# Rivian vs Lucid: only one is running Tesla's playbook

> Tesla's old master plan is still the scorecard, and one of these EV makers is actually following it.
- Title: Rivian vs Lucid: only one is running Tesla's playbook
- Summary: Tesla's old master plan is still the scorecard, and one of these EV makers is actually following it. The EV startup that gets to a mass-market price first…
- Keywords: ev stocks, rivian, lucid, tesla, robotaxis, business, finance, only, one, running, Tesla's, playbook
- Source: Yahoo Finance — https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/rivian-vs-lucid-stock-clearly-153500179.html
- Published: 2026-09-13T15:35:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ev stocks, rivian, lucid, tesla, robotaxis, business, finance
## Tesla wrote the recipe
In a 2006 blog post, Elon Musk laid out three steps: build a sports car, use the money for an affordable car, then an even cheaper one.

> The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (just between you and me)
## It took years, it worked
The Roadster landed in 2008 near $100,000, the Model S in 2012 around $60,000, the Model 3 in 2017 at $35,000. Each step funded the next.
## Scale bought optionality
Once Tesla could build cheap cars profitably, it had the capital and brand to chase robotaxis and self-driving semitrucks. Scale came first, moonshots second.
## The size gap is the opportunity
Tesla is worth about $1.2 trillion. Rivian sits near $23 billion and Lucid recently slipped under $2 billion. That gap is the whole bull case.
## Two launches, two strategies
Lucid's new Gravity SUV starts near $126,000 and can pass $150,000 loaded. Rivian's R2 starts around $45,000, topping out near $60,000.
## Price is the whole game
69% of Americans want to spend under $50,000 on their next car. The R2 fits that window, and Rivian has the cheaper R3 and R3X queued up behind it.
## Lucid keeps slipping
Lucid says cheaper models are coming, but its affordable vehicle slid from 2026 to late 2027. A delayed promise is not the same as a shipped car.
## Capital decides the robotaxi race
Both are building self-driving platforms, but Rivian is worth ten times Lucid. Diluting shareholders 10% would raise more than Lucid's entire market cap.
## Uber placed the bigger bet
Uber needs vehicles for its robotaxi fleet and hedged with both. It ordered up to 50,000 Rivian R2s against 35,000 from Lucid.
## Key takeaway

The EV startup that gets to a mass-market price first earns the scale, cash, and credibility to chase everything else.