Last week, Rivian teased an upcoming reveal with the message “a mirage takes shape Feb 19,” shared via email and social media. The images featured sand dunes and a black-and-white shot of a Rivian vehicle, sparking speculation that a new color might be part of the announcement. It turns out those predictions were correct—but that’s not all.
Now finally Rivian has announced a new “California Dune Edition” of its new Tri-Motor R1 in a special colour with an options package focused on off-road performance.
There is only a limited number available of the California Dune Edition with added new exterior and interior colours which Rivian says are “inspired by the mesmerizing landscapes of California’s desert dunes,” but includes a whole different option set, focused more on off-roading than on flashiness and luxury.
The electric vehicle is more focused towards off-roading and drops Rivian’s new ”Ascend” interior – otherwise included on all Tri-Motor R1s- for its more rugged, less-luxe “Adventure” interior. So the California Dune edition will miss out on some of the new Ascend features like passenger lumbar adjustment, electrochromic roof and so on.
In exchange for this, it comes with several other features that include interior badging, darkout package, all-terrain package, sound+vision package, powered tonneau cover (R1T), 1 pair of dark cargo crossbars, MAXTRAX recovery boards, MAXTRAX recovery board mount.
The Rivian R1 already delivers impressive off-road performance, but like most vehicles straight from the factory, there’s always room for enhancements.
The California Dune Edition comes with Rivian’s all-terrain package, featuring smaller wheels for better off-road performance, a spare tire, and a reinforced underbody shield. The wheels are available in either a dark finish or a lighter shade matching the California Dune exterior./
Additionally, it includes a third-party accessory—MAXTRAX recovery boards—mounted on the roof cargo rack. These boards are designed to help vehicles get unstuck from deep sand.
All of this comes at the same starting price as the standard R1 Tri-Motor—$99,900 for the R1T and $105,900 for the R1S—swapping the Ascend interior for a suite of included off-road packages.
The California Dune Edition is available now at Rivian.com and will be showcased live at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, from March 7-15 at Rivian’s Electric Roadhouse. You can also visit Rivian’s website to check if it will be coming to a city near you.
