Tired of Siri pretending she can adjust your car’s ride height? Rivian’s new AI assistant actually delivers on those promises. The company’s latest 2026.15 software update, rolling out now to all Gen 1 and Gen 2 R1 owners, introduces a Google Gemini Pro-powered assistant that controls vehicle systems your phone’s AI can only dream of accessing.
Unlike Apple CarPlay’s Siri or Android Auto’s Google Assistant—which basically amount to fancy speakerphones—the Rivian Assistant runs natively within your vehicle’s architecture. This isn’t just semantic hairsplitting; it’s the difference between asking Alexa to play music and actually controlling your truck’s drive modes, climate settings, and frunk with voice commands.
Native architecture delivers hands-free control over systems phone assistants can’t touch.
The assistant handles the stuff that matters when you’re driving: switching between sand and rock crawling modes, adjusting ride height for that sketchy driveway, checking tire pressure before a road trip, or opening the frunk when your hands are full of camping gear. You activate it by saying “Hey Rivian” or “OK, Rivian,” hitting the left steering wheel button, or tapping the screen—though the whole point is keeping your hands on the wheel.
The catch? You’ll need a Connect+ subscription ($14.99 monthly or $149.99 yearly), and enabling the Rivian Assistant kills your Alexa integration. Pick your digital assistant poison.
Personal preferences and calendar access remain individual, not shared across household drivers.
The system learns your habits and stores them in your driver profile, not some shared family account. Google Calendar integration helps with navigation planning, while full media control works across Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and Sirius XM. It’ll even read incoming texts and suggest stops based on your conversations—because apparently your truck should know when you’re texting about needing coffee.
Privacy controls let you disable the wake word, limit location sharing, or turn off the memory feature entirely. Smart move, considering how creepy always-listening devices can feel.
Rivian’s assistant costs less than Tesla’s while delivering deeper vehicle system access.
Technical analysis suggests the Rivian Assistant currently handles more complex vehicle commands than Tesla’s Grok, though some advanced navigation scenarios remain off-limits. The upcoming R2 will ship with this feature standard, backed by 200 sparse TOPS of edge computing power—serious hardware for real-time AI chips processing.
Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid’s rollout announcement validates Rivian’s controversial decision to skip CarPlay and Android Auto. That proprietary architecture now delivers tangible benefits competitors can’t match without major system overhauls.
The assistant currently works in English only and needs cloud connectivity. But for EV buyers prioritizing software integration over smartphone dependency, Rivian just made its case for why native beats mirrored—every single time.
From the coolest cars to the must-have gadgets, GadgetReview’s daily newsletter keeps you in the know. Subscribe – it’s fun, fast, and free.
EV and future tech
Classic and collector
Deals and buying guides
Ownership
Safety and recalls
Policy and environment
New vehicles and reviews
Auto shows
General
People and culture
Help
About us
About our ads
Licensing
Sitemap
Follow us on
© 2026 Yahoo. All rights reserved.
New mid-sized electric hatchback is a value-focused Cupra Born rival – but is it up to the task?
Triumph Stag saloons and estates were built by Ian ‘Del’ Lines – and today are rare, sought-after classic cars
The company says it now oversees every part of its assisted-driving technology production.
Slate's strategy appears to give buyers stripped-down options to start cheap and add only desired features.
Lightweight retro bike priced at $2,999 Last November, we reported that a new 177cc retro bike from Kawasaki had received approval from the California Air Resources Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Today, the bike is officially confirmed, with Kawasaki announcing the W175 LTD for the U.S. market. [cuttext][/cuttext] Read More: 2026 Kawasaki W175 LTD Planned for US Market 2025 Kawasaki W230 – First Look 2019 Kawasaki W800 Cafe Review Like the W230 and W800, the W175 LTD is styl
BMW may be known as one of the most famous German automakers, but many of its contemporary vehicles are built in the U.S., including these models.
10 classic looks on 10 modern motorcycles Dressing up a modern motorcycle with a historic paint scheme is a quick and easy way for manufacturers to produce a limited edition model it can sell at a premium price. Ducati already did it just this year with the Formula 73, a Scrambler-based café racer styled after the 750 Super Sport Desmo. [cuttext][/cuttext] The Collezione 100 is perhaps the most ambitious attempt at this kind of project yet, with Ducati dressing up 10 different models — one from
A blast from the past It took a little longer than we expected, but Kawasaki has officially announced the return of the Ninja 300 to its U.S. lineup, reintroducing a popular sportbike that countless riders cut their teeth on. [cuttext][/cuttext] We first broke the news of the Ninja 300’s imminent return last August, and despite the sportbike arriving in showrooms in Canada last fall, it wasn’t officially confirmed until now. We’re not sure why it took until June; perhaps Kawasaki was waiting for
Nissan recalls over 51,000 Kicks SUVs due to a software defect that can cause dashboard displays to go blank, hiding critical safety warnings.
If you want to drive any sort of large truck for a living, you'll need to know which CDL to get and what sort of rigs you can legally drive.
Despite being over two decades old, clean 4th-gen V8 4Runners are still fetching over $25,000 on the used market, and there's a good reason for that.
The question has followed Dodge ever since the company introduced its new-generation Charger: where is the V8? Now, reports suggest the answer may finally be coming, and it could be exactly what longtime muscle car fans have been waiting to hear. More Stories Like This Teen Shot at Massachusetts Car Meet as Burning Stolen Car Full of Bullet Holes Sends Crowd Running Hellcat Murder Case Takes Dramatic Turn After Suspect Rejects Plea Deal in Deadly AirTag Tracking Confrontation Driver Tried to Hid
Buc-ee's gas stations are truly massive, but that doesn't mean you can park your RV there overnight. Here's why the chain doesn't allow overnight stays.
Nearly 18 months ago, Kawasaki released a video on its social media platforms teasing the return of two stroke dirt bikes. And then said absolutely nothing about it. Despite the silence, Kawasaki started a fire in its audience, and in pretty much every social media post since then, it received multiple comments from people asking about an update on the two-stroke project.
Lotus spent much of the past decade talking about an all-electric future. Now, the British sports car manufacturer appears to be charting a different course, one that includes a return to high-performance combustion engines alongside … Read more
If Rivian has its way, Level 4 autonomy, where a car can drive itself without any human input, is coming by around 2030, possibly even as soon as 2028. RJ Scaringe has spent years steering Rivian from a scrappy EV upstart to a serious force with over 42,000 R1s sold and a $5.8 billion tie-up with …
Every car enthusiast has lived through a variation of this script.
Cruise around in style this spring and summer with these electric scooters.
The way Consumer Reports tests new vehicles looks like a ton of fun. Here are some of the tests the organization uses and why they're so important.
Tolman is steadily gaining a reputation for building and restoring classic performance cars in a truly special way. They reach out to our nostalgia rather than just chasing outright performance figures. Having recently made waves with high-profile projects like an exceptional Integra Type R, they …
A used Mustang selling for more than its original sticker price usually sparks immediate skepticism. For many enthusiasts, paying a premium over MSRP for a car that has already had an owner sounds like the kind of collector-market madness that keeps ordinary buyers on the sidelines. But this Shelby GT500 is not an ordinary used Mustang. You Should Read This Next 140 MPH Chevy Malibu Police Chase Ends In Violent Rollover After Driver Tries To Outrun Arkansas Trooper Mercedes-Maybach Refuses to Ki
BMW finally brings its M-tuned xDrive all-wheel-drive system to the M2.
Purists will be angry with BMW, but when aren't purists angry with BMW?
The xDrive AWD system chops a few tenths off the 0-60, should make the winter commute easier, and ships exclusively with the eight-speed auto.
The M2 with M xDrive still makes 473 horsepower, but the extra traction from the front wheels helps it shave three-tenths off the sprint to 60 mph.
Leave a Reply