They are. Selling Halo cars is a good way to set brand identity too. Better yet if it fills a niche in the market no one else is. Rivian starting off with a truck was smart. That it’s also imo the best one available still is an impressive accomplishment.

But all that’s because Rivian is a car company. There are so many industry vets working there. It will never have the hype of the tech bro disruptive mirage of Tesla. But it will likely outlive Tesla. And they already make higher quality vehicles.