A US patent application published on Thursday by the EV maker Rivian shows illustrations of three different SUV models.
Of those, only one matches a vehicle currently in production — the SUV R1S — raising questions about whether the filing offers the first glimpse at unrevealed models in the company’s pipeline.
The patent, titled “Estimating Coefficient of Drag” describes a system that uses AI to estimate a vehicle’s aerodynamic efficiency from rendered images.
It was filed on September 17, 2025, based on a provisional application dating to September 17, 2024.
The filing was first flagged by Rivian owner and brand enthusiast Chris Hilbert, who posted on X on Thursday that the patent “is not very interesting…until you look at the vehicles shown.”
“Remember, there’s still 1 vehicle on the Gen 2 platform that has not been announced yet,” Hilbert wrote, referencing a slide from Rivian‘s 2024 Investor Day that showed one shrouded vehicle under the Gen 2 column alongside the R1S, R1T, and commercial delivery van.
R4, R5 and R6
In an interview last year, Scaringe confirmed the existence of the R4 and R5 designations, though no prototypes or concepts have been shown publicly.
Speaking with the comedian Daniel Tosh on The Tosh Show, Scaringe said Rivian’s product plan currently extends to “five or six different vehicles,” with the R4 and R5 following the forthcoming R2 and R3.
“That’s as far out as our product plan goes today… but there may be like an R6,” he said, adding that he could not reveal details publicly.
What the Illustrations Show
The patent’s illustrations show three side-profile vehicle illustrations.
The first one depicts what appears to be a compact SUV or crossover with a sloping roofline, short rear overhang, and aggressive wheel arches — a silhouette that does not closely match any current Rivian production vehicle.
The proportions suggest a vehicle smaller than the R1S but with a higher roofline than the R2.
The second figure shows a more traditional SUV shape with a boxier rear section, taller greenhouse, and squared-off D-pillar.
This profile most closely resembles the current R1S, though with subtle differences in the roofline treatment and rear proportions that could indicate a refreshed or the Gen-3 iteration — which is planned to debut later this year.
Companies typically use stylised or conceptual renderings in technical filings to demonstrate a method rather than reveal a production vehicle.
The Gen 2 Gap
Rivian’s slide from the 2024 presentation — titled “Scalable software OS across multiple platforms” — showed the brand’s lineup across four columns corresponding to four hardware platforms: Gen 1, Gen 2, MSP (Midsize Platform), and Affordable Mass Market.
The Affordable Mass Market column contained three undisclosed silhouettes.
The Gen 2 platform currently underpins the refreshed 2026 R1T and R1S and the newly launched R2 mid-size SUV.
The R1 models are expected to receive a further refresh as 2027 model year vehicles later this year while the Gen-3 R2 is planned to begin production also later in 2026 with LiDAR sensor stack supplied by the China-based firm RoboSense.
Rivian’s Upcoming Lineup
The R2 compact SUV — the company’s first mass-market vehicle, priced from $45,000 — is about to start production at Rivian‘s Normal, Illinois plant.
Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid said this week that the first customers will receive vehicles by the end of spring, following several months of employee deliveries.
Beyond the R2, Rivian has confirmed two additional models on its Midsize Platform.
The R3, a compact hatchback-inspired crossover with styling that chief design officer Jeff Hammoud has said draws from 1980s Group B rally cars, is expected to enter production in 2028.
Its performance-oriented sibling, the R3X, features a wider stance and additional ground clearance and may arrive before the standard R3.
Both are expected to be built at Rivian‘s new Georgia facility, which is scheduled to begin production in 2028.
Separately, CEO RJ Scaringe has disclosed that Rivian has already designed vehicles for the “Affordable Mass Market” platform — models that would be priced below the R3 and targeted at European and other global markets.
Earlier this Thursday, the ride-hailing giant Uber announced that it will invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian through 2031, with the two companies planning to deploy up to 50,000 fully autonomous robotaxis across 25 cities in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
