A Hatchback With Bite: The Rivian R3
And the Designer Behind the Wheel
It’s not every day an electric car drops that grabs the attention of people who still religiously scroll Bring a Trailer for manual V8s before bed. But Rivian’s R3? Different story.
Small, boxy, and equal parts strange and familiar.
Designed under the watchful (and clearly fun-loving) eye of Juliana Cho, the R3, and its dirt-road-loving sibling R3X, is a breath of fresh, pine-scented, emissions-free, air. Cho is one of Rivian’s youngest design managers, and her fingerprints are all over this one. Chunky fenders, upright greenhouse, rally-ready stance. There’s just enough retro in the recipe to make enthusiasts take notice without veering into cosplay. It feels like something Suzuki, Audi, and LEGO might’ve cooked up after a long weekend in Joshua Tree.
In an excellent MotorTrend profile, Cho talks about her love for functional design, adventurous proportions, and sketching cars as a kid. That DNA screams through the R3’s silhouette, which is equal parts modern EV and mountain goat. It’s approachable, punchy, and mercifully free of the wind-tunnel sameness that plagues so many new cars. Praise be.
And the timing couldn’t be better. From where I stand (Los Angeles) the roads are crawling with EVs. But let’s be honest, they all kind of look the same. Smooth, swoopy, overdesigned. Safe. The R3? This thing’s got stance. It’s a design that wants to get dusty. This isn’t about a two-second sprint to sixty (though it might do it in three). It’s about vibes. A future cult classic that feels just as ready for Mulholland as it does a muddy trail in Big Bear.
And that makes it one of the most exciting cars in the pipeline. Electric or otherwise.
Bravo, Juliana. You gave the EV scene a much-needed jolt of personality. We’re rooting for you. And when these go on sale, we’ll be right behind the soon-to-be former Subaru guys trading in their Crosstreks.