The top of our list for replacing the Mustang Mach-E when it’s time are the Traveler, R2, and an R1 (used unless the prices come down).I have to say, I think this is one of those places where the Scout Traveler very intentionally fits into a window between the R1S and the R2 for some buyers...
The Traveler (at least to me) seems much more aligned with the attributes and capabilities (and footprint) of the R1, but without a 3rd row making it shorter, but also with a full-sized spare. This says to me that Rivian (with the R1S) was going for a little different / perhaps more family-oriented adventure audience, and the the Traveler is more intentionally designed to be rugged and outdoorsy, but makes no apologies for not having a 3rd row - for a reason.
The R2 is also Rivian's first foray into a "mass-market" and more value-oriented market (with a lot of the tech and capability we saw out of the gate with the R1) that will drive unit sales and more profitibility.
The R2 just doesn't map directly to the Traveler, and the Traveler doesn't map perfectly to the R1. Will be really interested in seeing buyer demographics and sales for these vehicles. There is clearly a place for all of them - the battle for marketshare & competition will help all of them.
The trade-offs between the three are real and everything measurable goes into the spreadsheet. Some of the required data aren’t available yet, which is fine—we don’t need to replace the Mustang any time soon. Because the Mustang isn’t our work vehicle, we can replace it with something that’s not quite as rugged/utilitarian as the Lightning.