant, will enter production first.
Before joining Lucid, Ness spent more than five years at the recently bankrupted Nikola in a series of engineering leadership roles, including Chief Engineer of Battery Electric Vehicles and Head of Vehicle Engineering.
He led multi-functional teams across chassis, aerothermal, simulation, and integration departments, helping bring Nikola’s BEV platform to production.
His engineering career also includes experience in truck and powersports development, having worked on the Nikola TRE BEV and the NZT off-road vehicle platform. The move to Rivian was first shared by the X user ‘Moregainzs’.
Lucid’s second model was recently spotted testing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany, with two prototypes bearing Munich license plates captured on video by the YouTube channel StateSideSupercars.
