- Mate Rimac absolutely loves the performance-oriented Rivian R3X.
- Rimac revealed on Facebook that he would buy the Rivian R3X "in a heartbeat" if it were available in Europe.
- This should be a huge endorsement for Rivian, considering Mate is responsible for some of the coolest performance EVs in the industry.
Mate Rimac, the mastermind behind the Croatian electric hypercar brand and a bona fide EV visionary, is one of those CEOs who isn't afraid to gush about a good car when he sees it. I mean, what other CEO can confidently say that they drive a 20-year-old BMW E39 M5 to work every day just because they love it?
Despite his love for classic Bavarian powerhouses, something newer and a bit more electrifying has caught Mate's eye: the yet-to-be-released Rivian R3X. In a Facebook comment thread, Mate even popped up to praise the design of Rivian's upcoming R2 and R3 platforms. He even hinted at a bit of buyer's envy, since he—like the rest of us—can't get an R3X yet.
A Peek Behind The Curtain
The post in question came from none other than the Apex Automotor Facebook group—a true haven for automotive aficionados and industry bigwigs. Mate was responding to a post by Rivian's lead interior designer Andrew Morandi who had shared some early concept sketches of the Rivian R2 platform. And while Mate did say that he loves the R2, it wasn't the model he was smitten with. That love is for the performance variant of the upcoming R3: the Rivian R3X.
"Had the honor to have RJ show me the car (inside and out) at Pebble Beach," wrote Mate as a response to a post on Facebook. "Love it, but especially the R3X. Would buy it in a heartbeat if it was available in Europe."
Now, this complement is coming from the Mate Rimac. You know, the mind behind hypercars like the 1,914-horsepower Rimac Nevera. So that endorsement should come with some serious weight. The R3X is undoubtedly something that the world is salivating over. It even made InsideEV's list of future electric cars that we're most excited about. Between the retro-inspired styling, its performance-oriented nature, and its compact size, even traditional auto enthusiasts are willing to take a look beyond ICE at the tiny hot hatch.
A Change Of Heart
Mate didn't always share this opinion of Rivian. In fact, he admitted that he was skeptical of the brand when he visited the company prior to it releasing the R1 platform many years ago.
Fast forward to 2025 and the CEO has done a full 180 on his position. Not only has another brand's EV grown on him, but he's actually willing to purchase one. If that doesn't scream gassing—er, charging up the homies, I'm not sure what does.
More from Mate:
I have visited the Normal HQ something like 6-7 years ago when the first R1 clay models were built. I was quite skeptical at that time I must admit and didn’t like the front at all. You guys have really nailed it on the product, positioning and story telling. Now I even like the front, it grew on me. Fingers crossed for RJ and the whole team!
What's The Big Deal About the R3X, Anyway?
I think it's fair to say that while the R2 is probably Rivian's most important upcoming product, the R3 (and more specifically, the R3X) is probably the one that enthusiasts are most excited about. And it's easy to see why from the styling alone. A ton of new EVs today are gargantuan—namely pickups, SUVs, and crossovers. You know, the cars with a ton of room for profit and enough interior space to feed America's insatiable appetite for big vehicles.
The R3 scales down to become an adventure car for normal folks, and the R3X is one of the first cars to be marketed as a performance EVs outside of Teslas, Porsches, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Kia EV6 GT. It's akin to slapping Subaru an STI badge on the Impreza, except electric.
To add to the complexity of the situation, the specifics of the R3X are still shrouded in mystery. Sure, we know the R3X is styled like an 80s rally champion, we don't have details about its powertrain and probably won't until well after the R2 hits the streets. According to Morandi, Rivian's team behind the R3X is doing "all they can to pull up its timing." The biggest limiting factor seems to just be the capacity to build everything all of its hit products the same time. Hopefully its upcoming Georgia plant will help to remedy that situation.
